IP: Re: we can all rest easy now, airports are safe

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

> Date: Sun, 20 Jan 2002 12:20:44 -0700
> To: farber () cis upenn edu, ip-sub-1 () majordomo pobox com
> From: Brett Glass <brett () lariat org>
>
> At 11:47 AM 1/20/2002, Mary Shaw wrote:
>
> >It would be nice to think that "baggage matching" eliminates the problem of
> >lost luggage.  However, if the criterion for the originating flight is "for
> >every piece of checked luggeage, its owner is on the plane" (omitting the
> >"for every passenger on the plane, all that passenger's checked bags are on
> >the plane" part), there's no guarantee against lost luggage.  What happens
> >if the airline separates my bag from me?
>
> Given the airlines' level of concern for their passengers nowadays, the answer
> might well be, "You'll see it when you get home." (Of course, if the bag is
> lost in an intermediate city in which you change planes, that might not be the
> case either.)
>
> Of course, even if the airline does keep your bag on your plane, it can still
> be pilfered at your destination due to the low level of security at airport
> baggage carousels, where (ironically) no effort is typically made to match 
> bags
> to passengers.
>
> >Finally, I got into the habit of using hard side luggage and locks when I
> >must check bags because of experience with things being stolen in transit
> >from zip-up soft-side bags.
>
> I do this when I must check luggage. My hard-sided luggage has three layers
> of security: locks on the suitcase's two latches, a combination lock, and
> a strap around the outside which I secure with a tie that makes tampering
> obvious. So far, no one has attempted to search inside the luggage.
>
> An even better approach used to be to avoid checking luggage at all. But
> this became infeasible after the September 11 attacks, when the airlines
> began to limit carry-on baggage so severely that carrying everything one
> was taking was virtually prohibited.
>
> >What's the best guidance about packing to allow
> >inspectors to inspect but prevent sticky-fingered personnel from lifting
> >things?
>
> Drive instead of flying. My wife and I are preparing to invest in a high-
> mileage hybrid vehicle for this purpose. Given the long delays and near-
> proctological searches that have become part of the flying experience, we
> expect that, for most trips, the total time spent traveling will be nearly
> the same... and much more pleasant.
>
> --Brett Glass

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