My wife was stupid enough to put a $200 digital camera in her checked bag. Needless to say, it was gone when she got home, along with all the pics she took on vacation. The airline said, file a complaint and if it is turned in they will notify us. They pretty much let her know she was out of luck. It was sort of her fault for putting anything of value in a checked bag that you can fit in your pocket.

Airport security is a good idea. But.....TSA was created, staffed and is administered by folks who hate both gubmit and Labor. Dubya's "administration" dictates labor policy (these kinds of people, and many of you, think the employer-employee relationship is a master/slave relationship). Wages and working conditions are oppressive. Any organizational behavior or labor relations professional can tell you what to expect as a consequence. Theft is high on the list. And common, in airport security.

Yeah, I was planning on doing that Joe. I was pissed about the sunglasses, because I had cushioned them and stuffed them in a shoe to protect them. They where taken out an just tossed back in. But Im more aggravated about the other stuff that got damaged. Was'nt expensive things, but it was a few small things I had picked up to give to my grandson, that I could only get down there.

Well, recall that 20/20 or Dateline investigation from a few years ago? They hid cameras inside the cargo holds of planes and at the entrances/exits for the employees. Baggage handlers were routinely videotaped rifling through luggage. They showed pics of guys leaving work with full trashbags of stuff...clearly not what they looked like walking in through the door at the start of the shift.

Out of curiosity, anyone know what those TSA guys (and gals) make for hourly wages?

The pay is typically pretty good. When it first started we lost some decent folks to go work for them. You need to be careful using TSA as an umbrella for all airport security. You'll notice at a lot of airports, that the folks actually checking the ID's aren't TSA, but a contract security company, and in most cases what I would consider a shady one. There is a huge amount of risk involved with doing this work.

With that being said, I fly about 100K miles a year, all within the US, so I have had to go through security a lot. Like it has been said, follow the rules, which are pretty simple, and you will be fine. One way tickets, changing your flight times, etc., are all pretty much going to get you the SSSS on your ticket, which involves extra screening.

Bill

If I know I'm going to have to check a bag, I put 1/2 my shoes, shirts, socks, etc. in one bag and 1/2 in the carry on. Never pack anything in a checked bag that you wouldn't want to lose forever.

Heh heh. When I first read your post, I had an image in my mind of you putting one shoe in your checked bag, and the other shoe in your carry-on, and so forth with the rest of your paired stuff.

Exactly, what's your point?:p

In Seattle, the salary range for the currently posted inspector positions is:

"From 23,836.00 to 35,754.00 USD per" This is from the TSA website.

That means those folks start at around $11.46 per hour and they top out at around $17. And so, at the high end of that scale, these lucky professionals will take home a two-week paycheck somewhere around $1,100. Parking sucks near airports.

There is also a hilarious description on the website of the protections you will enjoy. Dubya's cronies have offered these workers an "Ombudsman Service." So.......you can go to TSA to complain about TSA. Labor unions have been outlawed in this agency since the day it was created. Some of you guys will cheer about that. As your valuable are being stolen from your luggage.

Supe, lack of accountability is lack of accountability.

Adding another layer of unaccountability does not make people more accountable, it's not like multiplying negative numbers.

Government employees stealing from the public?!?! Perish the thought! I thought that's what 90% of them did by simply collecting a paycheck!

When I fly I am usually carrying my camera equipment and a laptop. I rarely have issues anymore just because of a few simple changes in my process.
1) Wear slip on shoes. quick and easy.
2) Before I get in line, my watch, ring, keys change and phone all go in my camera bag. That way I only have the two bags and my shoes to keep an eye on. Once I get to the terminal, I can dig it all back out.

I cant remember the last time I got pulled out of line or set off the detector.