Question:
>And how long will it be until the airport thieves have the capability to >open the locks? Will locked luggage equal high value contents?
On the day the locks were introduced a local tv station in San Francisco went to a luggage repair shop and the owner opened the lock easily with a hairpin.
Response:
> > Yes, but isn’t some lock better than no lock at all? Don’t most criminals > look for easy access? I’d rather take my chances with those locks than > leave my bag completely unlocked now. > Maybe the criminals feel that the chances of finding something of value > are higher with a locked bag then an unlocked one.
I doubt that. SMART criminals might think that, but most criminals are neither smart nor motivated. They are stupid and lazy as a group, and their petty crimes tend to be opportunistic. In other words, they take the low-hanging fruit and move on as quickly as they can. It may not make ‘common sense’, but casual baggage thieves do not possess what we would call common sense. In any case, smart criminals would quickly realize that they can simply show up at most airport baggage-claims, take what they want, and roll it out of the airport. At very few airports in the USA are bag-checks done at all. And they get great lead-time, because when the passenger realizes their bag is missing and reports it, the airline has no tracking system, and hence does not know if the bag is lost or stolen. It goes into their computer and a call goes out to look for it at various airports, which can take days or weeks. By the time the airline decides that it is gone for good, the thief is long gone. There most likely won’t even be a police report. Items taken won’t be put into the NCIC stolen goods database for months, if ever. If the thief is really smart, they’ll hit an airport hard for a couple of weeks and then move on to another. By the time the airline spots the trend in the rise of ‘really lost’ luggage at a particular airport, the damage is done. Best Regards, Bill Mattocks
Response:
Although one company is stating that their locks won’t be available until December 18th. (http://www.cclsecurity.com/products/searchalert/) Brookstone is already offering theirs on their website…but I like those at the above link better. They include a signal on the lock that lets you know if the lock has been opened. Will likely order a few to hand out at Christmas. Also, Samsonite, American Tourister and Atlantic are planning on incorporating this type of lock technology into their suitcases so that we will again be able to safely lock our hardside bags (although you will have to purchase a new hardside bag 
) Craig
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> The locks were shipped today from the warehouses and should be in stores > by Friday at the latest.
Response:
And how long will it be until the airport thieves have the capability to open the locks? Will locked luggage equal high value contents? http://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/11/business/11road.html?ex=1069218000&… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> November 11, 2003 > ON THE ROAD > A Baggage Lock for You and the Federal Screeners > By JOE SHARKEY > AIRLINE passengers will be able to lock checked bags confidently again > starting tomorrow, thanks to a new customer-service initiative between > private enterprise and the Transportation Security Administration. > Here’s how the plan will work: Several major luggage and lock > retailers in the United States will announce tomorrow the availability > of new locks, made by various manufacturers, that T.S.A. inspectors > will be able to readily identify and open on checked bags selected for > hand searches at airports.
Response:
The locks were shipped today from the warehouses and should be in stores by Friday at the latest. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > I am cautiously optimistic about this news. Time will tell, but I for > one will be buying a few of these locks as soon as I can. I suspect > it will take awhile for the boneheads working for the TSA to get the > word, so I’m sure some of the new locks will be cut anyway. Anyway, > it’s good news for those of us who like to lock our bags. > Best Regards, > Bill Mattocks > *** QUOTE *** > http://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/11/business/11road.html?ex=1069218000&… > November 11, 2003 > ON THE ROAD > A Baggage Lock for You and the Federal Screeners > By JOE SHARKEY > IRLINE passengers will be able to lock checked bags confidently again > starting tomorrow, thanks to a new customer-service initiative between > private enterprise and the Transportation Security Administration. > Here’s how the plan will work: Several major luggage and lock > retailers in the United States will announce tomorrow the availability > of new locks, made by various manufacturers, that T.S.A. inspectors > will be able to readily identify and open on checked bags selected for > hand searches at airports. > T.S.A. screeners in airports around the country have already been > trained in using secure procedures to open the new certified locks > when necessary, and relock them after inspecting bags. > "Literally since we began the process of screening every checked bag > for explosives in December, one of the challenges has been the ability > to get into bags without doing damage to them," said Brian Turmail, a > spokesman for the T.S.A. > The system, developed in cooperation with the T.S.A. and the Travel > Goods Association, a trade group, was designed around "a common set of > standards that any company that manufactures, or is interested in > manufacturing, luggage or luggage locks could follow that would allow > T.S.A. screeners to open the bag without doing damage to the bag, in a > manner that would allow the bag to stay secured afterwards,” Mr. > Turmail said. "In other words, we can open it, but no one else can." > The locks will be available in various manufacturers’ designs. All > will be geared around a uniform technology allowing them to be opened > by T.S.A. inspectors using a combination of secure codes and special > tools, according to John W. Vermilye, a former airline baggage-systems > executive who developed the system through Travel Sentry, a company he > set up for that purpose. > All the locks will carry a red diamond-shaped logo to certify to > screeners that they meet the Travel Sentry standards. Mr. Vermilye > said his company would receive royalties from manufacturers. > The system will ensure that passengers using the locks will not have > to worry about a lock being broken or a locked bag being damaged if it > is selected for hand inspection. It will also mean more peace of mind > for passengers worried about reports of increased pilferage from > unlocked bags. > "The general feeling of airline passengers is, ‘I don’t like to have > to keep my bags unlocked,’ " added Mr. Vermilye, who once worked as a > baggage handler. "As somebody in the business for 30 years, I don’t > like it either, because I know what goes on" in some baggage-handling > areas, he said. > An industry study showed that 90 percent of air travelers are now > leaving checked bags unlocked, whereas before this year about 66 > percent of them said they always locked their bags. > "I travel all the time, and I always used to lock my bags" until this > year, said Michael F. Anthony, the chairman and chief executive of > Brookstone, a specialty retailer with 266 shops, including 30 in > airports. Besides the worry about theft within the airline > baggage-handling systems, Mr. Anthony said he was concerned on > business trips about unlocked bags in the hands of cab and airport > shuttle drivers, bellhops and others. > Brookstone airport shops are planning to introduce the chain’s own > brand of new locks with in-store promotions tomorrow, Mr. Anthony > said. A package of two four-digit Brookstone combination locks costs > $20. Luggage and other accessories with the lock standards > incorporated also will begin moving soon onto shelves at Brookstone > and other retailers. > Mr. Anthony said that the locks represented a needed air-travel > customer-service breakthrough, "helping people reclaim a sense of > security they had in the past" with their checked possessions. > The T.S.A. mandated screening of all checked bags starting last Dec. > 31. Since then, most of the estimated 1.5 million bags checked daily > in domestic airports have been inspected by bomb-detecting machinery – > but about 10 percent of checked bags are opened and inspected by hand. > Initially, the T.S.A. planned to issue a blanket prohibition against > locking bags, but the agency ultimately decided instead to merely > suggest that passengers not lock them. The T.S.A. public directive on > the subject says: "In some cases screeners will have to open your > baggage as part of the screening process. If your bag is unlocked, > then T.S.A. will simply open the bag and screen the bag. However, if > the bag is locked and T.S.A. needs to open your bag, then locks may > have to be broken. You may keep your bag locked if you choose, but > T.S.A. is not liable for damage caused to locked bags that must be > opened.” > With bags unlocked, many travelers, including business travelers who > pack expensive electronic gear, worried that their checked possessions > were far too vulnerable to theft, passing unlocked through T.S.A. > hands and into the standard airline baggage-handling systems. Reports > of pilferage rose this year, as did concern about who was legally > responsible for claims of theft or damage, since both government and > airline employees have custody of bags at various points. > Mr. Vermilye is a former head of baggage operations for Eastern > Airlines who later worked as a top executive of the International Air > Transport Association, a trade group for airlines worldwide. After > 9/11, he was part of a team of industry consultants working with the > T.S.A. to improve customer service. > Mr. Vermilye and Mr. Turmail at the T.S.A. agreed that the new system > would probably make the screening chore easier for inspectors. "With > this system, they know they don’t have to break a lock or damage a > bag. They go, ‘Relax, I know I can open it.’ It ceases to become an > issue," Mr. Vermilye said. > Copyright 2003 The New York Times Company > *** END QUOTE ***
Response:
Re: Starting today, you can lock your bags again (maybe) – news story
You can lock your luggage now if you want to stand around and watch them Xray your bag and unlock it if they need it. Why do people keep saying that? At very few airports in the US do they do the inspection of checked luggage near the ticket counters. Most of them do the inspections way down deep inside the airport – and no, you can’t go watch them do it. Best Regards, Bill Mattocks<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< In terminal 4 at Ft. Lauderdale airport there are two bag scanner units near the ticket counters. Eric
Response:
> Yes, but isn’t some lock better than no lock at all? Don’t most criminals > look for easy access? I’d rather take my chances with those locks than > leave my bag completely unlocked now.
Maybe the criminals feel that the chances of finding something of value are higher with a locked bag then an unlocked one.
Response:
> In terminal 4 at Ft. Lauderdale airport there are two bag scanner units > near the ticket counters. > Eric
Good to know that, Eric, but trust me, most airports do not do the inspections topside. Best Regards, Bill Mattocks
Response:
> You can lock your luggage now if you want to stand around and > watch them Xray your bag and unlock it if they need it.
That is not true at all airports. Some still x-ray your bag in the bowels of the airport, away from your view. Casey
Response:
> >Turmail said. "In other words, we can open it, but no one else can." > Right. And if you believe that, I have a bridge I want to sell you.
Does it include delivery to Lake Havasu City? JohnT
Response:
> You can lock your luggage now if you want to stand around and watch > them Xray your bag and unlock it if they need it.
Not at all airports. at LAX and PNS, they would take a swab of your luggage to see if you had any residual explosives on your bag and search it if needed on the spot. At DEN, FLL, LAS, and DCA, the screening was done out of sight. Tom Smith
Response:
> I don’t share your optimism Mr. Mattocks. The NYT story basically says > that with the new lock design, the TSA will be able to open, inspect and > relock your baggage. That doesn’t mean that they are forced to do so. > The first few weeks they will keep breaking your locks, until they come > to realise what that little red thingie on the lock represents. Then, > they will just use their master keys instead. However, I expect a large > number of luggage to remain unlocked after the procedure. Their rules, > they break ‘em after all, isn’t it? Additionally, it is only a matter of > time until crooks, interested in people’s "dirty laundry" (and all that > expensive stuff people sent to travel in the plane’s belly, instead of > the overhead), aquire an "open ‘em all" key, either by taking apart such > a lock or even getting by employed by the TSA themselves…
do you have any idea how long it took me to get up off the ground after that ??? jeez, be careful what you ask for and all that… mk5000 "Instructions as I am sure you are quite aware if you have ever bought a tv or any other electronic appliance, is just direct translated. Often the translated versions make no sense"–m
Response:
> You can lock your luggage now if you want to stand around and watch > them Xray your bag and unlock it if they need it.
Why do people keep saying that? At very few airports in the US do they do the inspection of checked luggage near the ticket counters. Most of them do the inspections way down deep inside the airport – and no, you can’t go watch them do it. Best Regards, Bill Mattocks
Response:
> Not at all airports. at LAX and PNS, they would take a swab of your luggage > to see if you had any residual explosives on your bag and search it if > needed on the spot. At DEN, FLL, LAS, and DCA, the screening was done out > of sight.
At the USA shuttle checkin for DCA they do it right in front of you. miguel — See the world from your web browser: http://travel.u.nu/
Response:
Yes, but isn’t some lock better than no lock at all? Don’t most criminals look for easy access? I’d rather take my chances with those locks than leave my bag completely unlocked now. –Max
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> I am cautiously optimistic about this news. Time will tell, but I for > one will be buying a few of these locks as soon as I can. > That’ll be great until 5 minutes after they’re released for sale, when > someone reverse-engineers one, and soon afterwards every luggage thief on > the planet has a master key. > miguel > — > See the world from your web browser: http://travel.u.nu/
Response:
> I don’t share your optimism Mr. Mattocks. The NYT story basically says > that with the new lock design, the TSA will be able to open, inspect and > relock your baggage. That doesn’t mean that they are forced to do so.
The stupid, stupid, rat creatures that we call the TSA will do as they please in most situations, and call it ‘the law’. They are very little more than thugs in a uniform. > The first few weeks they will keep breaking your locks, until they come > to realise what that little red thingie on the lock represents. Then, > they will just use their master keys instead.
I agree. > However, I expect a large > number of luggage to remain unlocked after the procedure. Their rules, > they break ‘em after all, isn’t it?
Yes, they do so at their leisure. > Additionally, it is only a matter of > time until crooks, interested in people’s "dirty laundry" (and all that > expensive stuff people sent to travel in the plane’s belly, instead of > the overhead), aquire an "open ‘em all" key, either by taking apart such > a lock or even getting by employed by the TSA themselves…
I doubt most luggage crooks will be that motivated. These are not car thieves or burglars, picking targets of opportunity wherein riches await. These are low-life scumbags who make their bucks by quickly opening a bag, rummaging around as quickly as possible, extracting anything that looks or feels a) expensive and b) small, pocket the item, and move on. Or they steal the bag outright. Remember that a small knife will cut open most soft-sided luggage, no key required. We’re not talking about master criminals here, we’re talking about sleazebags who hit and move on in seconds. The lock only serves the purpose of making them decide to move to the next bag, not to keep out the truly motivated. They’re like the guys I’ve seen on video who walk down the street at night checking car doors. They don’t bother to break windows or pick locks, if a door is locked them move on. Amazingly, they almost always find a car that is unlocked. They rifle the interior in a couple of seconds and move on. These guys ain’t safe-crackers, they’re too stupid and inept to hold down jobs. Best Regards, Bill Mattocks
Response:
>Turmail said. "In other words, we can open it, but no one else can."
Right. And if you believe that, I have a bridge I want to sell you.
Response:
>That’ll be great until 5 minutes after they’re released for sale, when >someone reverse-engineers one, and soon afterwards every luggage thief on >the planet has a master key.
Precisely. Especially on a $5 consumer lock.
Response:
> > I am cautiously optimistic about this news. Time will tell, but I for > one will be buying a few of these locks as soon as I can. > That’ll be great until 5 minutes after they’re released for sale, when > someone reverse-engineers one, and soon afterwards every luggage thief on > the planet has a master key. > miguel
I doubt that this will happen much. Under normal circumstances, yes, of course it would. But the small locks that you put on luggage were never robust anyway. Anyone could cut them with fairly small cutters, easily concealed. I am sure the same will be true of these locks. The point, for me, was not to defeat master criminals who really, really, wanted to get into my bag. It was to defeat ‘casual criminals’ who will open an unlocked bag and rummage around quickly for something interesting to them. If a crook really wants in, he’s getting in, regardless of lock used. Most soft-sided luggage is easy enough to cut with a knife anyway. Most of the key locks that one could purchase all had the same key anyway – you could have a half-dozen keys and open maybe 70 or 80 percent of all luggage with it (I’m guessing). This does only two things, both of which I am in favor of: 1 – Keeps the bag closed, so stuff doesn’t fall out in transit. 2 – Keeps the casual crook moving on, looking for an unlocked bag. Best Regards, Bill Mattocks
Response:
Mattocks) had the nerve to write: >I am cautiously optimistic about this news. Time will tell, but I for >one will be buying a few of these locks as soon as I can. I suspect >it will take awhile for the boneheads working for the TSA to get the >word, so I’m sure some of the new locks will be cut anyway. Anyway, >it’s good news for those of us who like to lock our bags.
I don’t share your optimism Mr. Mattocks. The NYT story basically says that with the new lock design, the TSA will be able to open, inspect and relock your baggage. That doesn’t mean that they are forced to do so. The first few weeks they will keep breaking your locks, until they come to realise what that little red thingie on the lock represents. Then, they will just use their master keys instead. However, I expect a large number of luggage to remain unlocked after the procedure. Their rules, they break ‘em after all, isn’t it? Additionally, it is only a matter of time until crooks, interested in people’s "dirty laundry" (and all that expensive stuff people sent to travel in the plane’s belly, instead of the overhead), aquire an "open ‘em all" key, either by taking apart such a lock or even getting by employed by the TSA themselves… — Giorgos
Response:
> I am cautiously optimistic about this news. Time will tell, but I for > one will be buying a few of these locks as soon as I can. I suspect > it will take awhile for the boneheads working for the TSA to get the > word, so I’m sure some of the new locks will be cut anyway. Anyway, > it’s good news for those of us who like to lock our bags. > Best Regards, > Bill Mattocks
You can lock your luggage now if you want to stand around and watch them Xray your bag and unlock it if they need it.
Response:
> I am cautiously optimistic about this news. Time will tell, but I for > one will be buying a few of these locks as soon as I can. I suspect > it will take awhile for the boneheads working for the TSA to get the > word, so I’m sure some of the new locks will be cut anyway. Anyway, > it’s good news for those of us who like to lock our bags.
[snip] <sigh> Yes, a bit of good news. Except of course for those of us who have the "built in" variety that I only "locked" to keep the bag from poping open. You can open the durn things with a paper clip, but unfortunately the TSA tends to pry them open with a screw driver.
Response:
> I am cautiously optimistic about this news. Time will tell, but I for > one will be buying a few of these locks as soon as I can.
That’ll be great until 5 minutes after they’re released for sale, when someone reverse-engineers one, and soon afterwards every luggage thief on the planet has a master key. miguel — See the world from your web browser: http://travel.u.nu/
Response:
> I am cautiously optimistic about this news. Time will tell, but I for > one will be buying a few of these locks as soon as I can. I suspect > it will take awhile for the boneheads working for the TSA to get the > word, so I’m sure some of the new locks will be cut anyway. Anyway, > it’s good news for those of us who like to lock our bags. > Best Regards, > Bill Mattocks
Excellent news, Bill. Thanks for sharing. I’ve got some travel coming up next week — I hope I can find the locks before then. > *** QUOTE ***
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/11/business/11road.html?ex=1069218000&… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> November 11, 2003 > ON THE ROAD > A Baggage Lock for You and the Federal Screeners > By JOE SHARKEY > IRLINE passengers will be able to lock checked bags confidently again > starting tomorrow, thanks to a new customer-service initiative between > private enterprise and the Transportation Security Administration. > Here’s how the plan will work: Several major luggage and lock > retailers in the United States will announce tomorrow the availability > of new locks, made by various manufacturers, that T.S.A. inspectors > will be able to readily identify and open on checked bags selected for > hand searches at airports. > T.S.A. screeners in airports around the country have already been > trained in using secure procedures to open the new certified locks > when necessary, and relock them after inspecting bags. > "Literally since we began the process of screening every checked bag > for explosives in December, one of the challenges has been the ability > to get into bags without doing damage to them," said Brian Turmail, a > spokesman for the T.S.A. > The system, developed in cooperation with the T.S.A. and the Travel > Goods Association, a trade group, was designed around "a common set of > standards that any company that manufactures, or is interested in > manufacturing, luggage or luggage locks could follow that would allow > T.S.A. screeners to open the bag without doing damage to the bag, in a > manner that would allow the bag to stay secured afterwards,” Mr. > Turmail said. "In other words, we can open it, but no one else can." > The locks will be available in various manufacturers’ designs. All > will be geared around a uniform technology allowing them to be opened > by T.S.A. inspectors using a combination of secure codes and special > tools, according to John W. Vermilye, a former airline baggage-systems > executive who developed the system through Travel Sentry, a company he > set up for that purpose. > All the locks will carry a red diamond-shaped logo to certify to > screeners that they meet the Travel Sentry standards. Mr. Vermilye > said his company would receive royalties from manufacturers. > The system will ensure that passengers using the locks will not have > to worry about a lock being broken or a locked bag being damaged if it > is selected for hand inspection. It will also mean more peace of mind > for passengers worried about reports of increased pilferage from > unlocked bags. > "The general feeling of airline passengers is, ‘I don’t like to have > to keep my bags unlocked,’ " added Mr. Vermilye, who once worked as a > baggage handler. "As somebody in the business for 30 years, I don’t > like it either, because I know what goes on" in some baggage-handling > areas, he said. > An industry study showed that 90 percent of air travelers are now > leaving checked bags unlocked, whereas before this year about 66 > percent of them said they always locked their bags. > "I travel all the time, and I always used to lock my bags" until this > year, said Michael F. Anthony, the chairman and chief executive of > Brookstone, a specialty retailer with 266 shops, including 30 in > airports. Besides the worry about theft within the airline > baggage-handling systems, Mr. Anthony said he was concerned on > business trips about unlocked bags in the hands of cab and airport > shuttle drivers, bellhops and others. > Brookstone airport shops are planning to introduce the chain’s own > brand of new locks with in-store promotions tomorrow, Mr. Anthony > said. A package of two four-digit Brookstone combination locks costs > $20. Luggage and other accessories with the lock standards > incorporated also will begin moving soon onto shelves at Brookstone > and other retailers. > Mr. Anthony said that the locks represented a needed air-travel > customer-service breakthrough, "helping people reclaim a sense of > security they had in the past" with their checked possessions. > The T.S.A. mandated screening of all checked bags starting last Dec. > 31. Since then, most of the estimated 1.5 million bags checked daily > in domestic airports have been inspected by bomb-detecting machinery – > but about 10 percent of checked bags are opened and inspected by hand. > Initially, the T.S.A. planned to issue a blanket prohibition against > locking bags, but the agency ultimately decided instead to merely > suggest that passengers not lock them. The T.S.A. public directive on > the subject says: "In some cases screeners will have to open your > baggage as part of the screening process. If your bag is unlocked, > then T.S.A. will simply open the bag and screen the bag. However, if > the bag is locked and T.S.A. needs to open your bag, then locks may > have to be broken. You may keep your bag locked if you choose, but > T.S.A. is not liable for damage caused to locked bags that must be > opened.” > With bags unlocked, many travelers, including business travelers who > pack expensive electronic gear, worried that their checked possessions > were far too vulnerable to theft, passing unlocked through T.S.A. > hands and into the standard airline baggage-handling systems. Reports > of pilferage rose this year, as did concern about who was legally > responsible for claims of theft or damage, since both government and > airline employees have custody of bags at various points. > Mr. Vermilye is a former head of baggage operations for Eastern > Airlines who later worked as a top executive of the International Air > Transport Association, a trade group for airlines worldwide. After > 9/11, he was part of a team of industry consultants working with the > T.S.A. to improve customer service. > Mr. Vermilye and Mr. Turmail at the T.S.A. agreed that the new system > would probably make the screening chore easier for inspectors. "With > this system, they know they don’t have to break a lock or damage a > bag. They go, ‘Relax, I know I can open it.’ It ceases to become an > issue," Mr. Vermilye said. > Copyright 2003 The New York Times Company > *** END QUOTE ***
Response:
I am cautiously optimistic about this news. Time will tell, but I for one will be buying a few of these locks as soon as I can. I suspect it will take awhile for the boneheads working for the TSA to get the word, so I’m sure some of the new locks will be cut anyway. Anyway, it’s good news for those of us who like to lock our bags. Best Regards, Bill Mattocks *** QUOTE *** http://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/11/business/11road.html?ex=1069218000&… November 11, 2003 ON THE ROAD A Baggage Lock for You and the Federal Screeners By JOE SHARKEY IRLINE passengers will be able to lock checked bags confidently again starting tomorrow, thanks to a new customer-service initiative between private enterprise and the Transportation Security Administration. Here’s how the plan will work: Several major luggage and lock retailers in the United States will announce tomorrow the availability of new locks, made by various manufacturers, that T.S.A. inspectors will be able to readily identify and open on checked bags selected for hand searches at airports. T.S.A. screeners in airports around the country have already been trained in using secure procedures to open the new certified locks when necessary, and relock them after inspecting bags. "Literally since we began the process of screening every checked bag for explosives in December, one of the challenges has been the ability to get into bags without doing damage to them," said Brian Turmail, a spokesman for the T.S.A. The system, developed in cooperation with the T.S.A. and the Travel Goods Association, a trade group, was designed around "a common set of standards that any company that manufactures, or is interested in manufacturing, luggage or luggage locks could follow that would allow T.S.A. screeners to open the bag without doing damage to the bag, in a manner that would allow the bag to stay secured afterwards,” Mr. Turmail said. "In other words, we can open it, but no one else can." The locks will be available in various manufacturers’ designs. All will be geared around a uniform technology allowing them to be opened by T.S.A. inspectors using a combination of secure codes and special tools, according to John W. Vermilye, a former airline baggage-systems executive who developed the system through Travel Sentry, a company he set up for that purpose. All the locks will carry a red diamond-shaped logo to certify to screeners that they meet the Travel Sentry standards. Mr. Vermilye said his company would receive royalties from manufacturers. The system will ensure that passengers using the locks will not have to worry about a lock being broken or a locked bag being damaged if it is selected for hand inspection. It will also mean more peace of mind for passengers worried about reports of increased pilferage from unlocked bags. "The general feeling of airline passengers is, ‘I don’t like to have to keep my bags unlocked,’ " added Mr. Vermilye, who once worked as a baggage handler. "As somebody in the business for 30 years, I don’t like it either, because I know what goes on" in some baggage-handling areas, he said. An industry study showed that 90 percent of air travelers are now leaving checked bags unlocked, whereas before this year about 66 percent of them said they always locked their bags. "I travel all the time, and I always used to lock my bags" until this year, said Michael F. Anthony, the chairman and chief executive of Brookstone, a specialty retailer with 266 shops, including 30 in airports. Besides the worry about theft within the airline baggage-handling systems, Mr. Anthony said he was concerned on business trips about unlocked bags in the hands of cab and airport shuttle drivers, bellhops and others. Brookstone airport shops are planning to introduce the chain’s own brand of new locks with in-store promotions tomorrow, Mr. Anthony said. A package of two four-digit Brookstone combination locks costs $20. Luggage and other accessories with the lock standards incorporated also will begin moving soon onto shelves at Brookstone and other retailers. Mr. Anthony said that the locks represented a needed air-travel customer-service breakthrough, "helping people reclaim a sense of security they had in the past" with their checked possessions. The T.S.A. mandated screening of all checked bags starting last Dec. 31. Since then, most of the estimated 1.5 million bags checked daily in domestic airports have been inspected by bomb-detecting machinery – but about 10 percent of checked bags are opened and inspected by hand. Initially, the T.S.A. planned to issue a blanket prohibition against locking bags, but the agency ultimately decided instead to merely suggest that passengers not lock them. The T.S.A. public directive on the subject says: "In some cases screeners will have to open your baggage as part of the screening process. If your bag is unlocked, then T.S.A. will simply open the bag and screen the bag. However, if the bag is locked and T.S.A. needs to open your bag, then locks may have to be broken. You may keep your bag locked if you choose, but T.S.A. is not liable for damage caused to locked bags that must be opened.” With bags unlocked, many travelers, including business travelers who pack expensive electronic gear, worried that their checked possessions were far too vulnerable to theft, passing unlocked through T.S.A. hands and into the standard airline baggage-handling systems. Reports of pilferage rose this year, as did concern about who was legally responsible for claims of theft or damage, since both government and airline employees have custody of bags at various points. Mr. Vermilye is a former head of baggage operations for Eastern Airlines who later worked as a top executive of the International Air Transport Association, a trade group for airlines worldwide. After 9/11, he was part of a team of industry consultants working with the T.S.A. to improve customer service. Mr. Vermilye and Mr. Turmail at the T.S.A. agreed that the new system would probably make the screening chore easier for inspectors. "With this system, they know they don’t have to break a lock or damage a bag. They go, ‘Relax, I know I can open it.’ It ceases to become an issue," Mr. Vermilye said. Copyright 2003 The New York Times Company *** END QUOTE ***
Response:
