TSA luggage locks?

[travelbuds]

We have used TSA locks on our last two cruises. Each time the locks were missing at the embarkation airport (Anchorage and Long Beach) when we picked up the luggage. Fortunately nothing was missing (except the locks). There were no notices inside the luggage saying that they were opened, and the locks were not put inside. Each time we were told by TSA that if they open luggage, a notice is placed inside, and they would replace the lock. Just wondering if we should bother to put locks on for the next cruise.

Thanks.

[itsajoke]

They are supposed to put a notice in but they sometimes. I use them all the time as well and on my last flight (not even for a cruise) I was watching out the window as luggage was being put on the plane and I saw my luggage thrown on the belt with the open lock laying next to it! Needless to say that was the last time I saw the lock.

 

Since then, I've made sure I am not packing anything that looks suspicious in my luggage - I think my wife had an odd can of hairspray of something odd shaped that she had packed that I thought may have made them open the lock. We did report it to the airline when we picked up the luggage - not that they cared, but more because there was no note inside the luggage.

 

We fly quite a bit and we still always use the locks. I just feel that it would deter someone who may have less than good intentions - they'll open an unlocked bag before a locked one.

[Astro Flyer]

We have used TSA locks on our last two cruises. Each time the locks were missing at the embarkation airport (Anchorage and Long Beach) when we picked up the luggage. Fortunately nothing was missing (except the locks). There were no notices inside the luggage saying that they were opened, and the locks were not put inside. Each time we were told by TSA that if they open luggage, a notice is placed inside, and they would replace the lock. Just wondering if we should bother to put locks on for the next cruise.

Thanks.

I use the TSA locks & have never lost any of the locks. There's a "red" indicator to show if the TSA (or even a crook with a key) opened it along with a notice inside...but only if it was the TSA & not a crook! :p

 

No lock is 100% certain to keep a determined crook out of luggage because if they want to get into it, they'll find a way. I do it to try to make it slightly more challenging so a crook will just go to one of the unlocked bags instead. And if they look at how much a bag cost, they'll realize that my Costco bags indicate that we're not wealthy. :D

[chipmaster]

Used locks on my last two cruises never a problem, plan to use them always.

 

Do people leave their doors unlocked:confused:

[RickEk]

We have had a TSA lock disappear once a couple of years ago flying into New York. No note inside the bag, but the lock was gone. :(

[sk8teacher]

Use plastic cable ties. Much cheaper and surprisingly, most times they will replace them if they cut them off. I always use weird color ones (lime green, red, etc.), and in all of our cruises have never had one cut. Other folks I know that use them have said that theirs were cut but replaced with a different color.

 

All you are doing by locking your luggage is keeping honest people honest. You are not going to stop an actual thief so you might as well save yourself some money.

 

Cheers,

[sk8teacher]

Use plastic cable ties. Much cheaper and surprisingly, most times they will replace them if they cut them off. I always use weird color ones (lime green, red, etc.), and in all of our cruises have never had one cut. Other folks I know that use them have said that theirs were cut but replaced with a different color.

 

From everything that I have read over the last couple of years, when using TSA locks, they get cut off/left off about too many times. And when I compare the cost of a lock vs. a plastic cable tie it is a no brainer for me.

 

All you are doing by locking your luggage is keeping honest people honest. You are not going to stop an actual thief so you might as well save yourself some money.

 

Cheers,

[tripleamom]

I've bought numerous tsa locks and never get them back. So now i use white twist ties ( from plastic bags) and of course they always put them back. Sometimes there is a note card left in suitcase and sometimes not. I always bring can of hairspray which may look suspicious but I leave it on top where they can see it easily.

[Krazy Kruizers]

we have used the tsa locks for years -- never lost one

 

before tsa locks came out -- one time in ft lauderdale our luggage was opened -- we had used the cable ties at that time -- they were cut -- no note inside the luggage and the cable tie wasn't replaced -- nothing was missing

[BIG_Steve]

Never had that happen, but it sounds like others have. The locks aren't going to deter anyone in the baggage "system" who is stealing from suitcases. In that instance it could be argued that perhaps the locks are broadcasting "There's something worthwhile to steal in here." But I suppose that could be argued all day and never proven. Might be helpful in deterring someone who wants to slip something in your bag for smuggling. But I have to wonder just how often does something like that happen.............

 

I use the locks hoping that if the bag gets snagged somewhere that the zipper won't open. If I ever lose the locks, or they wear out, I'll just use zip-ties like someone else mentioned. Leave a few on top of the clothes so that hopefully TSA will just pick one up and refasten it.

[Happy ks]

The only answer I could have for missing luggage locks is a lazy

TSA agent or perhaps the lock wasn't fully locked into place. Yes, the locks can be broken, yes a piece of luggage can still be broken into. But for safety sake of just not having my zipper ripped open by not having it secured is enough of a reason for a lock or cable tie for me. My belief is that if your piece gets broken into, you just had bad luck that day, locked or unlocked.

 

Perhaps we've been fortunate, in 30 years of traveling together, we've never had a lost piece of luggage, never had our luggage tampered with or stolen and have always locked our pieces.

 

Slightly off topic: We carry small valuables in my purse, since carry ons can be taken at the gate and checked if the overhead bins are full. With luggage fees in place now, many people are taking carry on to the outer limits. I almost cringe every time I read about someone losing their camera/jewelty/laptop/MP3 player, etc... We lock our carry on bag just in case it is taken from us. So now it's not safe to put these valuables in a case that can't fit into the seat in front of you :rolleyes:

[dsrdsrdsr]

Might be helpful in deterring someone who wants to slip something in your bag for smuggling. But I have to wonder just how often does something like that happen.............

 

I can't imagine it happens very often, if at all, because of the practicalities of it. Either you've got to have an accomplice at the other end who can guarantee to be able to get hold of it before it reaches the carousel, or you've got to take it from the carousel before the passenger sees it, or somehow steal it back after customs. It's surely more practical to use a mule to smuggle stuff through personally.

[Gonzo70]

Used locks on my last two cruises never a problem, plan to use them always.

 

Do people leave their doors unlocked:confused:

 

Locking a door serves as a deterrent; while not fool proof, a decent lock makes a door significantly more difficult to open than an unlocked door.

 

A lock on a suitcase (if the suitcase has a zipper) does not serve as a deterrent. The zipper is extremely vulnerable. A zipper can be pried open with a multitude of readily available objects (even a simple pen) in about the same amount of time it takes to open up an unlocked suitcase. Not only does a lock on a suitcase not serve as a deterrent, it may serve as a red flag that there are valuables inside! Locking a suit case is like putting a lock through an envelope you send in the mail; it just does not make it more difficult to open.

 

The best thing to do is just to make sure one keeps all valuables (sentimental and real) in one's carry on. Locked and unlocked suitcases are both equally vulnerable.

[Gonzo70]

I can't imagine it happens very often, if at all, because of the practicalities of it. Either you've got to have an accomplice at the other end who can guarantee to be able to get hold of it before it reaches the carousel, or you've got to take it from the carousel before the passenger sees it, or somehow steal it back after customs. It's surely more practical to use a mule to smuggle stuff through personally.

 

Correct. Also a locked suitcase can fairly easily have something placed inside it anyways. A locked suitcase can easily be pried open with a pen or other object (as per my post above) and can then easily be resecured.

[cb at sea]

I'm not worried about theft..but I don't WANT anyone in my bags..and I don't want someone PUTTING anything in my suitcase without my knowledge....so we use REAL locks...not TSA stuff where myriads of folks have keys. If they want to get in my things, they'll either have to cut the lock, or call me. No surprises!

[Shoalwater]

I'm not worried about theft..but I don't WANT anyone in my bags..and I don't want someone PUTTING anything in my suitcase without my knowledge....so we use REAL locks...not TSA stuff where myriads of folks have keys. If they want to get in my things, they'll either have to cut the lock, or call me. No surprises!

 

Sorry to burst your bubble, but watch this and then obsess.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mf-DGKUNffI&feature=related :eek:

 

Like the OP said, use cable ties. Only value is it guards against the zippers accidentally opening. ANYONE can get into and out of your zipped, "locked' luggage without your knowing about it by just appearance

[greatam]

As I have posted so often, I laugh every time I walk into Phoenix Sky Harbor and JFK AA terminals. Laying ON TOP of or next to the luggage scanner is a bright red pair of bolt cutters. They are NOT there for decoration. They are there because the TSA locks can ONLY be accessed by Supervisors. And Supervisors are frequently away from where they are supposed to be, at a meeting or simply "out to lunch". So they cut the locks off.

 

Cable ties in bright colors not only give you some security but you can spot your luggage a long way away. I fly a lot. If I can't see my brightly colored zip ties when my luggage hits the carousel, I REFUSE to pick it up. I find the airline attendant and make them stand there while I open my luggage. They are generally around the luggage carousels or in the lost luggage office. IF there is something missing, it is a lot easier to have the attendant there to verify that you are not fraudulently reporting your $5000 necklace or your $100 new blouse. Also, if there was anything placed IN your luggage, this may go a long way to keeping you out of jail with the attendant there. I have had to have the attendant watch me open luggage twice-once in LAX (TSA forgot the new cable tie but put in the note) and once in Hong Kong. Yes, it took an extra hour at LAX but at least I covered my bases if there would have been a claim (there was a lot of paperwork in one of my suitcases).

 

TSA locks are a waste of money. They are cut off very, very frequently. An insider at AA cargo services reports suitcases with TSA locks are more frequently targeted for TSA inspection. Don't know how true it is or what percentage are targeted, but I have no reason to doubt this person. I lost mine within a very short time after they came out with them. That was quite a few years ago. I have been using zip ties for years. Easy, cheap, stick a few in the outside pocket of your suitcase along with the nail clippers to clip them off. You ALWAYS have a lock.

[BIG_Steve]

 

If I can't see my brightly colored zip ties when my luggage hits the carousel, I REFUSE to pick it up. I find the airline attendant and make them stand there while I open my luggage. They are generally around the luggage carousels or in the lost luggage office. IF there is something missing, it is a lot easier to have the attendant there to verify that you are not fraudulently reporting your $5000 necklace or your $100 new blouse.

 

You lost me. How does the attendant know the necklace or blouse was ever in the bag?

[greatam]

You lost me. How does the attendant know the necklace or blouse was ever in the bag?

 

Thieves don't put things back neatly as a general rule. TSA generally tries. So if I open my suitcase in front of the attendant and it is a mess, that becomes prima facie for anything I find missing (or added) to my suitcase.

 

The attendant would not know what was actually in my suitcase, but a lot easier to prove on the spot than a day or two later when you get home and THEN discover something missing. The first question from the airline will be at a later date-"are you SURE you didn't leave it in XXX?". Then, "are you SURE one of your traveling companions doesn't have it". There's always the question in the back of their minds "was it REALLY in the suitcase?".

 

If your suitcase is missing the brightly colored zip ties or locks when it comes off the carousel, just so much easier to prove, especially with the attendant watching you open it.

[pris993]

We have used TSA locks on our last two cruises. Each time the locks were missing at the embarkation airport (Anchorage and Long Beach) when we picked up the luggage. Fortunately nothing was missing (except the locks). There were no notices inside the luggage saying that they were opened, and the locks were not put inside. Each time we were told by TSA that if they open luggage, a notice is placed inside, and they would replace the lock. Just wondering if we should bother to put locks on for the next cruise.

Thanks.

 

We don't use TSA locks, we have hard side luggage with regular locks, whick we always lock. We have never had our luggage opened, except once when we put an electronic device in the luggage, then they broke the lock. So unless you have something in your luggage they want to check out, no reason to be concerned.

[BIG_Steve]

Thieves don't put things back neatly as a general rule. TSA generally tries. So if I open my suitcase in front of the attendant and it is a mess, that becomes prima facie for anything I find missing (or added) to my suitcase.

 

The attendant would not know what was actually in my suitcase, but a lot easier to prove on the spot than a day or two later when you get home and THEN discover something missing. The first question from the airline will be at a later date-"are you SURE you didn't leave it in XXX?". Then, "are you SURE one of your traveling companions doesn't have it". There's always the question in the back of their minds "was it REALLY in the suitcase?".

 

If your suitcase is missing the brightly colored zip ties or locks when it comes off the carousel, just so much easier to prove, especially with the attendant watching you open it.

 

I still don't see it, but I guess it doesn't matter.

 

But if I were going to fraudulently claim something expensive were missing, I wouldn't hesitate to put my clothes in rumpled, and just leave zip ties off. On the way home my clothes are generally repacked hap-hazardly anyway.

 

I understand these things are proof to the owner. I'm just hard pressed to believe the airline is going to be impressed if I say I can prove my Rolex is missing because my clothes are wrinkled and there are no zip ties on the bag.

[6rugrats]

I still don't see it, but I guess it doesn't matter.

 

But if I were going to fraudulently claim something expensive were missing, I wouldn't hesitate to put my clothes in rumpled, and just leave zip ties off. On the way home my clothes are generally repacked hap-hazardly anyway.

 

I understand these things are proof to the owner. I'm just hard pressed to believe the airline is going to be impressed if I say I can prove my Rolex is missing because my clothes are wrinkled and there are no zip ties on the bag.

It would be really foolish to pack anything expensive in a checked bag, and in fact, most airlines state clearly on their webpages, under the "checked luggage" section, that they will not be responsible for such items!

 

So, I am not sure why I would want anyone to watch me open my bag on the carousel. There's never anything valuable in it. Just dirty clothes.

[natalie2727]

Use plastic cable ties. Much cheaper and surprisingly, most times they will replace them if they cut them off. I always use weird color ones (lime green, red, etc.), and in all of our cruises have never had one cut. Other folks I know that use them have said that theirs were cut but replaced with a different color.

 

From everything that I have read over the last couple of years, when using TSA locks, they get cut off/left off about too many times. And when I compare the cost of a lock vs. a plastic cable tie it is a no brainer for me.

 

All you are doing by locking your luggage is keeping honest people honest. You are not going to stop an actual thief so you might as well save yourself some money.

 

Cheers,

 

Where can you buy cable ties?

[Laurie S.]

You can buy them at hardware stores, auto parts stores, big box stores, just about anywhere that carries electrical supplies.

[dsrdsrdsr]

I've had my luggage searched 3 times coming home from Chicago to Manchester (England), and all 3 times the only reason I knew was the note at the bottom of the suitcase telling me so. Of course, coming home, nothing needs to be neatly folded anyway, so maybe a tidier packer would have noticed.

 

I never lock the cases. It's no deterrent to a thief anyway, because they can either steal the case or a quick in-and-out with a knife in seconds anyway. Frankly, I'd rather they found out there's nothing worth stealing without causing any damage.