Choosing LuggageShould you lock your airline luggage?
Many people are confused as to whether or not they are allowed to lock their airline luggage, given the stringent security regulations since 9/11. And furthermore, there's a widely held belief that locks for your airline luggage won't be particularly helpful anyway. But is this true?
Does putting locks on your airline luggage actually help deter theft?
It may seem as though bothering to lock your airline luggage would be ineffective against would be thieves because, especially with soft luggage, all they would have to do is cut the bag open. The key point to remember, however, is that thieves are inclined to steal from the most easily accessible airline luggage. The luggage lock may not be the utmost in luggage fortifications, but it may slow a thief down and convince him to choose someone else's airline luggage.
And furthermore, the lock is likely to keep would be smugglers out of your airline luggage. The last thing you need, particularly when traveling internationally, is for the airline authorities to find illegal materials in yourluggage! Locks can be trip-savers.
But in a post 9/11 world, am I even allowed to lock my airline luggage? Won't the transportation security officials just break it off if they choose to search my luggage?
The answer to the first question is yes, and the second is yes and no. You are absolutely allowed to lock your airline luggage. The only hitch comes up if the authorities choose to search your luggage.
There is, however, a solution. The US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) teamed up with certain lock-makers to design locks that can be opened by you as well as by a master key. This way, airline security can open your luggage lock with a key and relock it when they're done. The one caveat is that not every airport has these master keys.
