I don’t get what you’re saying. So if they do find something suspect in a luggage, they shouldn’t open it and check what’s inside. Opened locks may appear random, but how can you be sure of this.

And for your point as to people being careless when they travel, then they have no one else but to blame but their carelessness.

god bless all

By pathetic, what I meant is that, first and foremost it is not necessary to open the luggage to inspect what’s inside (this is what those multi-spectral X-rays are for), and second oftentimes it seems that padlocks are destroyed arbitrarily, or randomly, with or without suspicion or intention to sniff inside otherwise.

As for the other regulations of the DHS (e.g., forbidding expressed breast milk to be carried aboard but allowing lighters to be carried in anyway, or when it first came out keeping Macbook Air owners from catching their flights because they didn’t know what they were) that’s a whole other topic altogether.

But who would in their right mind will leave their cell phone, electronics, and ESPECIALLY THEIR WALLET(s) in their checked-in luggages? Common-sense will tell you to keep those items with you or in your carry-on.

You won’t believe how naive/careless travelers could get. Or you might simply forget that you did put it inside your luggage. Point is, it happens, and it’s worth reminding about.

As for your experiences, fortunately not all Filipinos are as corrupt as you wish they were.

I wish you safe travel all the time.

As far as bottles and perishables, regardless how many “breakable items inside” stickers you have, you are taking a 50-50 chance on those items. Luggages always end up on machines and conveyer belts and are dumped on trucks or what not. Air pressure can also cause the bottle or a container to break or explode.

As far as your comment about the US Department of Homeland Security “PATHETIC attempt to prevent terrorism”, I found that most appaling. It seems like your insulting the DHS’s intention of keeping passengers safe. Let me remind you that the weapons used by the 9-11 terrorists were of non-metal materials. Few years back explosive materials were found on a passenger’s shoe and anothr one on a liquid form. I would rather compromise the safety of the contents of my luggage without a lock rather than blew-up myself mid-air because the agents failed to detect a bomb simply for the reason that they could not open passenger’s luggages. Explosives now come in different sizes, shapes, and materials including plastic . Passengers carry all kinds of stuff in their luggages in all shapes and sizes that most of the time a thorough hand inspection is necessary to eliminate any doubts or questionable items.

I’m a Fil-American and been traveling all over the US and back forth to the Phil evry year or two. What I found pathetic are those inspectors in Phil. airports whose job is to hand search your carry-on. All they do is open your carry-on and tap the inside with their stick (which I call magic wands) WITHOUT actually inspecting and hand-searching the contents of the carry on. I had a can of Mt. Dew in my carry-on (which I honestly forgotten) but passed though in NAIA in Manila. At my time of travel over there liquids in containers of more than 3 ounces was clearly prohibited in any airlines. That can of Mt. Dew was sequestered in Seoul, S. Korea through actual hand inspection before boarding another plane back to the US. But inspectors in Manila failed to detect it. That’s pathetic! Or worst yet those customs agents that let you go through as long as you give them $5.00. Try doing that through a US custom agent and you’ll end up in jail.

In my years of travel in the US even before 2001 (pre 9-11), I was not the type to lcck my luggage.
Never did I loose a single item or something taken inside of my luggage. Oftentimes I’ll find an apologetic note saying ‘We apologize if your items are in dis-array. A hand inspection was necessary for your safety.’ If they have to do that every time I fly, let it be. I’ll be happy to know my safety is not compromised by incompetent people who took an oath to perform their duties the right way.

Worst thing ever happened to me was a couple times my luggage got delayed (understandably due to flight delays and you have like 2 or 3 plane transfers) but a day or two later they always deliver it to my home with not a single item missing.
Worst thing happened to me in Phil. was about 5 years ago when EVA airlines delayed four of our unlocked luggages due to our flight delay in Taiwan. Two day later those four luggages were flown-in to Iloilo through PAL surprisingly without a single item missing .

Few years back, a Filipina goverment official made a big scene in a US airport when officers will not let her go through a check-point because she refused to take her shoes off noting she was a Phil. government official and she should not be treated like everybody else. Good ol’ Filipino mentality. If you have a title in your name or have some money, you are above the law or you are the law. Plane and simple! Anybody flying in a commercial plane, regardless of status, everybody is treated the same way.

Gone are the days when flying is a glamour or a luxury. These days flying is more of a necessity and safety is of utmost importance. The US is a major terrorism target, and not having a lock on my luggage is the LEAST of my worries when I’m in one of those planes. So my friend, think again when you say its a “pathetic attempt to prevent terrorism”. The fact is, it does prevent terrorism.

Yep, the matching ribbons is a good idea!

For the Bohol tour, we provided matching bag tags for everyone as part of the package.

Aajao,

LOL, yeah. Basta naman maingat ka at maaga ka sa flight ninyo hindi yan problema.