Airline Thieves!

[Windwalker]

Yes the security is overreation and a joke - it wont stop anyone determined.

Have you seen how sharp specially designed plastic or cermaic knives are? Answer:- Very.

Would they show up on x-ray or metal detector? Nope.

Could you smuggle one onboard a plane? Easily

Can i take my regs? Nope. i might hurt someone with them...

Can i buy any glass bottle from duty free, take it onboard and smash that as a nice sharp weapon? No problem sir...


At this rate before long passengers boarding an aircraft will be stripped, handcuffed and tied to the seat just in case.

Yup, I know that.. I have one of those "CIA Letter Openers" I usually carry them when I have to go into Government buildings where Its illegal to carry my firearm. Never know when a letter needs to be opened..

But anyhow, a couple days after the whole 9/11 thing, I travelled with about 10 Autopsy Needles that were about 7 inches long (I use them in leather working). Even with the patdown and body cavity search, they missed them.

Not to mention, it is almost trivial to get onto the flightline of an airport without going through security.

 

[dweeb]

Pardon the rant but I was unpacking my gear last night after getting back from Maui. Unzipped one of my pockets on my dive bag and it had been cleaned out! Fortunately it wasn't the more expensive things but they did take my lights and titanium knife (oops.. cutting tool). Anyone have this problem and is there any recourse with the airline or am I just SOL?
Thanks...

You must be hallucinating. There's a regular on rec.scuba who travels a lot named Bob Ling. He's proven this doesn't happen. The proof goes something like this:

I travel extensively, and have never had this problem.

I am one of the most highly ranked statisticians in the USA.

Therefore, because I am uniquely qualified to use my anecdotal experiences to to establish that airline luggage pilfering is a myth and it never happens.

Everybody who posts here that they've lost dive gear to ramp rats, please email Bob and give him your data points.
rflng@CLEMSON.EDU Do your part to advance statistical science.

 

[String]

Had most of my gear stolen in Miami once. If you have the reciepts send them in with your claim. It will expedite the resolution of your claim. BTW since mine was an International flight I got $750.00 for a couple thousand dollars worth of gear.

As someone travelling through miami next year with all my dive gear that makes me very worried !

Firstly i cant afford to be without my equipment for more than 1 week and secondly ive long since lost the receipts for my main dive gear.

 

[DandyDon]

Had most of my gear stolen in Miami once. If you have the reciepts send them in with your claim. It will expedite the resolution of your claim. BTW since mine was an International flight I got $750.00 for a couple thousand dollars worth of gear.

Airline liability on International trips is limited to $9.07 per pound per treaty, with no adjustments for inflation. String, I always do the Trip Insurnace for international trips, and this is one of the reasons. Extra luggage loss coverage.

Regs? Nope, could strangle someone with it.

I always carry my Regs in my carry-on; no problem, at least on this side of the pond. There was some talk about confiscating retractors to reduce strangle risks, but what about my shoe laces? :wtf:

I do carry nail clippers in my pocket, as while those were not allowed for a while, they are now. Need something to cut all those zip ties, as my pocket knife is in checked luggage, zip tied.

If you zip tie everything, then TSA removes one without replacing it, at least you have a stronger claim on losses. But don't carry exta cable-ties in you carry-on. Mine were taken in Motreal earlier this month.

The dumbest aspect on the nw, revised TSA regs is that my 19 cf pony bottle is not supposed to go in checked bags, but I'm supposed to carry it on so screeners can more easily look at it?! Right, let's put those 10 pound (or greater) battering rams in the cabin, in cased a passenger really, really needs to go to the flight deck. :wacko:

It is all a bluff, with little being accomplished other than George W politics, but I'm paying an extra $10 a trip just for TSA oversite. Yet, they stopped proving cable-ties to save on the budget!!

 

[String]

I always have full travel insurance whenever i go anywhere (although due to the USAs sue first, sue lots mentality my normal insuance is valid anywhere on earth EXCEPT the USA so i have to get a different one). The problem is simply i cant afford to be without my kit for even a week especially next year with the prospect of working diving abroad shortly after.

Airline regs and airport regs here seem even more ludicrous than over there, i was specifically told i couldnt carry my regs (anyway with 5kg limit its hard to find space) and a relative of mine got a nail clippers confiscated by security at the x-ray / metal detector.

Ive heard about theives at Miami airport from a few sources - it does seem to have a specific problem with it and more than other airports which doesnt inspire confidence!

Dont even get me started on Bush - probably the greatest threat to life on this planet !

 

[bradb21]

No problems with regs in my carry on's two weeks ago. I was actually shocked on what happened.

I was going outbound from O'hare in the Int'l terminal. I had my backpack with mine and my wifes regs in it with computers. I was guessing that it would like quite interesting to the TSA people on the screen when it went in the xray. Well I put my back down on the belt and walked thru the metal detector. I was sure they were going to ask my to open everything up (which was going to be a pain). Well the lady looking at the monitor looks at me, and questions me "scuba gear?" I said "yes" and that was it. They must see a lot of it in the int'l terminal to recognize it. I was pretty shocked!

 

[DandyDon]

I always have full travel insurance whenever i go anywhere (although due to the USAs sue first, sue lots mentality my normal insuance is valid anywhere on earth EXCEPT the USA so i have to get a different one). The problem is simply i cant afford to be without my kit for even a week especially next year with the prospect of working diving abroad shortly after.

Yeah, that's the big risk, and why I carry-on as much as possible.

Airline regs and airport regs here seem even more ludicrous than over there, i was specifically told i couldnt carry my regs (anyway with 5kg limit its hard to find space) and a relative of mine got a nail clippers confiscated by security at the x-ray / metal detector.

We're allowed 40# in carry-on over here; don't know kg? I'm sure there are many differences.

Ive heard about theives at Miami airport from a few sources - it does seem to have a specific problem with it and more than other airports which doesnt inspire confidence!

Miami is worse, as the metro area has a bad crime problem, much of it from it being a drug portal from S.America. I always try to avoid it.

Dont even get me started on Bush - probably the greatest threat to life on this planet !

:dunce:

I was going outbound from O'hare in the Int'l terminal. I had my backpack with mine and my wifes regs in it with computers. I was guessing that it would like quite interesting to the TSA people on the screen when it went in the xray. Well I put my back down on the belt and walked thru the metal detector. I was sure they were going to ask my to open everything up (which was going to be a pain). Well the lady looking at the monitor looks at me, and questions me "scuba gear?" I said "yes" and that was it. They must see a lot of it in the int'l terminal to recognize it. I was pretty shocked!

I've had that experience. Some of them are trying to do better, and maybe some of them are dives?

 

[android]

In the states, we will usually ship our gear Airborne Express ground a few days in advance. Since my wife and my stuff total about 60 lbs, it makes it a lot easier travelling without it. We also insure the whole box for about $3000 which is a lot better than the compensation offered by the airlines.

 

[String]

5kg is approx 11lbs weight and is rigidly enforced. Bags also have to confirm to a strict size/shape to fit under the seat in front of you on the plane. A few years ago nobody bothered, lately all airlines are enforcing it ruthlessly.

Im not actually staying in miami - flying to orlando, 2 weeks there, driving to the keys and flying home from miami airport.

 

[DandyDon]

In the states, we will usually ship our gear Airborne Express ground a few days in advance. Since my wife and my stuff total about 60 lbs, it makes it a lot easier travelling without it. We also insure the whole box for about $3000 which is a lot better than the compensation offered by the airlines.

I looked into that, but I don't worry much about domestic trips, and international freight is so expensive. Too, I wouldn't trust the Cozumel hotel with my bags. Oh, my dive gear and luggage weighs around 100+ pounds, just for me.

5kg is approx 11lbs weight and is rigidly enforced. Bags also have to confirm to a strict size/shape to fit under the seat in front of you on the plane. A few years ago nobody bothered, lately all airlines are enforcing it ruthlessly.

That is bad! :wtf: