Lock the luggage?

[Pembo]

I haven't flown since 911 and I'm a bit nervous about it.

I read that you are not supposed to lock your luggage but I also read to use a zip strip instead. What should I do???????

I'm excited about our trip but this flying thing.........

 

[Pam]

We do not lock the luggage any more. Never heard of the zip strip thingie......

 

[Toby'sFriend]

don't lock.

All checked luggage gets x-rayed now and possibly searched. If it is locked, they may cut the lock off and potentially ruin your luggage.

 

[Meriweather]

No locking allowed, they will just cut the locks open.

At some airports you can stand there while they go through the luggage and then you can lock them....DH does that when flying with his big old work suitcase that has LOADS of equipment in.

Never heard of zip strip....they put locking plastic thingees on after they check the luggage.

 

[Lewski709]

yep, they will cut them.

 

[Jenn Lynn]

A few airports that I have been in have put the zip strips on your luggage after they searched it.

Definitely do not lock it.

 

[JAP]

I wonder if we can request that they put that little zip plastic lock on after they scan and/or search the luggage. I really hate to send out luggage through without it being locked. You never know what the handlers will be doing.

 

[S. C.]

When we went on a cruise in july we used the zip strips. I put extra strips in the front compartment of the luggage so they would be easy to get to incase they needed to cut the ones that was on there. We found our zip strips in the auto dept at the store. We didn't fly but used the strips at the port.

 

[TLinden16]

Brookstone and many travel stores sell luggage strips that are individually numbered, and have a metal ring on the top, and plastic on the bottom. I've been using these instead of zip strips because you can open them easily without scissors or any tools. They are about $5 for 10 strips.

Brookstone also sells disposable combination locks relatively inexpensively now.

Karen

 

[DebbieB]

We use the twist ties that come with plastic bags. Not for security, but just to keep the zipper from coming open.

 

[Margie J]

Security will even cut locks off luggage even if they aren't actually locking the bag. I had one lock plus a zipper pull cut off one bag a few weeks ago. If security had taken a close look they would have seen that the lock was just hanging on one zipper pull. Instead, they take the quick approach and ALL locks are cut off at some facilities.

In my travels a few weeks ago each airport handled the baggage searches differently. Logan (Boston) does theirs behind the scenes. All checked bags must be left unlocked in case they decide to do a search by hand. In Orlando, United did checks of luggage in an open area. Passengers could watch the checks and had the option of locking their bags after the checks (by X-ray &/or hand). One of my bags got checked by hand and by law security must place a notice within your bag telling you that the bag was opened and inspected. After the inspections United security placed a closing tag on my bag so it would stay shut.

 

[Blondie]

Every time we've flown since 9/11 one of our 3 suitcases as been searched. They usually leave us a little slip of paper on top of our clothes that tells us our luggage has been searched. If not for the notification paper, we'd never had known. Everything was neat and orderly, just as I had packed it.

In August, they picked the suitcase that had all dirty clothes in it! Sweatty dirty clothes from the heat and humidity of Florida! I pity the person that got that suitcase, LOL!

 

[FatCow]

how about direct flights from Canada to Orlando and back? I don't feel comfortable of having my belongings free to be picked/stolen by baggage handlers/have the luggage accidentally opened and lose all of my belongings.

Security becomes an insanity.

Who would be responsible is, touch wood, one of the luggage got accidentally opened, all the content got thrown out of the luggage and gone missing?

 

[DMOMof3]

keep them closed with zip strips, if they need to inspect a bag they will cut it off and re-seal it for you with a note letting you know they inspected it.