Starting today, you can lock your bags again (maybe) - news story

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/bu...partner=GOOGLE

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 ***

"The Bill Mattocks" wrote in message
om...
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/bu...partner=GOOGLE

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 ***

The Bill Mattocks wrote:
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/

On 10 Nov 2003 22:37:21 -0800, (The Bill
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

"The Bill Mattocks" wrote in message
om...
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.

(The Bill Mattocks) wrote in message . com...
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.

(The Bill Mattocks) wrote:

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.

(Miguel Cruz) wrote:

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.

(Miguel Cruz) wrote in message ...
The Bill Mattocks wrote:
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

Giorgos Ilias wrote in message . ..
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