TSA lugage Lock

Squingo

Hi,

Just been to retail outlet to get suitcases for our trip ti Florida.
Whilst there I was told that we would need a USA approved lock on our cases as on the return journey US staff ( I presume boarder agency) would cut off the locks we would have on or simply cut through the zips.

I thought this was a little extreme and then when I was told the "approved " locks would cost £10 each I thought this was a rip off.
Can someone please give me the lowdown on weather I need these locks for our 3 cases or not.


Thanks in advance.

I did do a search but nothing came up from within these forums.

Ian

manxcat2011

We got our's in Asda, I think they are around £5 for a pack of 2.

Seen them in plenty of other places around the same price.

Plenty of people just use cable ties.

JPR

I guess they do not open cases without cause but could very well do at any stage of it's journey on US soil. It is worth getting some and a a quick look on Amazon or eBay will tell you that £10 is a rip-off price.

alanrowell

You don't "need" them - and £10 is far too expensive (try Asda) in any case. However the TSA in the US do open suitcases and if locked they will tear any lock off (even TSA locks).

Cheaper option is to use cable ties and carry a pair of scissors in an outside pocket of the suitcase to cut them off.

Oh and don't put anything in your luggage that you wouldn't want to lose or which is easily saleable by some scrote between check-in and baggage collection.

Squingo

Do I have to leave them unlocked at check on our return?

Ian

alanrowell

JPR wrote: »

I guess they do not open cases without cause

They open cases that have something "odd" in them - which is a totally meaningless phrase so assume that any case can & will be opened

Tippytoes

Don't bother. "Skeleton" keys can be purchased on the internet by anyone. TSA approved locks are pointless.

As for the TSA, my experience is they are a law unto themselves. They wil break into any luggage that takes their fancy, often without apparent reason. They do leave a "calling card" to say that they've searched your case. If anything happens to be missing (and many TSA employees have been proved to be thieves) forget trying to claim. Your travel insurance will be void if you don't lock your case, and the TSA are effectively watertight from allegations of theft.

Best advice, make sure all valuables are stored in hand luggage and don't pack anything into check in luggage that you can't afford to lose.

Tippytoes

Squingo wrote: »

Do I have to leave them unlocked at check on our return?

Ian

Depending on which airport terminal you return from:

You can request that you witness your luggage being screened. If it is necessary for TSA to open it, they will. You can then request that when they have finished, your luggage is secured, locks applied and/or scrambled. Depends on which airport you fly from, but in reality you can request this.

Bob_the_Saver

We just took hand luggage, all that Ryanair training does pay off you see.

ferf1223

the only bag TSA ever opens with us is the case of American food...I suppose the Kraft mac and cheese rattles around suspiciously, or the Coffeemate French Vanilla Creamer is supected cocaine or something? Every time we get home there's a TSA notice inside it, never the others...we find it amusing, that the bag with the food always arouses suspicion.

We quit bothering with locking our bags or using cable ties as we never put anything of any value in our cases (after something with little actual value but huge sentimental value went missing at some point in the case's journey)...we would rarely have cause to make a claim on our insurance that would much exceed the deductible anyway...and I am not 100% sure how you (or anyone else) could prove your bags were or were not locked or not for travel insurance purposes (not suggeting it woudl be OK to lie, just do not understand how you would prove it either way). It's insanely easy to break into most locked cases anyway (possible exception being the hard shell ones, I'm not sure as it's not something I've researched enough to know, but I've seen the video of how easy it is to get into most locked cases)...so I just don't see the point of locking them.

luci

It's very easy to get into any zipped case without leaving any evidence. There are videos on You Tube showing how it's done.

We never lock our cases either going to or from the US. They are solid, hard bodied clam shell cases with integrated locks and the body is about 0.5cm thick. Hubby calls them bomb-proof. Should they ever need replaced it won't be with zipped ones.