Have you had your luggage searched?

[Lois R]

Hi, I arrived home Monday night about midnight but didn't

open my luggage up till Tuesday.

Opened the big bag and found a card saying my luggage had

been searched.

Everything was still there but I am wondering was it due to the

fact there was a bottle that had bubble wrap around it in the middle

of my clothing?

When I went to Puerta Vallarta I bought a fantastic bottle

of tequilla.....not your normal stuff but a coffee/chocolate tequilla.

I have never bought any booze prior to this cruise but this

was too good to pass up.

 

Anyway, they left the bottle there and it was not damaged.

Just wondered if that is probably the reason why the bag

was searched?

[pcur]

Hi, Lois:

 

I've had my luggage searched practically every time I travel, no matter where. It must be my hair dryer or something that has a suspicious shape. I find little "love notes" from the security folks all the time.

[dforeigner]

You are probably referring to TSA as the ones leaving the note stating that they have searched your bag.

Here is a possible scenario: Your bag goes through the X-ray machine and the operator notices a bottle with liquid inside your case. They search your bag and discover that it is not a Molotov cocktail or any explosive devise. In order to prevent you from wondering who went through your luggage after finding out that things were moved around, they leave you a note explaining what they did.

It is all about security. No need to panic.

 

 

And yes, TSA does have search authority without asking for consent.

[Lois R]

I was just asking. I know they have the authority to search and yes

they left the card saying so.

Was just wondering if others had the same thing happen to them.

This was the first time for me.

[TeaBag]

We have had our bags searched numerous times and some stuff has gone missing too. I don't have any problem with TSA searching my bags but when stuff goes missing it makes me mad. Also, they don't care how it is packed and just ram the stuff back, damaging things. We have watched it happen in Hawaii but we were not allowed to touch the bags to help them repack it. They have also broken the lock on one of our suitcases. That was our fault, I guess, as we probably just locked it out of habit.

[gacruzr]

Lois,

We have had our luggage searched before and no liquids were in it, so I think it might just be a random thing.

[EGG]

I remember all our luggage being checked once last year. I don't think it had anything to do with liquids and we didn't have any liquor. We thought it was because we were the only flight out on that airline for hours and we were at the airport early. (I am thinking Seattle or Phoenix). We watched them go through the luggage. We did not see them concentrating on anything in particular.

[Spot]

We've had our luggage searched many times since 9-11 but we figure that's just what's necessary to keep us safe.

What I've started doing is packing electrical items (hair dryer, curling iron, multi outlet strip, etc/liquids, in large ziplock bags wrapped in bubble wrap and immediately on the top of the packed items so they don't have to rummage around the entire suitcase to locate the suspected items that x-ray may have picked up.

Only once did our suitcase look as though it had been haphazardly gone through.

[cruiserJay]

I have never had anything taken. But, oddly, I discovered four brand new shirts in my bag when I got home that were not mine. The searchers must have inadvertently put them in my bag instead of the bag of their owner. (This was US Customs, not TSA.) I called the Customs office at the airport, but found no one willing to take them.

[land lover]

It used to happened all the time with us when my husband use to bring a blowdryer.......

[SoCalGal]

You have the right to have your checked luggage to be searched in front of you during check-in at the security area. We have done that several times.

[Host Joe]

We have our luggage searched every single time we head out for a cruise. I finally asked once, and was told that it is the tux shoes... something about their shiny surface. That was many trips ago, and sure enough, whatever suitcase the tux shoes are in, that bag is searched by TSA at the airports and I have one of those little notes in there!

[Host Anne]

Lois ~ happens to us all the time! And I never have anything that I think is suspect. Pretty much just clothing in my checked luggage. I don't know that there is a rhyme or reason to it and I never worry about it. But I don't check anything that is truly valuable to me.

[Shirley and Les]

Lois,

It really can happen on every trip. When we bought luggage, my DW and I thought a wheeled garment bag was essential. Well, the Samsonite wheeled garment bag has a metal handle that must say "Hey, INSPECT me." on every trip. We get all those notes from the TSA saying we took a peek. In addition, we have stood at the inspection station and watch this one suitcase being inspected.

Les

[Allis154]

Ours, too, have been searched. Once, was the bag with the toothpaste in it (last fall). The rest if the bag was only clothes. The other times, I had packed a box of AA batteries, without taking them out of the box. They were too dense to be scanned, so bag was searched.

 

We use cable ties to lock our luggage. They have always cut the ties off, but have yet to replace them! Most annoying. We have also had things go missing.

[spearmint]

We have never had our checked luggage inspected, as far as I know. But have had carryon checked. Some years ago, the company for a bus trip in Europe suggested that items like curling irons be packed in carryon luggage, and sure enough, on the screen, it looked like a gun and was checked our. The inspector suggested that we put it in our checked luggage; she said she had never heard of advising people to put curling irons in hand luggage. This was a year before 9-11 however.

 

A few weeks ago, we had the opportunity to buy TSA approved combination locks in the U.S., as I hate sending my luggage without locking it. Apparently inspectors can open the locks without cutting them off the luggage. Has anyone had any difficulty or damage to luggage using these devices?

[joramrose]

I have never had a note that my checked luggage has been searched, and yes, I have had bottles, batteries, blow dryers and other stuff in them. Maybe they just don't tell me, but I don't think so. Mine are packed so full and so tight I think they would show if they had been opened.

 

However, and this is my great peeve -- everything I carry on gets a full search. Dig in, dig around, despite the x-ray.

So do I. I always get pulled aside -- now when I go through I just tell them I am going to be patted down so get on with it.

 

The thing is, I have an artificial knee and it sets off the alarm. Forget about those little polaroid cards the doctor may give you. I get patted down.

 

Next time you go through airport security, look around. Those pulled aside almost always are bionic octogenerians. Talk about profiling. When was the last time you heard of a little old lady with a bad knee trying to blow up an airplane??

 

On my February cruise, even the ship folk started doing it. I think they got more sensitive electronic devices which alert them with anything metal. I know onellady on the Zenith patted me down six times. That's how many times I left the ship. I asked her if she didn't recognize me by now -- she said, yes, but she had to do it.

 

love

joan

[PurpleCow]

We've had our checked luggage searched several times. The last time we had our luggage searched when we were using the TSA approved locks and the locks were intact. I've never noticed anything being messed up.

 

A funny (well not to me) story about the first time my luggage was searched. I was on a business trip and arrived very late at night, very tired and grubby. I immediately jumped into the shower. When I got out, wrapped in a towel, I went to open my suitcase and there was a tie-lock on it. Of course there's nothing allowed in carry-on luggage that would cut a tie-lock. I would have had to put back on my dirty clothes to run down to the desk to get something. I finally managed to break the tie-lock by inserting a key and twisting really hard. After that I always put a small pair of scissors in one of the outside pockets, just in case. Now, as stated above, we use the TSA locks, so no problem as long as I can remember the combination.

[didan]

We've had our luggage gone through several times in front of us while checking in. Once it was checked coming back into the US. We found the note inside, though everything inside was there and was fairly neat. We did use a TSA approved lock - but it was missing when we got the suitcase! Someone must have opened it, but forgot to put it back on.

[PurpleCow]

We did use a TSA approved lock - but it was missing when we got the suitcase! Someone must have opened it, but forgot to put it back on.

Man, that's tough. Those locks are 10 bucks a piece.

[Cobraman]

We have never had our checked luggage searched as it is loaded on the cruise ship. The airport will sometimes take a look, but in our experience the cruiselines are not opening them up. Now, they have poked through our carry-ons, but not our checked bags.

[C 2 C]

Last month my wife's month long supply of Coumadin was removed from our checked luggage prior to boarding Century. We were fortunate that we could refill her prescription in Georgetown before taking our flight to Buenos Aires from Miami. She only carries a week's supply of her meds with her.

There was no note on why only that one was removed from her "pharmacy".

[Pisces11]

We've had our luggage searched many times since 9-11 but we figure that's just what's necessary to keep us safe.

What I've started doing is packing electrical items (hair dryer, curling iron, multi outlet strip, etc/liquids, in large ziplock bags wrapped in bubble wrap and immediately on the top of the packed items so they don't have to rummage around the entire suitcase to locate the suspected items that x-ray may have picked up.

Only once did our suitcase look as though it had been haphazardly gone through.

That is an excellent idea. thank you

[Spender Nui]

Yes. My bag had been locked with tie wraps. After they cut and searched the never secured the bag and the zipper was partially open when I retrieved it. Nothing was missing from the bag but they sure made a mess of the contents. So much for careful packing.

[mrdobelina]

I had my luggage searched, sorta. When the Celebrity porter took my bags at the airport shuttle, my Ipod got swiped by the time my bags showed up in my stateroom. When I told customer relations, their response was I could go to Miami and sue them, and I really shouldn't have put valuables in my luggage to begin with. Nice.