TSA lugage Lock

Lady_S

I never lock our bags, because they are so easy to break into ( even with locks on) I don't see the point. We have travelled to the US and other countries many times, and I have never had a problem, or had my bag searched. However, we never take anything we shouldn't either.

jackieblack

Is there not an issue with the insurance if something goes missing and the cases weren't locked?

meer53

Been to the USA loads of times, never locked a suitcase before. As others have said, keep all valuables in hand luggage. Never had anything taken either. If someone would like to steal my clothes, they must be desperate !

luci

jackieblack wrote: »

Is there not an issue with the insurance if something goes missing and the cases weren't locked?

I asked the Nationwide when we were insured with them and was told that we would be covered if it was a requirement that the cases weren't locked.

claire16c

jackieblack wrote: »

We've never been asked this :huh:

Really? Ive been asked nearly every single time. And ALWAYS in LA. The scanners are near the check in desks and you have to wait til your bag has gone through until you can go through to security. So If Ive wanted to put a cable tie on I just have to stand and wait til the guy has put it through the machine.

Re travel insurance, I dont see how you could prove that a suitcase had a lock on it or not anyway if something had been stolen. I would never put anything worth nicking or claiming for in a case anyway. Firstly because incase the suitcase itself goes missing, let alone a baggage handler decides to take something!

One reason I use cable ties over tsa locks though, is that if they do decide to open your bag and leave their little calling card, if they are being lazy they will just rip off the lock anyway, tsa or not. They did this to my Dads case with a tsa lock on, and it ruined the suitcase as it broke the zip. So at least with a cable tie they can just cut it.

Doshwaster

I fly to the US several times a year and never bother locking my checked luggage. My thinking is that a big fancy lock is an indication that there is something in there worth pinching.

"over_the_rainbow"

When we first went to Florida in Aug 2009 we bought TSA locks and on our return journey they sawed through one of the locks. We travelled with Globespan (now out of business) into and returned from Sanford to Glasgow :mad: We have since been in 2011 with Virgin into Orlando International with no problems

jackieblack

claire16c wrote: »

Really? Ive been asked nearly every single time. And ALWAYS in LA. The scanners are near the check in desks and you have to wait til your bag has gone through until you can go through to security.

We've fown home from LAX twice, both times with Virgin - the cases were weighed and tagged and taken off by a porter on a trolley and we were just directed upstairs to security.
we've never been asked whether the cases were locked at any US airport we've ever flown from....
Maybe it depends on the airline?
or maybe it's just you.......

claire16c

Haha maybe. Ive always been made to wait in a line though - along with every one else, at the scanning machine, they literally wont let you go until youve identified your case.

Maybe they dont do it in the International terminal or something? Thats the only reason I can think of. Maybe theyre only concerned with planes landing in the US (same as when they had that ridiculous thing when you had to put all items on your lap away 1 hour before the plane landed - but not taken off!) ? As we fly with American and their planes are not in the international terminal (even if you are flying with them back to the UK).

Olokia

Don't bother with TSA locks, they are expensive and useless.

I always lock my suitcase so when I went to Florida, I bought expensive TSA locks so they could unlock them if needed. The lazy idiot just cut through the lock and left it in my suitcase with their stupid calling card thing. On the same trip my OH's suitcase was damaged (metal frame completely bent) so wasn't a very nice trip home that time.