On 2007-08-01 08:26:51 +0100, Ian White said:

Andy Hall wrote:

- The TSA will almost certainly inspect what you have. If you have
lockable luggage, you need to leave it unlocked unless the locks can be
opened with a TSA key - a red logo shows this. Otherwise, they will
break the locks to look. One solution is to buy a suitcase strap
with a TSA combination lock in the buckle and then leave the case
unlocked on its own locks.
Alternatively, if you end up with a fair amount of stuff, a good
solution is to buy a stout cardboard box from Office Depot plus some
styrofoam packing popcorn and packaging tape - $20 max the lot. The
TSA will still inspect, but seem not to turn everything upside down.

Every item of hold baggage is x-rayed, and is likely to be opened if it
contains something that they can't identify from the screen. If the TSA
do open anything, they will insert an "Inspected by TSA" slip before
closing up.

If your hold baggage contains any unusual objects, then pack them so
they can easily be inspected. If it's something highly specialised,
stick an explanatory note on each item. For some electronic test
equipment bought on eBay, I used a printout of the auction page which
included a photograph, and added a note to confirm that I had checked
inside.

There's no firm evidence that it does any good, but it certainly isn't
doing any harm. On several occasions I have found a "TSA woz here" slip
placed right on top of my note, and nothing has ever been lost or
interfered with.

True. They also do video surveillance of the inspection area and the
visiting slip has the inspector's number