More airline employees with sticky fingers

Did you lose a bag at Philadelphia International Airport? Well, there may be a reason. An American Airlines baggage crew chief was arrested and charged with stealing clothes from the luggage he handled. The game appears to have been: (1) steal the clothes, (2) return them to a department store and (3) don’t get caught.

That last one’s the hard part.

A passenger on Flight 892 from Dallas to Philly noticed four articles of clothing missing – with a total value of $550. It was easy to reach that amount; the tags were still on the items. Later, the clothing, which was purchased at a Nordstrom in Dallas, was taken to a local Nordstrom.

If it seems to easy … well, handcuffs are there to tell you that it is.

This is just the latest instance busted up by police. A TSA official was fired from his job in Philly for lifting passenger belongings, and a theft ring in St. Louis was discovered – after around 900 items were alleged to have been stolen.

Baggage thieves helped themselves to laptop computers and jewelry

If you ever lost valuables from your luggage during a flight from Portland International airport, then you might be happy to hear that the cops arrested the possible suspects.

Jose Trejo Romero and Bridgette Bunnell were arrested after an investigation into a recent spike in luggage theft from the airport.

Both workers handled luggage for Northwest Airlines, and helped themselves to over 200 items from passenger bags. Included in their haul were laptop computers and jewelry.

Of course, this is a good time to remind you to never check a laptop in your luggage, and to keep all other valuables in your carry-on bag. Sadly there are just too many dishonest people out there, and apparently not enough oversight.

It always amazes me that someone is able to enter the sterile zone of an airport without a laptop, and go home at the end of the day with a laptop. I have better security at my local warehouse store.

While you and I are searched from head to toe for dangerous bottled water, scumbags like Romero and Bunnell are helping themselves to our belongings.

(Via: KREM.com)

Check out some of these other wacky laws, place names and signs from around the world!


Taking your gadgets on a trip? Document everything!

If you plan to take any of your valuables with you on a trip, it might be a good idea to create a file with of all the serial numbers, dates of purchase and prices of the items you are carrying.

Once you finish packing, it’s not unlikely that you are carrying over $2000 worth of equipment. Even the lowest tech traveler can easily reach $1000 with just a mobile phone, digital camera and iPod.

In my case, I simply made an Excel sheet and documented the item name, place of purchase, date of purchase, method of payment and the purchase price. I then add a photo of the item including a photo of the receipt and serial number.

When you are entering your belongings into the file, don’t forget to include anything else of value, including your luggage, any expensive toiletries, jewelry and even clothes.

Once you are done creating the list, print it out and save it in a safe place. When I travel, I carry the file on a small USB memory key, as well as a printed version in my carry-on. If all else fails, I even have a version stored online.

If disaster strikes, and you need to make a claim for lost items, you’ll be able to access your nifty spreadsheet and won’t have to worry about forgetting anything. Keeping track of your payment method could also help file a claim if you made the purchase using a credit card with damage/loss protection (like some American Express cards).

Another, often overlooked advantage is that you’ll be able to provide evidence if you get stopped at the customs line when you arrive back home. Customs officials are often on the lookout for people bringing high priced items back into the country. Of course, with the current US exchange rate, buying expensive electronics overseas is no longer very appealing.