Comments on: Why airport luggage thieves steal black bags

By: Weekend link dump for November 22 – Off the Kuff

Weekend link dump for November 22 – Off the Kuff — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 20:09:09 +0000

[...] Avoid black luggage. My grandmother used to travel with a piece of puke-green Samsonite that had the letter K (for Kuffner) plastered on it in lime-green masking tape. No one would ever claim to have picked that off the carousel by “accident”. [...]

By: Car Rental Singapore

Car Rental Singapore — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 19:55:17 +0000

I love bag tags, however, sometimes it is just not enough to deter criminals. As for having bright color bags, the last I checked, it is hard to find it. Ok, maybe there are, however, I doubt many men would consider a pink luaggage. Any guys out there like to tell me if they really would consider a pink bag?

By: Rick

Rick — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:51:21 +0000

Bambi: you saw a bold zebra-striped shiny plastic suitcase? You did? But why did you take it? That was mine!

OK I’m just marking time until Bambi gets to a hotspot so we have more cool stuff to read again. xox

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 18:43:15 +0000

I believe the ‘black bag’ theory is true for handbags as well, and not only in airports but, also major train stations and, presumably, other large public places are high risk…

After having my ‘plain black’ handbag ripped away from me while trying to board a train in the Brussels-Midi station, I decided ‘no more black or neutral handbags for me, ever!”
…it was on a Friday evening, late January (when people tend to dress in darker clothing), hundreds of people with dark handbags and brief cases boarding and de-boarding international trains – this station is within a (few) mile(s), in some cases a few hundred yards, of most major embassies (incl.USA) , the UN HQ, etc….

By: Adam Bates

Adam Bates — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:46:41 +0000

It is an airline’s responsibility to ensure checked bags are returned to their owners – MSNBC http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33833245/ns/travel-tips/.

These days it is unwise to pack anything valuable or irreplaceable into checked luggage. There is a high probability somebody will go through your luggage before it gets to the carousel.

By: grant jacobson

grant jacobson — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 02:19:46 +0000

I agree with the colored bag theory but I have taken to an old school trick of taping my name and destination boldly and firmly over the side of my China side walk sale special black market bag. I also stand by the shute and can see my bag as it comes out. Now couple that with a piece of rope around it and my bright red bandanna and they think I am from Bohunk Canada where no one has anything to steal. Have traveled world wide and never lost a bag yet… touch plastic. By the way I have several bags of rewrapped laxative chocolates inside just to give me a bit of satisfaction if they do go missing. I have grabbed my bag out of the hand of an “oooh I grabbed the wrong bag” guy just because I stood at the right spot and kept my eyes open.

By: Bambi

Bambi — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:11:00 +0000

Thanks, Louis, I’ve made the correction. Appreciate that!

Drew. I haven’t interrogated any airport luggage thieves myself, but my cop friends have. The thieves actually say they prefer black luggage for the reason I outlined. However, if an opportunity presents itself, I’m sure a green bag wouldn’t be smirked at. Also, as a very frequent traveler, I do see greater variety in luggage lately. Today I saw a bold zebra-striped shiny plastic suitcase.

By: Drew Thaler

Drew Thaler — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 16:14:18 +0000

I’m not so sure this is correct.

Perhaps the prevalence of black bags is just related to the source material — the percentage of ALL bags which are black.

For example, imagine a different couple who in fact stole *entirely* at random, literally using a random number generator to make their choice. But of course they would necessarily be stealing from the set of bags available at airports today, which are mostly black.

What would the set of bags they stole look like? And how would the end result be different from what these guys stole?

By: Louis

Louis — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:52:41 +0000

It’s actually “scot free”

By: uberVU - social comments

uberVU - social comments — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 08:12:52 +0000

Social comments and analytics for this post…

This post was mentioned on Twitter by bambivalent1: New blog post: Why airport luggage thieves steal black bags http://bit.ly/3kcG4y...

By: Bambi

Bambi — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 05:02:06 +0000

Hah! The dark suit made you attractive to thieves. It must have been your hair ribbons and green socks that scared them away.

By: Rick

Rick — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 04:52:33 +0000

I fell asleep at one of those carousels once. It wasn’t moving and the gf had wandered off elsewhere and I was supposed to wait for the luggage. I was soooooo tired so I just stretched out on the motionless carousel. I woke up when it started getting luggage and started moving. No one tried to steal me. I think I was attractive enough but I did have a dark suit on as I remember. ;)

By: Bambi

Bambi — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 22:16:03 +0000

Most people missing suitcases must assume that the airlines lost their luggage. The airlines then pay out their pittance for bags that were actually stolen by outside thieves. Maybe the airlines should sue the airports, Rick!

By: Rick

Rick — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 08:15:15 +0000

Bag tag checkers are needed. Sue the airlines and the airports for being lame. If they’re already reimbursing then a new scam’s around the corner. The Kings are dumb for keeping that luggage around. Do what Bambi says – she’s a smart cookie. Buy radioactive bags that glow in the dark.

By: re: Why missing luggage isn’t always lost | MSN Travel Club

re: Why missing luggage isn’t always lost | MSN Travel Club — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 21:07:26 +0000

[...] The Arizona airport bag thieves were not the first to steal luggage off carousels. Others have done it, and have been eventually caught. Did you know they almost always steal BLACK luggage? Look at the photos in the news stories. Read why here: bobarno.com/…/airport-luggage-theft [...]