Theft at 30,000 Feet - Keeping Your Valuables Safe

Posted by Travel Sentry

Media coverage of theft on the ground in airports is plentiful. Theft of valuables from checked baggage are the big headline grabbers but TSA has also gotten some negative ink when it comes to passenger reports of missing items.

We seldom hear about larceny during a flight but it happens. Packed in such tight quarters it's hard to imagine that your seat mate is going to lift your wallet or steal your iPod while you snooze.

Aviation relates a story about a couple heading to Hawaii on a honeymoon who learned about thievery at 30,000 feet the hard way. The man slipped his wallet into his new wife's carry-on that was stowed under the seat and fell asleep. When the newlyweds arrived in paradise they discovered the wallet had been stolen out of the wife's bag. No driver's license, no credit cards, no cash.

Thousands of passengers have their carry-on bags fleeced every year. The same thing that protects your checked baggage will also protect the valuables in your carry-on - a luggage lock.

Here are steps to help prevent your items being stolen - from Aviation/MSNBC:

Jewelry is the single biggest category of stolen valuables, followed by cameras and electronics. Still, carelessness and blind faith make the situation needlessly worse. So keep the following in mind ...

• Don't stash anything in your checked bags that you'd be devastated to lose, and buy one small but solid lock per bag (the TSA suggests Travel Sentry or Safe Skies brands, both of which screeners can open and relock should they decide to go into your bag). Locks occasionally do get cut off by screeners if a bag seems suspicious, but they seem to discourage casual pilfering.

• In security lines, consolidate loose items (such as phones or iPods) into one bag before putting it through the machine, and keep an eagle eye when it emerges out the other end — even if you're detained for wanding or frisking. If the security screeners bring you out of sight of your stuff, politely but firmly ask to have it brought to you immediately. Don’t pass through the metal detector until your items are well inside the x-ray machine.

• In-flight, put the carry-on with all your "must-not-lose" belongings under the seat in front of you and lock it, because the passenger seated ahead of you can reach under his seat and delve into your bag. But keep wallets on your person, especially if it's a long-haul flight. That goes for double if it's overnight and you plan to sleep. Consider locks for any bags in overhead bins, as well; it's not unheard of for a thief to run his or her mitts through bags while their owners are snoozing. It's also not a bad idea to put your bag(s) in the bin across from you, the better to keep an eye on things.

• Don't pack valuables near the tops of your carry-on bags; that makes it easier for someone casually to scoop them out, with minimal effort.