# Why is theft by airline baggage handlers such a problem? They should be easy to monitor **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 21, 2010, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-theft-by-airline-baggage-handlers-such-a-problem-they-should-be-easy-to-monitor/525809 "2010-01-21T06:06:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![kidchameleon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@kidchameleon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidchameleon)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2010, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-theft-by-airline-baggage-handlers-such-a-problem-they-should-be-easy-to-monitor/525809/21 "2010-01-21T23:29:07Z")
> [@Kevbo](#): > > Part of it is a “cold case” problem: The baggage handlers know that if they steal from an outgoing bag, the theft will only be discovered hours later and hundreds of miles distant by a traveler whose first priority is probably not tracking down the thief. So true, when my GPS was stolen out of my bag on a trip from Chicago to Dallas, I knew the airline to complain to, but which police department do I report it to? ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2010, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-theft-by-airline-baggage-handlers-such-a-problem-they-should-be-easy-to-monitor/525809/22 "2010-01-22T01:32:48Z")
> [@Silverstreak\_Wonder](#): > > Another seemingly hard problem I could solve easily. They have to get said stolen stuff to their car and drive away, right? Search them as they leave work, hire a totally different company to do only that. Stealing stops that easy, if they cannot take it out they are not going to steal it. This would work great at low expense. Or they put the stolen items into a box with their address on it, and drop that in the nearest mailbox. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2010, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-theft-by-airline-baggage-handlers-such-a-problem-they-should-be-easy-to-monitor/525809/23 "2010-01-22T03:11:09Z")
> [@t-bonham@scc.net](#): > > Or they put the stolen items into a box with their address on it, and drop that in the nearest mailbox. Why would the place they work have mailboxes? I think the point is that they’d have to carry it somewhere off campus. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2010, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-theft-by-airline-baggage-handlers-such-a-problem-they-should-be-easy-to-monitor/525809/24 "2010-01-22T03:24:49Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Why would the place they work have mailboxes? Every airport I have been in has had mailboxes in it. ---
**Author:** ![Iridescent\_Orb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@Iridescent\_Orb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iridescent_Orb)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2010, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-theft-by-airline-baggage-handlers-such-a-problem-they-should-be-easy-to-monitor/525809/25 "2010-01-22T05:01:21Z")
> [@gelid](#): > > When I worked as a package handler at a FedEx hub, we simply weren’t allowed to wear jewelry or bring cell phones into the workplace (except wedding rings). > > On the way out after your shift, everyone got a pat-down at the security station. Seemed to work fairly well. > > Would it be that hard to do the same for baggage handlers? This illustrates the problem - there are viable substitutes for FedEx (e.g., other courier companies, priority post mail) so FedEx has a strong incentive to make sure packages arrive intact. Most airports do not have viable substitutes (i.e., they have a regional monopoly) so consumers cannot effectively “vote with their dollars”. Add in the fact that many airports are government-run entities with little profit incentive, and it is easy to see why the problem persists. ---
**Author:** ![Mosier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ea924/32.png) [@Mosier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mosier)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2010, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-theft-by-airline-baggage-handlers-such-a-problem-they-should-be-easy-to-monitor/525809/26 "2010-01-22T07:43:12Z")
In the casino industry, surveillance, investigations, and security are three separate groups, and i’ve never heard of surveillance or investigations cooperating with anyone to defraud anyone. It just doesn’t happen. Security guards (who are lower paid) sometimes cooperate with lost and found or other departments to steal things, but the real “watchers” never do. So yeah, it’s possible to set up a system like the OP is talking about. ---
**Author:** ![runcible\_spoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9fc29f/32.png) [@runcible\_spoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/runcible_spoon)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2010, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-theft-by-airline-baggage-handlers-such-a-problem-they-should-be-easy-to-monitor/525809/27 "2010-01-22T07:54:36Z")
> [@Mosier](#): > > In the casino industry, surveillance, investigations, and security are three separate groups, and i’ve never heard of surveillance or investigations cooperating with anyone to defraud anyone. It just doesn’t happen. Security guards (who are lower paid) sometimes cooperate with lost and found or other departments to steal things, but the real “watchers” never do. So yeah, it’s possible to set up a system like the OP is talking about. Right, but there’s very little motivation to do so - between the airline, the airport, and the TSA (or non-US analogue), the only one with any competitors they have to worry about is the airline, and they have no influence on baggage screening. Plus, gambling is much easier to simply stop doing if the casino is totally sketchy than flying is. ---
**Author:** ![StrangeBird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e480ec/32.png) [@StrangeBird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StrangeBird)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2010, 9:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-theft-by-airline-baggage-handlers-such-a-problem-they-should-be-easy-to-monitor/525809/28 "2010-01-22T09:12:58Z")
> [@Bill\_Door](#): > > If you have to pack something valuable in your checked bag, check a handgun in it as well. There’s a a bunch of rules to follow, most of them surprisingly common sense, but when you declare that a bag has a checked weapon it goes into a special secure area with considerably more surveillance. That, plus the fact that you are not only allowed but required to lock the hard sided container for the gun with a non-TSA compatible key does a lot to ensure arrival. If you’re travelling internationally this could be a bit of a problem, though. Make sure you check local laws first. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-theft-by-airline-baggage-handlers-such-a-problem-they-should-be-easy-to-monitor/525809.md?page=1)