Someone reading this can explain this to me. If it isn't you, it'll be Joe Brancatelli…
Years ago when I flew into most airports, I'd pick up my suitcase at Baggage Claim and then there'd be a guard or some sort of airport employee there who'd be checking tags. I would have to show a baggage claim check to get out of there with my luggage.
I don't think I've been asked for that in over ten years at any airport. Now, I just pick up what I claim is my bag and I leave with it and no one cares.
So…what's changed? I can only think of the following options…
- Airports realized that it was never really necessary to check the tags.
- It was necessary at one point but suddenly, people became either more honest or more adept at recognizing their own suitcases that it wasn't necessary any longer.
- There is and always has been cases of people taking luggage that wasn't theirs but the airports all decided that checking tags really wasn't diminishing it enough to justify the expense of those tag-checkers.
The last time my suitcase got lost (lost, not stolen) I asked a fellow who was working in the finding-your-baggage department at Southwest Airlines and he didn't know for sure. He just shrugged and speculated, "I guess they figure if someone wants to steal your suitcase badly enough, they're going to do it," which didn't strike me as much of an answer.
I'm also curious as to which is the greater problem: Dishonest people intentionally walking off with your suitcase or honest people who take your bag thinking it's theirs. I always had the feeling the tag-checkers were stopping more of the latter than the former. So have folks become better at not taking the wrong piece of Samsonite? Or more honest or what?