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Reporting a stolen item from luggage

kandoy
Explorer C

I feel like I'm at a loss. Flew from Oakland to San Diego and I checked in 1 luggage. The luggage was locked. As I landed in San Diego, I saw my luggage come onto the carousel, and found that the bag was no longer locked and my laptop was stolen from inside. It is a macbook so I was able to track it to an address for an apartment complex. I know for a fact that an airport employee in Oakland airport took it. I've contacted the police and they said that they can't do much without knowing the EXACT apartment's address because they cannot go door to door. If it was an address for a house, it would be no problem. 

 

Wondering if/how I could cross reference the address with a supervisor to see which employee it was.

 

Please help.

12 REPLIES 12

Re: Reporting a stolen item from luggage

TheMiddleSeat
Aviator A
Solution

Here is the link to file a claim with TSA for stolen items. There's no way any employer would work with someone other than law enforcement to cross reference address information like you're asking. 

 

https://www.tsa.gov/travel/frequently-asked-questions/i-have-missing-or-damaged-item-how-do-i-file-c...

 

Good luck, and hopefully it works out for you. I also hope this serves as a reminder that laptops and other valuable items should not be in checked bags, always carry those things on.

 

--TheMiddleSeat

Re: Reporting a stolen item from luggage

DancingDavidE
Aviator A

@TheMiddleSeat wrote:

Here is the link to file a claim with TSA for stolen items. There's no way any employer would work with someone other than law enforcement to cross reference address information like you're asking. 

 

https://www.tsa.gov/travel/frequently-asked-questions/i-have-missing-or-damaged-item-how-do-i-file-c...

 

Good luck, and hopefully it works out for you. I also hope this serves as a reminder that laptops and other valuable items should not be in checked bags, always carry those things on.


I think this is the solution unless you can work any further with the police or get an updated tracker if the item ends up somewhere else more definitive on the address.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Home airport MDW, frequent visitor to MCO to see the mouse.

Re: Reporting a stolen item from luggage

sandysue79
Explorer B

This info is not always true! My co-worker had her airpods stolen from her carry on bag as it went through security. She traced the airpods back to security and no one would help her. A police report has been filed and now she waits. 

 

My new watch was stolen from my checked luggage and Southwest has not helped me in the least bit to locate it. I feel like security cameras should be checked, footage of the xray scanner, something! Nothing has been done.I will never fly with Southwest again and will tell everyone I know about what happened to me. 

Re: Reporting a stolen item from luggage

TheMiddleSeat
Aviator A

@sandysue79 wrote:

This info is not always true! My co-worker had her airpods stolen from her carry on bag as it went through security. She traced the airpods back to security and no one would help her. A police report has been filed and now she waits. 

 

My new watch was stolen from my checked luggage and Southwest has not helped me in the least bit to locate it. I feel like security cameras should be checked, footage of the xray scanner, something! Nothing has been done.I will never fly with Southwest again and will tell everyone I know about what happened to me. 


Security for both checked and carry-on baggage is handled by TSA so it's unclear why you think Southwest is at fault 

 

--TheMiddleSeat

Re: Reporting a stolen item from luggage

DancingDavidE
Aviator A

@sandysue79 wrote:

This info is not always true! My co-worker had her airpods stolen from her carry on bag as it went through security. She traced the airpods back to security and no one would help her. A police report has been filed and now she waits. 


Stuff falls through the machines all of the time. When would the TSA have had a chance to go through the bag that your co-worker wouldn't have seen them? 

Also the last shown location for AirPods is the last known, they don't independently report their GPS unless I'm mistaken so they may have been last tracked at the checkpoint and actually been picked up and carried off by someone. This seems particularly likely if she was wearing them up to that point, put them away, and then lost or had them stolen there or anywhere else in the airport. (Including as I did once myself eventually find them in my bag despite the last reported location being at the site of a meeting earlier in the day.)

 

 

 

Home airport MDW, frequent visitor to MCO to see the mouse.

Re: Reporting a stolen item from luggage

SilviaC
Explorer B

I think that we should all get together and try to make this public because it’s very unfair that we fly with expensive items thinking that they will be safe once we arrive to our destination. If allowing their employees to steal is a thing then maybe they should start advertising something in regards to “ don’t pack your expensive items Because they could go missing .” It’s just unbelievable that they have security cameras all around the airport,/all over the airport, it’s very easy to go back and check footage and see who opens any luggage

Re: Reporting a stolen item from luggage

TheMiddleSeat
Aviator A

@SilviaC wrote:

It’s just unbelievable that they have security cameras all around the airport,/all over the airport, it’s very easy to go back and check footage and see who opens any luggage


I hope you realize Southwest does not manage security cameras at an airport. If you did file a police report you should be pestering the police to look at security footage. And anywhere a Southwest baggage handler might be, a baggage handler from any other airline operating at the airport could be. Again, just ruling out TSA because they claim to have done an "investigation" does not make Southwest guilty.

 

--TheMiddleSeat

Re: Reporting a stolen item from luggage

dfwskier
Aviator A

@SilviaC wrote:

I think that we should all get together and try to make this public because it’s very unfair that we fly with expensive items thinking that they will be safe once we arrive to our destination. If allowing their employees to steal is a thing then maybe they should start advertising something in regards to “ don’t pack your expensive items Because they could go missing .” It’s just unbelievable that they have security cameras all around the airport,/all over the airport, it’s very easy to go back and check footage and see who opens any luggage



@SilviaC 

 


Every seasoned traveller knows to not pack expensive stuff or stuff you must have in checked luggage.

 

Luggage gets lost, and things get stolen from passengers on every single airline. Most times when items are taken, it is impossible to tell who actually did the taking: departure airport employees, arrival airport employees, airline employees, or TSA employees. Stings been set up at airports where theft is prevalent, and at various times employees of all groups mentioned above have been caught.

 

Sorry, but that is the absolute truth of the matter.

 

Sorry that your stuff was taken.

Re: Reporting a stolen item from luggage

jksobonya
Aviator A

Pro Tip: never put expensive items in checked bags, even 'locked' checked bags. Although this does beg the question what employee (could have been anyone with access to your bag at any point in the processs) has the time to notice your bag had a lock, unlock your bag without a key, go through your belongings and take the laptop? 

 

Checked bags can get searched by the TSA, and a locked bag might have prompted an automatic search regardless of what you had in it.

 

:edit:

 

I stand corrected, apparently TSA has a 'master key' where they can open nearly any lock without having to 'cut' the lock:

 

"Locks: TSA has been provided universal "master" keys under agreements with Safe Skies Luggage Locks and Travel Sentry so that certain branded locks may not have to be cut to inspect baggage. These locks are commercially available, and packaging on the locks should indicate they may be opened by TSA officers. TSA has no position on the validity or effectiveness of these product as a security measure and will be forced to remove these products if necessary during the inspection."

 

So that answers that.

 

Source: https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening  

 

--Jessica