TSA Luggage Inspections

We have just returned from our Mississippi River cruise (it was great). At home, I opened my suitcase to find, right there on top, a Notice of Inspection from TSA (USA Transport Security Administration).

This was a bit of a surprise, as I'd never had this happen before. I immediately wondered why they needed to inspect my bag or was it just random as there is no explanation on the notice except that it may contain prohibited items.

Everything appeared to be just as I had packed it, nothing messed up at all. I started to unpack and then I found the possible reason. I had a small battery charger with two batteries still in it. I must have forgotten they were there as I usually pack them in my carry on bag.

The TSA notice stated that opening bags may require the breaking of locks but we were using new bags we recently bought from Aldi and these are fitted with a special "TSA" lock which can opened by the TSA using their own key. Good one Aldi.

Anyone else experienced this?

Glad you enjoyed your cruise on the Mississippi River.

Yes, I have had the TSA open my suitcase and leave the generic message card several times. LIke you, the suitcase looks nearly like I packed it. Although, I usually have an idea they were in the suitcase because the position of the lock is moved. Also like you, I seem to eventually realize what they were checking. I've never had anything taken from the suitcase.

We have experienced having those TSA notes. Not always though. Nothing was lost so we just shrugged it off.

Sent from my SGH-M919 using Forums mobile app

Realised our suitcase had been opened because the TSA lock was set with different numbers. I always return to 000. I had an unusual shaped bottle of tequila purchased from one of those haciendas in Mexico wrapped in bubble wrap, a t-shirt, then heavy denim jeans all carefully and tightly packed in the middle of the suitcase. The bag was so perfectly repacked you'd never know they'd unwrapped everything including the bubble wrap! Well done Hawaiian Customs Officers.

I returned home from Vancouver via LAX in 2013 and opened my suitcase to see one of those notices.

My suitcase has the TSA accessible locks, so there was no damage. I imagine they had fun rifling through my clothes but there was nothing of interest in there, thankfully haha.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I have read numerous reports of the TSA locks being cut off even though they are designed to be opened by security. Many people choose to not lock luggage if they are going to be arriving in the US. As the US is now not somewhere I intend to visit in the foreseeable future it doesn't affect me.

I have had the locks opened in the past, I have the ones that have the red flag come up to show that it has been opened. Normally they are just making sure that something the x ray picked up (possible contraband but designated harmless) is what they think it is.

Despite using TSA-approved locks since they existed I've twice found my lock cut off and one of those notes inside.

Unlike everyone else so far in experience I found them to incompetent repackers (stuff just jammed back in vs my previous careful bundle-wrapping) and while on one of the two occasions they used a ziptie to resecure my suitcase, the other time it wasn't even zipped properly closed and stuff was hanging out of the partially-open zipper! Fortunately nothing expensive goes in checked luggage, but we've had a few book covers mangled due to being tossed back in rather than carefully restacked.

Hasn't happened to us since we went from real books to eReaders while travelling - before that on a 2 week trip we'd have almost half of each suitcase full of books (I usually go through a novel a day on vaycay) and I've heard since that dense stacks of paper get flagged by scanners quite often.

On returning from a recent trip to Hawaii, we (all five of us) had our bags checked with notes inside. Most were left neat and as originally packed, in fact I would not have known mine was checked at all if I had not found the note (at the very bottom of the bag). All locks were intact and none of us had anything that would have flagged us for inspection. I think that just like airport security, these checks are sometimes random. Anything that keeps me safe on a plane or anywhere else is ok with me.

On returning from a recent trip to Hawaii, we (all five of us) had our bags checked with notes inside. Most were left neat and as originally packed, in fact I would not have known mine was checked at all if I had not found the note (at the very bottom of the bag). All locks were intact and none of us had anything that would have flagged us for inspection. I think that just like airport security, these checks are sometimes random. Anything that keeps me safe on a plane or anywhere else is ok with me.

With five of you having your bags checked, I doubt it was random. More likely, they were checked because you were non American. After being singled out for detailed checking of our hand luggage at every place, on an Alaskan Air Pass, I asked why, when it was meant to be random. I was shown where they identified us on our airline ticket. This was the last US air pass we bought!

We have had our locks cut off before we bought TSA locks.

In my experience it's a pretty common thing and if you travel often enough, you will eventually get searched. I've know them to not only cut locks but to force open zips to get into suitcases. Not ours because we never use a lock but some friends in the US. If you are on a flagged list, you may very well get searched each time you fly.

I havent bothered with locks for years - I just use cheap Bunnings cable ties that can be easily replaced.

I've had the note in my suitcase a couple of times. My first time was when I was coming back from Miami in 2012. We have a feeling they checked my bags because it was my first time to America and I was only there for 4 days so it may have seemed suspicious. The second time was in 2015 coming back from Hawaii. They randomly selected the bag that had all my dirty undies and clothes in it. I feel sorry for the poor tsa agent who had to go through that bag!

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

I've had my suitcase opened twice by TSA not a big deal as it's always been at the end of a trip and I hoped they enjoyed all our dirty laundry.

Sent from my iPad using Forums