JFK baggage theft
Baggage theft

Despite attempts to crackdown, thieving at baggage handling at JFK in New York continues at large.

Petty theft continues during luggage handling at the John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York. Despite a big scandal earlier this year followed by a thorough investigation, cash, jewelry and valuable electronics are still reported being stolen from passengers’ baggage. There are still over 100 complaints of theft on an average day, with sometimes as many as 300 in just 24 hours.

Earlier reports described the belly of an airplane to function like a flea market for airport employees. Not much changed, it seems like neither the airport security nor the FBI was able to crack down on the thieves.

What is worse, the thefts are highly likely to be inside jobs. Everybody from baggage handlers to even security people are all involved in stealing your belongings, typically when your luggage is on the tarmac or when it is being loaded onto the aircraft.

Thieves go after the expensive-looking luggage pieces, as well as checking out your home address, original departure or final destination. Recently, Jan V. Dietz was returning from a Las Vegas blackjack tournament. He spent five days in New York City, and boarded his plane at JFK and headed for Frankfurt, Germany.

“When I reached my final destination, I was shocked to find out that my luggage has been tampered with. Someone opened my suitcase and stole my belongings”, the angry Dietz told the news.

“Thank God I never put anything really valuable in my baggage, but still, theft is theft. What is worse, they took some things that had special personal connections with me.”

For example, the thieves stole a pack of special edition blackjack cards and a framed picture of a Vegas Casino. “It just hurts, really. They were clearly my personal belongings”, Dietz commented.

The baggage thieves also took some of Dietz’s photo equipment. The blackjack enthusiast did not lose his sense of humor, saying “I hope they have as many problems with the Elinchrom Quadras as I’ve had.”