Luggage lock broken at airport

Tojo_Ralph

phatbear wrote: »

To say you're less likely to get ur bag looked at cos its unlocked is nonsense.

I could not agree more, however should someone have evidence to the contrary, I am all ears.

Doshwaster

I don't bother locking my checked luggage. If someone wants to open it (legally or otherwise) then they are going to do it regardless of whether it is locked or not. Mind you, I don't put anything valuable in checked luggage anyway. Anyone having a look through my case will only find smelly socks.

In the US, it is recommended that luggage is not locked unless it is an approved TSA one. Put on a different padlock and you are asking for it to be broken into. Most travel locks can be opened within a few seconds anyway.

genuinegal

Very interesting post this, i've had to laff a couple of times aswell ...lol

Im due to go away next week to spain and im debating myself whether to buy a lock for my suitcase.. Now, i'll only have clothes in it, so cant see how this would be of great interest to a possible thief, yet, i suppose i still don't like the 'pyschological' idea of someone breaking into it whether it's got clothes in it or not. It's almost as though someone would be invading my own privacy, if you know what i mean, so i 'like' to think that by putting a lock on it, i feel that little bit more less worried about it being broken into... get me? Someone else made another really good point - i'd also be worried that someone was going to slip something into it too! I've watched 'Banged up Abroad' enough times, that it's made me proper paranoid about the security of my baggage!! lol

ferf1223

we've done the cable ties thing for years - was an idea my husband had after a bad experience...we didn't lock our cases before but the one time (of course) we have someting of significant sentimental value in one, it gets stolen...because our return journey saw us getting home 5 hours after our flight landed, the airline intitially claimed they were not responsible as anything of this nature had to be reported within 4 hours of the flight landing.

Hence the cable ties - if they're there when we get our bags back, we know we're good (at least in theory, ignoring the potential to circumvent the zipper)...if they're gone, we know to stop and check before we leave the airport to see if anything appears to be missing so we can report it straight away.

We've never had a case where the cable tie was gone and there wasn't a note inside stating that it had been opened by customs, etc.

And no one I know locks their suitcases anymore...no one I know puts anything that has any reason to be locked in their suitcases.

mardale

Cable ties are non-destructively removable you know. They are deliberately designed to be able to be removed intact by inserting a flat narrow blade - knife or screwdriver - in between the locking lever and tie. Once removed they can be reapplied hundreds of times.

Even if you cut off the excess cable once secured this is nothing more than a little fiddly to replace prefectly.

Just like the zip trick, you would be none the wiser until you got home.

Tojo_Ralph

mardale wrote: »

Cable ties are non-destructively removable you know.

That is of course a very, VERY good point.

phatbear

Of course cable ties are'nt perfect but your average thief is looking for a quick in and out, a bit like my single days, sure they may take the time to mess about with a small flat bladed screwdriver by why bother when there are another 100 or so bags without locks or with locks which pop open if you look at them.