U.S. Customs Padlock
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Added by Mary Argent-Katwala[mary]
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Fabulous. I'd like a lock with a back-door, please.
only one way around this amazingly fuckwitted system is to only take carry on
it's actually very doable on flights to/from the US
hand lugguage is a decent size case (enough for a week's work clothing and a couple of casual outfits) - plus a handbag and laptop
it has the added benefit of getting you out of the airport quickly at the other end - especially helpful when you arrive in the US (the last time we took large cases they were the last off and we waited and hour and a half!)
Indeed. Keeping your luggage with you will make it much simpler.
I guess my real annoyance with these locks is the marketing. People will think they are more useful than they are. That said that pretty much holds for ordinary suitcase locks too, and any of these things can be broken off easily enough.
Once the criminals have copies of the TSA master keys - which is bound to happen - then it allows them a much easier method of opening bags in a hard to detect manner.
I don't bother locking my case, as I just don't put anything terribly valuable in it - the most expensive things I ever carry on a plane are my laptop and bottles of good whiskey. There's no way I'm checking either of those in. If I wanted to deter very simple opportunists, or at least detect when they've been at my bag, then I'd be about as well off using cable ties (particularly funny coloured or patterned ones, as they'd be hard to replace once cut off). They're as hard to remove as the usual comedy lock, assuming they didn't have a release lever widget, and they'd show up as broken so you would know to rummage through your bag before taking it through customs.
Those locks have got a little indicator on them which goes off when the master key is used, but not when the individual key is. So they're meant to tell you when your bag has been opened.
As you say, you could just use a cable tidy or something … except that as you can't take sharp things in hand luggage, how would you open the bag at the end??
(I was thinking about this a few days ago on way through Heathrow, and didn't find an answer, as my suitcase has no external pocket)