Ever Lose your Luggage after a Flight ? Third SFO baggage handler sent to jail

[Forever-27]

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...BALN19LPCN.DTL

The last of three baggage handlers at San Francisco International Airport convicted of stealing from luggage during an undercover sting - an operation that authorities began after a retired police sergeant's gun was stolen from his suitcase - will spend five months in jail, a prosecutor said today.



Andrew Balamiento, 28, was also placed on three years' probation Thursday by Judge Susan Etezadi of San Mateo County Superior Court.
Balamiento, John Emil Victoria, 21, and Tauailapalapa Laulu, 27, pleaded no contest to embezzlement for stealing from passenger luggage while working for Servisair, a ground handling company that loads and unloads baggage from Delta Air Lines.
The case began in September when a retired San Francisco police sergeant checked his custom-made handgun with his luggage for a Delta flight. The weapon disappeared after check-in, said Steve Wagstaffe, chief deputy district attorney.
Officials began a sting operation in which three bags were checked on two different flights. A game system and a laptop computer were stolen from one bag, and a gold watch and foreign currency were taken from the second bag, Wagstaffe said.
Some of the stolen items were found in Balamiento's work locker, while the stolen handgun was found at Victoria's home, authorities said. The computer was found in Laulu's possession, Wagstaffe said.
Victoria was sentenced to three months of jail and three years of probation. Laulu was sentenced to a month in jail and two years of probation.

[cindyt]

Slap on the wrist, if you ask me.

[Jack-O-Lantern]

I've come to expect this. I never put jewelry or valuables of any kind in checked luggage. Anything important to me gets worn, carried on, or it stays at home. Cash, computers and a gold watch in checked luggage? That's just begging to be ripped off.

[duchessmary]

Whatever happened to background checks?? ::slapping myself, I'm making sense::
I've travelled half way around the world and the one and only time our bags were lost were between San Diego and Honolulu, thanks to Hawaiian Air. They did turn up the next day, all intact.

[STsFirstmate]

Two things on this subject. I travel less than I used to but in the bad old days I flew as many times as three seperate trips a week.
In all that time over the course of 15 years my luggage has been lost 3 times. Each time it was found and returned promptly to me. It was Delta that lost my luggage each time.
I have had items go missing from my luggage; liquor that a client had given me, cuban cigars (I know Bad Mary) and a handmade Lone Star belt buckle (damn).
My Nephew was an airline pilot for TWA and he said it was a horrible problem. He would be walking through the underbelly of an airport and see a group of guys screening luggage with no one around and he knew they were "shopping".
I have such a hate hate relationship airlines that I am irrational about discussing them. Given that my business is process quality I think they are one of the least customer centric businesses around. As a matter of fact for the most part they are customer hostile. The things they do to their customers would be criminal in another setting ; keeping people confined against their will, lying about the terms of service and depriving them of basic bathroom access. Try that in a store or a bar etc.
Grrrrr! Don't get me started!
regards,
Mary

[Long Gone Day]

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...BALN19LPCN.DTL

The last of three baggage handlers at San Francisco International Airport convicted of stealing from luggage during an undercover sting - an operation that authorities began after a retired police sergeant's gun was stolen from his suitcase - will spend five months in jail, a prosecutor said today.



Andrew Balamiento, 28, was also placed on three years' probation Thursday by Judge Susan Etezadi of San Mateo County Superior Court.
Balamiento, John Emil Victoria, 21, and Tauailapalapa Laulu, 27, pleaded no contest to embezzlement for stealing from passenger luggage while working for Servisair, a ground handling company that loads and unloads baggage from Delta Air Lines.
The case began in September when a retired San Francisco police sergeant checked his custom-made handgun with his luggage for a Delta flight. The weapon disappeared after check-in, said Steve Wagstaffe, chief deputy district attorney.
Officials began a sting operation in which three bags were checked on two different flights. A game system and a laptop computer were stolen from one bag, and a gold watch and foreign currency were taken from the second bag, Wagstaffe said.
Some of the stolen items were found in Balamiento's work locker, while the stolen handgun was found at Victoria's home, authorities said. The computer was found in Laulu's possession, Wagstaffe said.
Victoria was sentenced to three months of jail and three years of probation. Laulu was sentenced to a month in jail and two years of probation.

I hear this is rampant all over. I don't like who they continue to hire, and their practices, or lack of, of any accountability. People will stop flying if they don't stop hiring these idiots.

[1karenhb]

Years ago had a friend who worked as a baggage handler during college and the stories he would tell!

[Luanne]

The only time I lost luggage was on a Northwest/KLM flight from Detroit to Toulouse, France (via Amsterdam). I only had 45 min between my flight from STL to Detroit, and I was worried about the bag not making it to the second plane. Sure enough, not on the carousel in Toulouse; they called and it was still in Detroit. KLM sent me home with a big fabric bowling ball-type bag full of stuff I might need, including granny panties. I got my real bag 24 hours later and everything was in it.

I'm with Jack on the valuables thing: it's either on my person, in my carry-on, or it's not making the trip with me.

[dakotablue]

American Airlines lost my luggage on a Christmas trip flight back home. One bag was my clothes and the other was full of all the presents for my family. Man, I sweated it until they located the bags--then they even drove 'em out to the Chicago suburbs in a snowstorm at 4 a.m., nothing was missing. A huge relief.

[STsFirstmate]

American Airlines lost my luggage on a Christmas trip flight back home. One bag was my clothes and the other was full of all the presents for my family. Man, I sweated it until they located the bags--then they even drove 'em out to the Chicago suburbs in a snowstorm at 4 a.m., nothing was missing. A huge relief.

Very lucky you! Thats great!
Regards,
Mary

[crazedfemale]

I've never lost my luggage but my sister has lost her luggage a few times. One nice thing, while waiting at the airport luggage claim in LA, she waited and waited last year and was so frustrated by the lack of help. Lucky her, Clint Eastwood was on her flight and saw her frustrations. He spoke directly with the airline in behalf of my sister and saw she got the help she needed. She later told me she wished she had Dirty Harry on every flight to help her!

[Forever-27]

Gawd I feel for you people. Worst things that have happened was when I went to New Orleans from Oakland , somehow one of my suitcases went to Honolulu and the other to Boston. All I was without was clothes. Nothing of any value. I bought a new set of everything in New Orleans and was paid back by United.

[RocketQueen]

I have had my make up and hair products stolen!! GRRRR

[Impatience]

I have had my make up and hair products stolen!! GRRRR

I always carry my makeup in my carry-on and put it in the baggies. But when I went on my honeymoon I had about $300 worth of brand new Redkin hair products in my checked luggage which the airline (American) ruined. They took off all of the nozzles and bent the straws so that the products were unusable. They sent me a voucher for $100 to fly with them again... yeah right. I was done with them. That and they lost our luggage from Miami to Atlanta.

[crazedfemale]

I wonder how much of this luggage becomes part of the inventory of that unclaimed baggage store in Alabama?

[pvezz]

I've come to expect this. I never put jewelry or valuables of any kind in checked luggage. Anything important to me gets worn, carried on, or it stays at home. Cash, computers and a gold watch in checked luggage? That's just begging to be ripped off.

I agree. All of my important stuff (prescriptions, etc) and my laptop are always with me in my carry on. I would never check a bag with my laptop in it.

[pvezz]

I saw this on 60 Minutes, I think. I would LOVE to go there:

http://www.unclaimedbaggage.com/