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I figure the worst that can happen is that the regs can get stolen or the bag can disappear, but in 25 years of pretty extensive business travel, only one bag of mine was ever been lost. (My bags have been delayed a dozen or so times, but most of the time that gets sorted out in 24-48 hours.)
Just a quick note - I'm an airline pilot. I do believe airlines will only reimburse you for $500 for lost luggage, although you may be able to purchase additional insurance. You could always Fed-Ex it to yourself if you can't carry it on. Security has to ask about stuff like that, when you explain what it is, I wouldn't expect any issues. A solid metal regulator that weighs maybe a pound or more and could easily pummel someone to death on an aircraft - no problem! Just don't bring your nose-hair clippers. COMMON SENSE PREVAILS AGAIN!
I've never tried it, but you could ask a TSA agent to lock your case AFTER they have inspected it, just like they would a weapon case. They HAVE to x-ray it (don't put your film in checked baggage!). The answer may be a "TSA-Inspected" special tape put on your bag, and/or a TSA "zip tie" on the bag. If that is broken and something stolen, the airline would have some serious explaining to do and would have a tough time denying responsibility in small claims court.
Don't know if that helps any, but in my job, that's what I see happening. Don't check it!
EDIT: Just saw another airline pilot posted right before me. What he said. ;-)
You just inspired me to check into the real numbers . My experience isn't all that surprising upon looking up the stats..
About 1/2% of all bags fail to arrive on the same plane as the passenger. 80% of the delayed bags show up in 24 hours. 99% by 5 days. So just 0.005% go off to that baggage carousel in the sky (or end up at www.unclaimedbaggage.com).
Or to use fractions, 1 in 200 checked bags are delayed. 1 in 20,000 checked bags are permanently lost.
And welcome to SB - the biggest, the best, the fastest growing, and the friendliest! If you'll click ScubaBoard.com above, you'll be taken to our long list of forums, a wealth of information and resources. At the bottom, be sure to notice the Local & Singles Dive Club forums.
Youve had a lot of discussion, but I'll add that my regs go with me always, in the plane, on the boat, to my room, etc.
PM me if I can help you learn your way around; that is - click my username to the upper left, then follow the prompts to send me a "Personal Message."
You just inspired me to check into the real numbers . My experience isn't all that surprising upon looking up the stats..
About 1/2% of all bags fail to arrive on the same plane as the passenger. 80% of the delayed bags show up in 24 hours. 99% by 5 days. So just 0.005% go off to that baggage carousel in the sky (or end up at www.unclaimedbaggage.com).
Or to use fractions, 1 in 200 checked bags are delayed. 1 in 20,000 checked bags are permanently lost.
Charlie, you're looking at the wrong stats. The incidents I've seen all involved things being removed from bags. The bags arrived, just the expensive contents were missing. Try proving that $1500+ worth of regs and computer were in the bag to start with.....
Some locations also seem worse than others. Your chances of losing stuff in the Canary Islands seems to be higher than in Egypt, for example. In any case these are not isolated incidents. It's a structural problem that the airlines/airports are unable/unwilling to address. The only thing you can do to protect yourself is be mentally prepared, aware of the risk and well insured.
R..
Last edited by roturner; February 23rd, 2005 at 03:21 AM.
Hi there - and welcome! Got to agree - carry it on. I travel a lot through asia and although I’ve never had a bag delayed or lost (knock on wood...) there is one airport in particular (Manila) where I have regularly had equipment pilfered from my checked in bags: a leatherman once, a torch another time... It’s also quite common to find the locks on my bags cut off.... At the gate maybe one check in out of five I have to show them my regs – usually just saying ‘yep - diving gear’ works.
Important observation: If asked about a piece of dive equipment at check in do not, under any circumstance, make a joke about it. Customs traditionally hires sufferers of 'Short Men In Uniform Syndrome’ (parking meter attendants being the other main source of employment for sufferers) and they have had their senses of humour surgically removed as a prerequisite for the job. Joke and you will be whisked away to a small room faster than you can say ‘rubber glove’.
One question while on this subject - seeing that I was going to ask it anyway: I'm about to buy a HID can light and will carry it on - however there appears to be competition between designers of HIDs to see who can most closely make their battery pack resemble a bomb. I expect to be stopped at every check in I travel through - anyone NOT have problems with their battery packs?
Cheers,
Rohan.
Last edited by Tassie_Rohan; February 23rd, 2005 at 08:28 AM.
We always carry our regs/computer and camera equipment as carry-on. Almost to a fault we get searched, but since we plan for that, it's no big deal. Our reason for carrying on is a little different though. We have a good friend who is a baggage handler and to hear her talk about how she handles bags, there's no way I'd risk putting my fragile and expensive gear in a bag to be thrown around. Ironically, she's totally callous about how she handles bags, but nearly had a stroke when her bag came ripped with a huge shoe print on it the last time she flew!! I just smiled and said nothing.
If you ever saw the "60 minutes" report on how baggage is handled at the airports you may wish that you could carry on all your dive gear. I have had a dive bag lost in the system for three days while traveling thru Miami .... lucky I had my mask, regulator and guages with me and rented the rest until the bag caught up with me. The airlines will give you a kit (worth about $10) if all your bags are lost that contains personal items like shave gear, toothbrush, toothpase, ect. but they will not reinburse you for the money you had to pay out for rental gear.
Last edited by scubapro50; February 24th, 2005 at 12:35 AM.
One question while on this subject - seeing that I was going to ask it anyway: I'm about to buy a HID can light and will carry it on - however there appears to be competition between designers of HIDs to see who can most closely make their battery pack resemble a bomb. I expect to be stopped at every check in I travel through - anyone NOT have problems with their battery packs?
Cheers,
Rohan.
Some small island hoppers or just the attendents in turd world countries will not let you carry on the batteries. Carry on the lightheads and put the battery pack in your checked luggage to avoid hassles. The old style acrylics were easily damaged, but the new cannisters for NiMH packs are nearly unbreakable.
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Originally Posted by Charlie99
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the friendliest! If you'll click ScubaBoard.com above, you'll be taken to our long list of forums, a wealth of information and resources. At the bottom, be sure to notice the Local & Singles Dive Club forums.
don
