Inflight theft

[Captain Halliday]

What if the valuables weight 10kg?

Leave the gold bar at home @Quickstatus

 

[willclan]

I think so! (Touch wood!!)

At least domestically, everyone arrives at the carousel well before the first bag comes out. Most people are keeping a beedy eye out hoping their bag is one of the first!

I’m guessing it would be a pretty big game of chance, too, to take a random bag. It could be filled with nothing valuable.

With the carousel, I am always amazed at the number of times a single bag is doing the rounds and never being collected by anyone, would be very easy for a thief to take

 

[MEL_Traveller]

With the carousel, I am always amazed at the number of times a single bag is doing the rounds and never being collected by anyone, would be very easy for a thief to take

True! But perhaps an indicator of nothing important in the bag? Otherwise it wouldn’t have been forgotten!

 

[JohnK]

What if the valuables weight 10kg?

Gold? Never let the valuables out if sight.

 

[SeatBackForward]

True! But perhaps an indicator of nothing important in the bag? Otherwise it wouldn’t have been forgotten!

Surely you've seen that single shoe/thong left around..they aren't important either, but surely you'd notice one foot being hard against the floor versus the other..my point is, importance ≠ remebering

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Surely you've seen that single shoe/thong left around..they aren't important either, but surely you'd notice one foot being hard against the floor versus the other..my point is, importance ≠ remebering

Agree! But if i had a gold bar in my luggage, i’m pretty sure i’m not going to walk out of the airport without it!

Yes the contents are important, but am i likely to forget i’ve checked in a bag if it contains valuables?

If i’m a thief looking for a bag to take, I’d probably skip the one circling around

 

[ThePointyEnd]

I do leave my luggage unattended all the time in the lounge. I assume there is CCTV everywhere. Never had an issue.

Yes, I lost some duty free in the old Air NZ lounge in Sydney that way.

 

[Cossie]

I have mentioned this before, a few years ago on a full Jetstar flight from Auckland to Christchurch, I had to put my carryon a few rows ahead, when disembarking someone else grabbed my bag and started to leave with it. It may have been in error, it was a typical black daypack, but who knows, I yelled out and my bag was left on an empty seat near the front. Didn’t catch sight of them after getting off the plane.

 

[Beano]

I have had my case taken from a carousel with another left in its place of the same colour and size. A genuine mistake and all recovered. Another similar incident happened to a colleague on a domestic Air NZ flight. The bag belonged to Jacinda Ardern. Her minder picked up the wrong bag. Resolved amicably.

 

[vetrade]

A few years back a female member of one of Melbourne's crime families made the papers when she was caught stealing bags from the carousel at MEL. She and an accomplice had been at it for months apparently. Their MO was that she would take a bag and pass it to her sidekick just outside the terminal, a bit like the gypsies do in Paris. Eventually identified on security cameras and prosecuted.

 

[Quickstatus]

JFK has/had a system where passengers exiting the terminal with bags off the carousel had to show the security people luggage tag receipts which reconcile with luggage tags

 

[maxw]

I have read similar articles before that there are thieves active on HKG to Europe or Dubai routes too.

Most of the time our valuables are in the seat pocket in front of us. If we do have valuables in the overhead, we'd always put our bags in the bin opposite to our seat instead of directly above. This way we can easily monitor our bags whenever the overhead bin is opened.

 

[kevrosmith]

JFK has/had a system where passengers exiting the terminal with bags off the carousel had to show the security people luggage tag receipts which reconcile with luggage tags

CTS airport in Sapporo had this for domestic flights when I flew there years ago.

 

[drron]

I have had my case taken from a carousel with another left in its place of the same colour and size. A genuine mistake and all recovered. Another similar incident happened to a colleague on a domestic Air NZ flight. The bag belonged to Jacinda Ardern. Her minder picked up the wrong bag. Resolved amicably.

We had this happen to us once and we did it to another pax once. I mean how many people travel with bright orange luggage.
Easier now with HCO.

 

[betteigh]

I had a black cabin bag with my laptop in it. It was stolen on a Virgin flight last Christmas - flying from Sydney to Adelaide. It was put in overhead luggage on top of my seat but passengers can't really see if anybody is stealing from their bags as thieves just open them as if they are their bags. I couldn't believe it when I got home and my laptop was not in the bag.

 

[Beano]

We had this happen to us once and we did it to another pax once. I mean how many people travel with bright orange luggage.
Easier now with HCO.

Then, mine was bright red! It's now black.

 

[Mattg]

Most of the time our valuables are in the seat pocket in front of us. If we do have valuables in the overhead, we'd always put our bags in the bin opposite to our seat instead of directly above. This way we can easily monitor our bags whenever the overhead bin is opened.

I stopped putting valuables in the seat pocket after I accidentally left them there after a flight!

 

[Beano]

Been there, done that. Story on another forum.

 

[VPS]

I had a black cabin bag with my laptop in it. It was stolen on a Virgin flight last Christmas - flying from Sydney to Adelaide. It was put in overhead luggage on top of my seat but passengers can't really see if anybody is stealing from their bags as thieves just open them as if they are their bags. I couldn't believe it when I got home and my laptop was not in the bag.

Welcome to AFF. Not an happy first post but hopefully things will get better.

 

[trippin_the_rift]

My tips:

- NEVER leave luggage unattended, even in first-class lounges.
- Lock bags before going to bathrooms in lounges if you don't want to haul it with you and possibly lose your seat.
- Put everything inside your carry on, and LOCK it BEFORE going through security.
- Your carry on bag should have a lock on it. Always leave it locked even as you walk with it. Having it unlocked, with the TSA code showing is broadcasting to the world what your code is. Keep it locked and don't unlock with anyone watching your code.
- At many airports, removing laptops for security is optional, even if they insist you remove it. Leave the laptop inside.
- For the odd times where your laptop wasnt removed from bags at security, usually, worst case they'll ask u to remove it and they will rescan it themselves (without requiring you go re-screen).
- If your laptop has to be removed, send it through in a separate tray as your last item (ie: bags, belts etc first). People don't steal stuff before they themselves go through security, and if for whatever reason (think TSA secondary) you are delayed in getting your bags, your laptop will be the last thing to come out, buying you more time.
- The more your checked luggage stands out, the less likely anyone will try to take it from the belt (ie: stickers, bright priority tags etc)
- If you're carrying Rimowa, you're a prime target (ie: other stuff you carry that isn't locked inside) as you probably have other branded stuff worth stealing.
- ALWAYS put your carry on in the lockers OPPOSITE, and NEVER above your seat.
- If you're last to board and there's no overhead locker space near you, that's on you. Board earlier or choose better seating (ie: exit rows in middle of plane where steadling stuff overhead is more difficult).
- ALWAYS lock your checked in and carry on bags.
- If you are concerned about folks around you, with your carry on in the locker OPPOSITE you, turn it around, so that the wheels face outward.
- Avoid the need to get ANYTHING from your carry on during the flight. You don't need to get a pen, or your passport before landing.
- If your carry on isn't lockable, leave it at home or with your travel buddy.
- Don't leave your brand new Bose/Sony noise cancelling headphones on your seat when you go to bathroom. Wear them.
- NEVER, under ANY circumstances, put ANYTHING in the seatback pocket that you NEED.
- Wear a long-sleeved shirt or something similar to cover your watch if it's flashy.
- Ask someone older than you what common sense is, and learn from their wisdom.


Sure we shouldn't need to do any of this - but there's a lot of shady people out there.

The groups stealing stuff onboard are paying for their tickets and are looking for ROI.
Your goal is to make it uneconomical for them to target you, versus someone else who isn't following the basic rules of personal item safety (it's the whole - you don't need to outrun the hungry lion....you just need to outrun 1 other person in your group).

The best way to avoid all of this is to fly first class, where your belongings are next to you at all times.
Business class is not safe, and especially not long haul.