# Clothing stolen from luggage on Aer Lingus flight from NYC



## PeterC (16 Jan 2008)

Just back from NYC this morning.

When I got home and was unpacking, I noticed a jumper, shirt and two tshirts had been taken from my luggage. Has this happened to anyone here and what did they do?

I was on to Aer Lingus baggage handling in Shannon and they told me to e-mail them, has anyone done this and what was the outcome? According to the guy I spoke with, this seems to happen a lot

Any help would be appreciated!


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## quinno (16 Jan 2008)

I had it happen on a flight from south africa - foolishly left a camera in my luggage (was a spare and not very expensive one). We (thought!) this was well hidden and wrapped up within clothes, so they must have had a good rummage to locate it. My suspicion was they identified it on an xray machine prior to loading on the aircraft. Raised this with the airline, but obviously no chance of this being recovered. 

Flew to Thailand a few years ago, and they have security wraps that they place around bags to stop this happening. I think this was more to do with drugs smuggling / planting. AHve herad about bags being ripped open to get at stuff within them ,so you're caught either way. Surprised they would take clothes though - mus make sure mine are left unwashed the next time i travel from NY.


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## PeterC (16 Jan 2008)

Two of the items taken were worn and were pretty old as well!


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## comanche (16 Jan 2008)

are you sure that no one took them out and left them behind on purpose esp if they were worn & pretty old - a better half perhaps?


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## pugwall (16 Jan 2008)

I had a 100ml bottle of Jean Paul Gautier Le Male 
stolen from my case on a flight from Dublin to Mexico City via Paris CDG in 2005. My case was locked using a small pad lock which was missing when I eventually got my case back (3 days later) I also had to pay an erratic taxi driver to give me the case back!


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## tinkerbell (19 Jan 2008)

On our return to Dublin from JFK last year we noticed many of the cases on the baggage claim belt were open - like wide open so that you could clearly see inside the cases and obviously items could have either fallen out or be taken.  Luckily ours were fine but many we were shocked to see that they had been opened fully and never closed at all!  Just back again from New York and this time not one was opened like that!


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## Guest127 (19 Jan 2008)

Don't you have to purchase a special lock when travelling to the US which can be opened by their officials at any time. strikes me that a baggage handler wouldn't have too much bother getting their hands on the key that opens them.


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## shesells (19 Jan 2008)

Baggage handlers don't need a key to open bags, it's a skill that those individuals who give the job a bad name learn easily. Hubby's bag was slashed open with a stanley knife coming from Paris last year and Christmas presents taken.

Moral of the story, never EVER check anything of value. 

Back to the OP, perhaps when the TSA went through your bag (they check a very high proportion of bags leaving the US) they just didn't put everything back?


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## ClubMan (19 Jan 2008)

pugwall said:


> I had a 100ml bottle of Jean Paul Gautier


No loss - it was probably a rip-off of the real _John-Paul Gaultier _stuff.


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## agencydude (15 Nov 2008)

My wife and I recently came back from holiday in Lanzarote. When I got home and opened my checked luggage I found that two boxes of 200 cigarettes were missing fom my luggage. 
The only time the checked luggage was out of our sight was between the time when we checked in the luggage at Lanzarote and when we picked it off the conveyor belt in Dublin.
So this would imply that someone who worked in the airport in either Lanzarote or Dublin rummaged though the luggage and stole the cigarettes.
When you think about this you can imagine that whoever steals valuables at the airport obviously walks out of the airport at the end of their shift with the stolen goods underneath their arm or hidden away.

Its a scary thought but if they can take items out of the airport without any problems you'd wonder then can they take items into the airport and place them in our luggage eg illegal substances maybe even bombs

You'd think with all the security checks passengers have to go through that there'd be a similar about of security when our luggage is out of sight but this doesn't seem to be the case.


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## wjc (15 Nov 2008)

Had camcorder stolen out of bag between Naples and Dublin. Found out subsequently that Naples is notorious for stuff being stolen out of bags!


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## rmelly (15 Nov 2008)

ClubMan said:


> No loss - it was probably a rip-off of the real _John-Paul Gaultier _stuff.


 
Do you have a bot or something that trawls the site looking for typos like this or like 'concour' just so you can make a witty response? Fair play if you do.


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## Smashbox (15 Nov 2008)

I use locks whenever I travel, although I never check expensive stuff in - I take a rucksack and carry it on board.

For US travel, there is a special lock you can get so customs can open the bag or something.

At JFK, I also seen a wrapping machine, I think its a few dollars a bag/case and they completly wrap it up in cellophane, I guess this could deter thieves and also keep your bag more secure.

Would travel insurance cover such losses?


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## Bessa (15 Nov 2008)

Hi i also had 400 cigarettes taken from my luggage on a flight from Malta to Dublin. I reported this to Air Malta on arrival home. My complaint was to alert them to the baggage handlers at both Malta and Dublin, as i did not know which airport the theft was carried out at. They wrote to me and said they were looking into it and they also enclosed a cheque for the cigarettes, which i did not expect from them. So i would say to anyone if you are missing items from your case to report it to the airline, these handlers have to be caught and kicked out of their jobs.


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## tosullivan (15 Nov 2008)

cuchulainn said:


> Don't you have to purchase a special lock when travelling to the US which can be opened by their officials at any time. strikes me that a baggage handler wouldn't have too much bother getting their hands on the key that opens them.


 they don't even use keys over there....just snap the locks off

I had a telphone taken once...no joy from Aer Lingus as they said it could have happened in US


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## AgathaC (16 Nov 2008)

I am a bit shocked, I never realised that this type of thing happened. I travel a lot and have been lucky so far. I am guessing that travel insurance does not cover such losses?


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## Guest106 (16 Nov 2008)

Travel Tip.
Never ever put cash, jewellery or such small valuables in the outside  zip-pockets that are so common on travel bags.  I have known for some time that some baggage handlers are very adept at running their fingers through these quickly even as they are loading them onto trollies or into/out of loading bays. 
 I was sitting in my aircraft seat in JFK/NY two years ago and watched one baggage handler doing this and he was doing it apparently without being observed by his loading companion.  He would pick out the large holdall type of bag with zip-pockets and would flick a zip open as he picked it up so that he could rummage with his fingers as he maneouvred himself towards the aircraft carrying the bag close to his chest.  His methodology would have yielded purses/wallets  and maybe small jewellery bags or boxes on occasion imo.
CCTV would have caught him nicely if such were in use.
I sent a letter of complaint which was acknowledged but heard nothing more.


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## larbo (16 Nov 2008)

I worked in the airport and the baggage handlers treat your bags like footballs, alot of bags burst open and items fall out and are left on the ground untill somebody puts it in a pile to be forgotten about.


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## Lollix (16 Nov 2008)

Smashbox said:


> At JFK, I also seen a wrapping machine, I think its a few dollars a bag/case and they completly wrap it up in cellophane, I guess this could deter thieves and also keep your bag more secure.


 
A lot of airports have the wrapping facility, costs about seven or eight euros a bag. Basically they put the bag on a turntable and spin it round so that it wraps itself in film, a bit like a silage bale wrapper!
I was in an Eastern European airport recently and I saw a guy doing a DIY version of this. He had a roll of cling film and he was wrapping it around and around his bag. When he finished wrapping it in one direction he turned it on its side and repeated the exercise. The finished article looked the same as the professional job, but the cost was probably no more than a euro or two for the clingfilm.


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## Hillsalt (16 Nov 2008)

AgathaC said:


> I am a bit shocked, I never realised that this type of thing happened. I travel a lot and have been lucky so far....



Same here. I have often put a laptop into my case. 

I will be very careful next time.


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## extopia (16 Nov 2008)

Hillsalt said:


> Same here. I have often put a laptop into my case.






agencydude said:


> a scary thought but if they can take items out of the airport without any problems you'd wonder then can they take items into the airport and place them in our luggage eg illegal substances maybe even bombs



I think these guys are more interested in stealing your stuff than going to the trouble of giving you stuff.


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## Bronte (17 Nov 2008)

I can't get over the amount of people putting valuable items in their luggage.  It's best to use an old bag and put no lock on it, expensive bags with locks only attract thieves.


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