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In case, just like me, you always thought the safest way to check a bag was at the gate... think again. In light of the $$$BILLIONS$$$ we are all forking over to the airlines in baggage fees, this is an outrage.
I hope many of you join me in sending this to your favorite airlines and demanding they tighten security and increase their training of their baggage handlers. Also, if you have ANYTHING that is extremely valuable and you absolutely MUST have it on your trip, consider shipping it insured via FedEx or UPS or use one of the luggage services. Confessions of an Airline Baggage Handler | Video - ABC News
Better yet - drive.
In case, just like me, you always thought the safest way to check a bag was at the gate... think again. In light of the $$$BILLIONS$$$ we are all forking over to the airlines in baggage fees, this is an outrage.
I hope many of you join me in sending this to your favorite airlines and demanding they tighten security and increase their training of their baggage handlers. Also, if you have ANYTHING that is extremely valuable and you absolutely MUST have it on your trip, consider shipping it insured via FedEx or UPS or use one of the luggage services. Confessions of an Airline Baggage Handler | Video - ABC News
Better yet - drive.
In the last twenty years of traveling domestically and internationally, I have checked baggage exactly once. For a winter weather trip that included 21 days on a cruise ship (read: expensive laundry services) and 5+ more days in Rome. Other than that, we do carry on. We find laundry mats easily, and never risk losing or having a hassle with our baggage.
(Okay - we do sometimes check our bags on the way home at the end of the trip. I often hope they lose it - they can have the dirty laundry, send me a check and I'll go shopping. Of course, prescriptions, jewelry, anything irreplaceable, goes into my backpack on the plane with me.)
The striking comment, however, was that you can just be a carry-on person like I am, and still be stopped on the plane because others have taken up the overhead space. Then you find yourself having to gate-check. I always thought since it was so close to take off that my bags were safe. Turns out there are those who climb into the baggage space ostensibly to "rearrange" the bags, and as the video shows, they are going through your stuff.
One quick way to slow them down is to put a lock on your bag before you hand it over. It has been through TSA so you can do that. However, those zippers on suitcases are still penetrable since the zipper will usually fix itself again after being separated. An expert thief knows how to do this. So the hard cased suitcases without zippers seem to be your best bet.
Sad how bad things have gotten. Airlines need to be challenged on this if they are charging more for baggage handling!
I still used to check even a small bag as a habit when it was free just so I wouldn't have to keep an eye on it or fight for overhead space. I had a bag not show up once, which was a hassle of course, but I still feel like it was worth it overall. These days if I'm traveling alone I carry on everything in a bag small enough to fit under my seat. When we travel with the family it's too much to carry on anyways so we cram everything into one giant suitcase and check that. It's a risk, but so is driving to the airport.
I've had the bags damaged over the years, which is annoying, but now that they're already damaged, who cares? It's not like I'm packing ming vases in there. People childishly fighting over overhead space is far more irritating and it's not something I want to be a part of.
I agree that if we're being charged for baggage it is a separate 'premium' service at that point and should be treated as such. But news articles always exaggerate things anyways. Mostly sensationalism… Any of you still not eat spinach?
The striking comment, however, was that you can just be a carry-on person like I am, and still be stopped on the plane because others have taken up the overhead space. Then you find yourself having to gate-check. I always thought since it was so close to take off that my bags were safe. Turns out there are those who climb into the baggage space ostensibly to "rearrange" the bags, and as the video shows, they are going through your stuff.
One quick way to slow them down is to put a lock on your bag before you hand it over. It has been through TSA so you can do that. However, those zippers on suitcases are still penetrable since the zipper will usually fix itself again after being separated. An expert thief knows how to do this. So the hard cased suitcases without zippers seem to be your best bet.
Sad how bad things have gotten. Airlines need to be challenged on this if they are charging more for baggage handling!
True enough. But I never let anything out of my sight that is irreplaceable, valuable or a prescription drug. So in those situations where they check my carry on at the gate, I just open it up and pop out one of these handy Luggage Cubes. That goes in my backpack or under the seat. LOVE THOSE LUGGAGE CUBES!
There are always some bad apples, but ramp agents are there to do the job. With incredible time-constraints, 70+ pound suitcases, and worthless fragile stickers placed everywhere, your bag isn't going to be pampered. More often than not, what you think was stolen actually fell out of your over-stuffed, cheap suitcase and someone tried to put it back together for you.
And don't forget, the news is there to sensationalize everything. They pick the absolute worst-case scenarios and parade them around. There are definitely thieves out there, but they lose their job awfully quick, and rightfully so.
Great tip for adding a lock at the end of the ramp. I went on vacation, and every flight we were on, made us bag check at the end of the ramp.
The trick I use is to hang back while everyone else is trying to be first to get their bags on the plane. I try to be near last. This way once you land, your bag is pulled out first, and waiting for you when you exit the plane. No waiting in that 'wall-flower' line.
Great tip for adding a lock at the end of the ramp. I went on vacation, and every flight we were on, made us bag check at the end of the ramp.
The trick I use is to hang back while everyone else is trying to be first to get their bags on the plane. I try to be near last. This way once you land, your bag is pulled out first, and waiting for you when you exit the plane. No waiting in that 'wall-flower' line.
A lock or a zip-tie work great once you're past security for a little extra piece-of-mind.
Don't put anything valuable in your luggage. No one is going to steal anything if there is nothing worth stealing. Leave your jewelry at home.
Get yourself a small camera and hand carry. Heck, my cell phone takes an excellent photo. It's not far from being the same mega-pixel as my $1,000 camera with the extra good quality lens. Since I am not shooting for magazine covers, I generally dumb down my photos so I can send them in the email, anyway. My cell phone camera can email my photos home so no danger of losing them if I lose the phone.
Don't use designer luggage. I travel with a canvas duffel bag. If someone is going to grab a bag off the luggage carousel, they aren't going to pick mine. The airlines haven't damaged it yet. I bought it after the airlines put a fork lift through my mother's expensive hard case and then only compensated her at "used" prices.
Put ID tags on your bag that can't be torn off. Lost tags can mean lost luggage.
I don't like hauling heavy bags down long corridors, so I check everything except my purse. My purse contains my camera, prescriptions, a book, and a change of underwear. My credit card will cover everything else if my bag gets lost. I usually don't even take my laptop. That way I don't have to fight over bin space and I can wait until everyone else has boarded and I stroll on, and there is my reserved seat and we generally leave as soon as I am seated.
This is another reason why I hate flying. Unfortunately, that is the only way we can get to Puerto Rico (they haven't built the bridge yet). We go frequently because we have family there. We used to fly USAir where it cost us $25 a bag and there was no way that the two of us could pack everything into a suitcase that we could carry on. And the plane was so full because EVERYONE had a carry-on because it cost $25 to check a bag. We would use 1 suitcase for both of us. Now we fly Jet Blue which doesn't charge for the first bag-so we can each use 1 suitcase. We bought a 5 piece luggage set many years ago and each piece was killed by both airlines. It is time to buy another set. There have been times when there would be a piece a paper in the suitcase saying that the TSA took a peek. How nice.
I wouldn't fly at all if I didn't have to.
Cat
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We would use 1 suitcase for both of us. Now we fly Jet Blue which doesn't charge for the first bag-so we can each use 1 suitcase. We bought a 5 piece luggage set many years ago and each piece was killed by both airlines. It is time to buy another set. There have been times when there would be a piece a paper in the suitcase saying that the TSA took a peek. How nice. 
