Verify luggage before leaving airport

[rayner 0]

So, what is your opinion about this implementation..beneficial or a hassle for passengers??

 

Verify luggage before leaving airport

By Samuel Aubrey

 

KUCHING: Air travellers arriving in Kuching will now have to validate their baggage before leaving the airport.

 

Under the new system, passengers have to ensure that the serial number tagged on the baggage matches that on their boarding pass.

 

The system’s soft launch was carried out yesterday and will be fully implemented next week.

 

Kuching International Airport (KIA) will be the first to implement the system, to be followed in stages by other airports.

 

Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Senator T Murugiah said this was aimed at improving security, and to prevent theft of baggage in airports in Malaysia.

 

He said the system is nothing new as it had been implemented in other countries, one of which is Vietnam.

 

Passengers with hand-carried luggage will not be subjected to the system.

 

“This may cause inconvenience to passengers, but the public must understand that this is for their own good. We do not want cases where passengers lose their baggage because it was taken away by other people,” he told reporters after a briefing on security at KIA here yesterday.

 

He said the system would require security officers to be stationed at the baggage claim area.

 

Airlines operating in Malaysia will also be briefed to make sure that the system is well coordinated and implemented smoothly, he added.

 

Asked if the system was implemented due to rampant theft of baggage, Murugiah said this was not the case, and he also dismissed suggestions that KIA was picked as the first location due to higher occurrence of theft here.

 

“There are cases of baggage theft in our airport, but it is still under control. Crimes in the airport may go up when people begin stealing baggage in view of the economic downturn. We do not have to wait until it becomes critical for us to implement this system. It is better for us to be prepared and take action before it gets worse,” he said.

 

Murugiah also announced that RM1.2 million had been spent on installing 88 closed circuit television cameras (CCTVs) in KIA.

 

“These CCTVs record the movement of people going in and out of the airport,” he said, adding that plainclothes police detectives are also stationed in airports to watch out for suspicious individuals, including terrorists. He said security in airport and other entry points as well as transmission stations and offshore oil platforms in Malaysia come under the jurisdiction of the ministry.

http://www.theborneopost.com/?p=47234

[Mohd Azizul Ramli 2]

The system has been implemented by Bandar Udara Supadio in Pontianak (PNK) for years, and yes, it is such a hassle from the passengers point of view. In PNK, during every arrival, an airline staff will be stationed at the main exit gate of the luggage collection area to collect each baggage tag and the sticker copy of it that they usually paste to our ticket during check-in. They won't let us go out unless we surrender the luggage tag and the sticker or the 2 items don't match. Good for security, but very hassle to passengers for sure - bottleneck at the exit area, another thing to look after apart from our travel documents and belongings, the sticker now becomes equally important as without it we can't claim our check-in luggages.

 

CGK don't practise the system though.

[KK Lee 5]

 

Baggage reclaim area at airport is a restricted area and for arriving pax only. Believe only countries with high theft and illiterate rate implement this system. This could mean MAHB security could not be trusted, the nation is becoming more illiterate or careless, the country is getting more insecure and unsafe or reason for MAHB to increase security surcharge.

 

 

[Rozhan 0]

I think this is good, as it prevents theft or someone accidently claiming a lugguage from the carousel, thinking it is his or hers but is actually somebody else's due to similar design / colour etc.

[Timothy 1]

i still think KIA is the 1st airport to have this implemented because of its high "break in" case.

 

i've kena a few times myself when transiting to KL or S'pore. baggage always get tampered with .

 

even the head of police for the state has his padlock cut off a few years back

[Seth K 3]

Waste of time

[KK Lee 5]

I think this is good, as it prevents theft or someone accidently claiming a lugguage from the carousel, thinking it is his or hers but is actually somebody else's due to similar design / colour etc.

 

 

True but how often is the occurrence? 1 in 100, 500, 1000, 5000 or 10000 pax? What if luggage tag is removed or torn?

Understand almost all wrongly taken luggage reunited with their rightful owners at the end.

 

Most business travelers wish to leave the airport as soon as possible but will be obstructed by tourists who don’t know where they keep the luggage claim tag. It is almost certain there will be a queue at peak hours.

 

Creating additional barrier to pax will hinder and add inconvenience to pax movement and stopping KUL becomes a hub.

 

 

[Dr Chuo Hock Tieng 0]

so far i;ve experience luggage tag check at Manila airport, Narita and Haneda Airport

[Chan CS 0]

How if this, I checked in my luggage, and after retrieving it at the airport, I remove the luggage tag, and walk out as it's a hand carry? How do they detect this then?

 

If that is really implemented, I wish they'll have a dedicated lane for hand carried passengers though. To ease congestion...

[Radzi 2]

How if this, I checked in my luggage, and after retrieving it at the airport, I remove the luggage tag, and walk out as it's a hand carry? How do they detect this then?

 

Not totally foolproof, but I guess there must be some luggage size that is impossible to be a hand-carry.

 

[Yoong 0]

How if this, I checked in my luggage, and after retrieving it at the airport, I remove the luggage tag, and walk out as it's a hand carry? How do they detect this then?

 

If that is really implemented, I wish they'll have a dedicated lane for hand carried passengers though. To ease congestion...

 

Chan,

 

Believe it or not, the airline has this kind of experience.

 

The story:

02Pax chk-in 2 pcs of bags (small trolley bag) in MAD on A airline. MAD flt delay, pax misconn the flt to BKI with A airline. Trsf to another airline (B airline) with 24 hours in transit point (this is enough time for the bags to trsf to B airline) . The bag was tag under A airline tag and loaded to B airline. On arrival BKI, MH saw 2 bags with A airline tag that arrive from B airline. To MH this is unusual. After 10 to 20 minutes 02pax original from A airline report 2bags lost to MH stf. MH stf look for the previous 02bag under A airline but not found. Report made.

 

Everyday pax go to A airline and ask for claim (ask in a smooth and kind way) (no demanding, no shouting) but was refused by the airline due bag definetly loaded in B airline accroding to the container card (CRC).

 

Later pax travel to BWN with 2 check-in bags...almost the same weight as the 02 bag pax chk-in in MAD. MH staff monitoring them and ask pax...pax claimed that is their hand carry bags.

 

A airlines and MH tot that this is kind of fishy........Question: If you are pax from far away and lost your bag will u shout and bang the table of the missing bag??

Pax gently ask for replacement of Samsonite bag...claim that his lost bag is Samsonite.

 

Airline take a futher look at the CCTV......Before passing immigration pax carrying 1 big paper bag and 1 black back pack. Exit arrival hall pax having 1 big paper bag, 1 black back pack and 1 small trolley bag each person. The 2 trolley bag is believe the bags that MH saw earlier on.

 

Suspect that pax removed the bag tag and claim that is their hand carry. Airline show pax the CCTV and pax still denied it.

A copy of the CCTV was sent to MAD. MAD staff who chk-in the pax personally said, that 2 bags is their chk-in bag.

 

rgds.

 

p/s: the 2 chk-in bag that pax claim missing in actual fact is not Samsonite.

Edited February 11, 2009 by Yoong