Looted luggage can trip up your trip

Looted luggage can trip up your trip

By Carol Pucci

Seattle Times staff columnist


Related

* Share your story of luggage woe
* More Travel Wise

Ah ... time for spring break. You've booked a flight to Florida or
Hawaii, snagged an off-season fare to Rome or London or planned an
East Coast trip with your son or daughter to check out colleges.

You're thinking about what to pack and how to get through the security
lines with new rules restricting liquids and gels in carry-ons.

If you're planning on checking your bags, there's something else to
consider:

Mishandled, lost or pilfered luggage is a big problem, and it's
getting worse.

What to know before you go


· Carry it on: Avoid checking bags by packing light and traveling with
just a carry-on. Security rules ban most liquids and gels in
containers larger than 3 ounces, but most other everyday items are
allowed. See www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel.



· Lock it up: For information on TSA-approved locks, see
www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/
assistant/locks.shtm. Buy them at luggage and travel stores, American
Automobile Association offices or through online retailers.



· Know what's covered: Airlines cover travelers flying domestically to
a maximum of $3,000 for loss of checked luggage or items packed
inside. Most international liability is limited to $9 per pound or
$640 per bag. Excluded from coverage are many types of valuables
including binoculars, cameras, laptops, jewelry, furs, etc. For a list
of items not covered, see information under "Checked Baggage" on your
airline's Web site.

With more people flying (U.S. airlines flew 3.8 million more
passengers in January than a year earlier) and more people checking
bags, complaints filed with airlines rose to 8.19 for every 1,000
passengers in January, an 18 percent jump from January 2006, according
to the U.S. Department of Transportation.

The actual numbers of complaints for all of last year weren't high -
about 6.7 cases for every 1,000 passengers who flew within the United
States. But it was the highest rate since 1990, and it didn't include
international flights or complaints filed directly with the
Transportation Security Administration which screens and sometimes
opens checked bags.

Last month's news reports of thefts of cigarettes, laptops and credit
cards from checked baggage at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport,
and the arrest of two baggage handlers working for Menzies Aviation, a
private company that contracts with Alaska Airlines, should serve as a
wake-up call if you're planning to travel by air soon:

· Travel with a carry-on bag only, if possible. If not, then carry on
with you any items that you can't do without, such as medications or
important documents, should your luggage be delayed or lost.

· Don't put anything valuable in checked bags, especially electronic
equipment, cameras, laptops, etc. The airlines don't cover these if
they are stolen or damaged.

· Lock your checked bags. TSA officials and airlines recommended that
passengers not lock their bags when security increased after the Sept.
11 terrorist attacks. They now advise using TSA-approved locks for
bags checked through U.S airports.

Minimizing the risks

More people began checking their bags after a ban on liquids and gels
in carry-ons went into effect late last year. Revised rules now allow
for small amounts of shampoo, etc., in carry-ons (three ounces or
less), but the number of checked bags is still up by around 10 percent
at Sea-Tac, says Jennifer Peppin, TSA's spokeswoman in Seattle.

TSA screens checked bags behind the scenes for explosives. Most bags
are cleared without being opened, but if something creates suspicion,
screeners will open your bag and leave a note inside.

Inspectors will cut a lock if they have to, but they can open TSA-
approved locks with a special tool, then relock them, preventing
baggage handlers or anyone else from getting in your suitcase.

At least that's the theory.

The locks don't prevent thefts by the screeners themselves, and
they're not foolproof. Just ask seasoned travelers such as Marc
Strachan at Integrated Talent, a Seattle video and production company.

Strachan and his co-workers travel frequently with cameras and other
video gear. Sometimes they send the equipment ahead, but other times
they have to check it on the airline.

"We've had more than one instance in the past year alone where TSA
representatives in Seattle have removed our TSA-approved locks to
inspect our equipment (which looks quite suspect in the x-ray
machine), and not replaced them on our cases and bags," he said in an
e-mail message.

"They literally throw the locks inside."

So far, nothing has been taken, but Strachan says he fears it's just a
matter of time.

The decision comes down to how to best minimize the risks. The bottom
line is that a TSA lock is better than no lock, says Kevin Coffey, a
Los Angeles police detective and owner of Corporate Travel Safety
(www.corporatetravelsafety.com), a company which advises businesses on
travel safety and sells anti-theft products online.

The temptations are great with so many travelers checking bags and so
many people handling them.

"If a dishonest luggage handler wants to get into your bag, he or she
will," Coffey says. "If they can open it really quickly, they'll do
that, but if it's locked and they can't, they'll go onto the next one.
They're looking for a quick, easy hit."

Filing a claim

Figuring out who's at fault can be a hassle - the airline, TSA, or, in
the case of six U.S. airports, including San Francisco International,
private screening contractors for which the TSA does not handle
claims.

TSA says it resolves most of its claims within three months, but the
settlement rate hasn't been high - just 47 percent, according to a
Congressional report last May - for an average $150 per claim.

If your luggage is damaged or pilfered, here's what to do:

· Report the loss to your airline within 24 hours. Keep copies of your
ticket and baggage claim check.

· File a claim with TSA, or in the case of airports in San Francisco,
Kansas City, Sioux Falls, Rochester, Tupelo, and Jackson Hole, the
private screening service in charge. See claims.tsa.dhs.gov, or call
866-289-9673.

· If you suspect the theft happened while your bags were at Sea-Tac,
file a report with the Port of Seattle police. Call 206-433-5401. If
you're in the airport, go to a pay phone and dial 911, or file a
report in-person at offices inside the main terminal near Concourse B.

Best advice:

Travel light. Minimize your risks by locking your checked bags.
Whatever you do, take the laptop onboard with you, or better yet,
leave it at home. Ditto the iPod and cellphone. You're on vacation,
remember. What better excuse to unplug.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/travelwise/2003630806_pucci25.html

.