Theft from Domestic Carousels in Australia

[Fantic125]

Like jb747 said, I'd say that people mistaking someone else's bag for theirs and walking off with it would be a much bigger issue than deliberate theft. For this reason, I never buy black coloured luggage and I have a couple of colourful (red, green and yellow) ribbons tied to the handles of the bag so it stands out. Mainly this is less for my convenience and more so that other people don't mistake my bag for their bag.

Having confessed a few posts prior to making off with someone else's luggage, a business colleague I was travelling with 12 months ago did the same thing.

We were on a MI/SQ flight from BLR-SIN-ADL and the BLR flight departed 3 hours late, which meant we missed our SIN-ADL connection. SQ had everything arranged when we arrived in SIN at 2am; as you deplaned into the terminal they had a table with everyones names, hotel accommodation and taxi transfers organised. They even organised to have everyones luggage available for collection if you wanted it.

My colleague has an old Samsonite from the 80's or 90's; dark green clamshell thing with wheels on one corner that you pull along by a strap. Sure enough, someone else had one too. lt wasn't until we had checked into the hotel and he tried opening it that the realization hit.

He took it back to SIN airport at 4am, and his was delivered to the hotel by noon.

 

[medhead]

My parents travelled extensively through Europe with a rainbow luggage strap for easy identification purposes. It was only after about the 3rd trip that I decided to tell them the rainbow was the international symbol for gay-ism (please take the use of that term in a little britain style). They refused to believe me. :shock:

 

[jetlagger]

One of the very reasons I personalize each & every one of my check in bags with distinctive coloring & stickers.. My current 8 month old Rimowa alloy looks like a beaten up wreck with dents & scratches all over.. Surely identifiable if anyone ever chances to take it.. Mistakingly or not.. :shock:

 

[flyingfan]

My parents travelled extensively through Europe with a rainbow luggage strap for easy identification purposes. It was only after about the 3rd trip that I decided to tell them the rainbow was the international symbol for gay-ism (please take the use of that term in a little britain style). They refused to believe me. :shock:

Although if they were going through South America they might be thought of as flying the colours of the Incans (maybe that was the original intention?).

On those occasions I'm travelling with checked luggage I sure don't want anyone to make off with mine so I try to get to that pole position closest to the hole in the wall, and never buying a black Samsonite also helps

I've seen the unfriendly tags saying 'No It's Not Yours' and 'It's Not Yours Put it Back'... but how come no one's made one reading 'DYKWIA?'

 

[jetlagger]

I've seen the unfriendly tags saying 'No It's Not Yours' and 'It's Not Yours Put it Back'... but how come no one's made one reading 'DYKWIA?'

Now... That is a really great idea! Perhaps with distinctive luminous coloring as well.. & then could voluntarily distribute or even sell them to the appropriate 'types" ..

 

[medhead]

Although if they were going through South America they might be thought of as flying the colours of the Incans (maybe that was the original intention?).

On those occasions I'm travelling with checked luggage I sure don't want anyone to make off with mine so I try to get to that pole position closest to the hole in the wall, and never buying a black Samsonite also helps

I've seen the unfriendly tags saying 'No It's Not Yours' and 'It's Not Yours Put it Back'... but how come no one's made one reading 'DYKWIA?'

Now... That is a really great idea! Perhaps with distinctive luminous coloring as well.. & then could voluntarily distribute or even sell them to the appropriate 'types" ..

Channelling Pulp Fiction - Mean mof_.

 

[anat0l]

I've had the experience of someone trying to take my bag away "by mistake". Except that it took some rather strong words and convincing before the obstinate female acquiesced to the fact that she had taken my bag.

Having said that, I always try and get to the luggage belt as soon as I can. Yes, if I do lag behind by popping into the lounge, I do realise I'm taking a risk. In countries where there aren't many "Foreign Passports" lines at passport control and it takes ages for you to get processed, this is a little concerning. Especially if you're arriving in a country where the authorities are known to be unreliable, and even more so if you can't speak the local language. (Last bit is slightly O/T, since of course there's no passport control at domestic airports).

I'm all in favour for having a process which forces you to have your bags checked before you can leave the terminal with them. I really don't care if that increases the arrival flow time. Including the domestic terminals.


As it stands, the actual occurrence is low so I suspect some schmuck up there is doing the risk analysis and the consequence isn't big enough and neither is the likelihood, so no need for controls. Plus, hardly anywhere in the world does checks anyway. For example, at MNL you can't get into the terminal unless you're a passenger and you can prove it (i.e. you need a printout of your e-ticket). But from carousel to exit no one is going to stop you. Not even the guards with the submachine guns.

 

[dimmertwin]

Whilst not having anything actually stolen, I have intercepted someone walking out the door with my valuable guitar.
Problems arise in Oz airports because bags come out on the carousel, guitars etc. through oversize baggage areas. Often up to 100 meters apart. Very hard to be in two places at once.

 

[vt01]

I have two stories.
One is where a colleague, after travelling 14 hours to LA, picked up the wrong bag and proceeded to go to the bag drop area for her flight to JFK. The only problem was the bag didn't look anything like her bag! In fact, it was even the wrong colour! She dropped it back and picked her own bag up without any problem.
Second one was when I arrived into Sydney domestic with my toddler. My wife was due in later on a different flight. I had too many bags and a toddler to get on the long term carpark bus so I left my bags on the carousal.. I didn't even check if they were there.. I thought I would be back in about 20 mins. So I get to the car, and the battery is flat! So I call the NRMA and wait. By the time I got back to the carousal, about 1.5 hours had passed. But, there were all my bags and pram.
I received the a bit of a serve from my wife when I told her the story (should've kept that one to myself). But being a seasoned traveller, I didn't see a problem.

 

[Aussie Doc]

All this talk of mistaken baggage claims reminds me of a recent webisode on YouTube based on 2 people accidentally swapping identical bags in NY... Leads to a nice long distance romance.

I can't post a link so you'll need to google 'Away We Happened' yourself

Anyways, in my travels I've never had any trouble with mistaken or stolen bags... Although the carousel handlers in Nepal do love trying to rip you off, demanding exorbitant amount just for movi g your bag 2 meters despite your protests.

 

[Flashback]

Just another data point to add. At Conakry airport in Guinea (CKY) and Monrovia airport in Liberia (ROB), you can't exit the baggage area unless you have the baggage receipt that matches to the tags on the bags you are wheeling out.

 

[jetlagger]

Just another data point to add. At Conakry airport in Guinea (CKY) and Monrovia airport in Liberia (ROB), you can't exit the baggage area unless you have the baggage receipt that matches to the tags on the bags you are wheeling out.

Exactly the same for most of the Philippines Domestic & International airports.. I really think it is a great concept, & alleviates any potential problems.

 

[dimmertwin]

Same at many South American airports. Fine idea.

 

[JohnPhelan]

First time I saw the "bag tag checking" at the carousel exit was at SFO International about 20 years ago.

 

[Warks]

The first, and I think only, time I was asked to present my baggage receipt to a staff member at an airport was at LAX in 1989 after a flight from HNL in my earliest overseas jaunt. I thought "wow, they're strict if they are going to be doing this all the time" and it never happened again.

The other thing you tend not to get at airports (unlike railway stations and bus terminals) is beggars, which would concur with the opinion that as it costs money to get to the airports, undesirables are unlikely to be there. I don't want to be rude to beggars but I can't think of a location where they'd actually be 'desirable'.

I've heard of people getting the wrong bag by accident but not having a bag nicked.

 

[TiredOldFlyer]

I did have some Amex luggage tags (The ones that came with the "Black" card in the early days of premium cards.
Put them on our lovely new luggage to find that the luggage arrived OK but the tags were stolen !

 

[busissi]

Surely the point is it is so easy to pick up wrong luggage. My husband, Business class, lost suitcase at Heathrow for 4 days because First Class passenger nicked it and wasn't concerned enough to return it promptly. Emirates wasn't over helpful either.

 

[Chicken]

I own an old style Samsonite 29' inch luggage, where the color is turning from grey / silver to greenish, and you have to pull from a handle.

So I always take a luggage tag at the check in counter (every airline give you one), write my name on it, then tie it to the main handle, so anyone who tries to pull it would end up grabbing the tag, and will see my name on it. No mistaking.

 

[Flashback]

I own an old style Samsonite 29' inch luggage, where the color is turning from grey / silver to greenish, and you have to pull from a handle.

So I always take a luggage tag at the check in counter (every airline give you one), write my name on it, then tie it to the main handle, so anyone who tries to pull it would end up grabbing the tag, and will see my name on it. No mistaking.

Hasn't stopped people in the past though! In reality, people are morons and even the most obvious measures often go unnoticed

 

[patdthompson]

Arriving in Sydney from London in April, there was my bag, my sort of combination lock, took it off the carousel and about to walk away when I thought - best check. Second padlock not my style, oops, wrong case but exactly the same and with the combination lock that was supplied. That's how close I came to 'stealing' someone else's bag. I do think better checks should be in place to at least marry the person with the bag.