Thieves Help Passengers 'Unpack' at the Airport

All baggage is now subject to hand inspection -- and all too many of the hands that go through your stuff may have sticky fingers. Reports of lost, damaged, delayed and pilfered checked luggage filed with the Department of Transportation have been rising as the Transportation Security Administration has been screening more intensively and more people have been leaving their bags unlocked.

The number of incidents are few -- 5.86 per 1,000 passengers -- reported to the government by 20 airlines for the first six months of this year, but this is a 37 percent increase from the same time period in 2003.

With both TSA and the airlines handling baggage, resolving who is responsible for theft or damage can turn into a huge hassle. The headaches will likely increase as more of us are checking bags.

Be sure to carry on your valuables. Airlines' liability for checked baggage is $2,800 per passenger on domestic flights and $9 per pound on international flights -- that's $450 for a 50-pound bag. Airlines exclude any responsibility for loss or damage to computers and other electronic equipment; jewelry, documents and other valuables.

News stories provided by third parties are not edited by "Site Publication" staff. For suggestions and comments, please click the Contact link at the bottom of this page.