TSA lifted wine from checked luggage

Last week when flying out of LAX, I had packed a couple wines in my checked luggage. When I arrived home, I found an inspection notice and that one of my wines was missing! Has this happened to anyone else?

I’ve filed a well-documented claim with TSA, so it’s just a waiting game at this point. I’m more disappointed that I wasn’t able to taste the wine with my wife when coming home (2005 Balgera Valtellina Superiore Sassella).

Stinks!

Sorry

I have never had a wine lifted by TSA. I do not pack wine in my regular luggage. I have a Pelican wine hard-case carrier, with my business card secured to it, and various airlines have attached their “fragile” signs to it. Oh, they open it, and they leave a formal notification inside that they have done so. I believe the qualification is that each bottle have its own designated space. My pelican has foam inside, with space for 8 bottles secured by the foam. I believe you can use a regular styropack within a cardboard box and not get bothered.

So someone at TSA likes Valtellina wine? I have trouble getting anyone to like the wine. Or so it seems.

Friends that ave toured Oregon wineries tell me that this has happened in Portland.

Was it packed in any sort of packing, or just stuffed inside a suitcase?

My checked luggage is inspected often. I assume it’s the olive skin, dark thick beard and hair. I’ve even had my beard and hair searched by TSA.

But, I’ve never had wine (or whiskey or beer) removed from my luggage. It’s usually in a tote that I bring empty and then pack in my suitcase. I also have one of the wine check suitcases that holds a case. It’s great if you fly Southwest. No charge for the wine check.

I frequently find the TSA inspection card inside the case. Never had a bottle go missing.

I don’t think you can know whether it was a TSA or an airline employee who took it.

Oh, I think it was almost definitely TSA. I’ve never had this happen, but I have heard of it.

What makes you seem definite it’s TSA?

I’ve also packed wines in my checked-in luggage since TSA started with this m.o. and never had anything missing.

So far so good for me. For the last several years I have been traveling with a VinGardeValise wine suitcase, sometimes two.

I know someone who unfortunately had a couple pairs of expensive sneakers stolen out of his checked luggage. Can’t assume it’s TSA swiping the bottle, as they’re not responsible for loading it on and off the planes.

My checked bag is almost always TSA inspected when there is a wine bottle in there but so far none has gone missing.

Maybe the thief likes Valtellina, but more likely just saw a “free” bottle of wine and now wonders why they didn’t grab the other bottle instead.

-Al

I started using TSA locks on my aluminum wine carrier some years ago when they kept cutting my locking devices only to find out TSA agents were NOT the only one’s with universal TSA keys. Assume everyone has access to you bags locked or not.

how wonderful to hear that everyone has access. Meaning something can go in as easily as come out. Great security.

I mistakenly left some cash in my suitcase, stashed inside a dirty sock, stuffed in a shoe behind other socks and in a bag, for a flight from Amsterdam to L.A. last fall. Gone when I picked up my bag. Some resourceful scavenger punished me for the forgetfulness. It seemed like a deep search for a bag handler, but who knows.

It was packed tightly inside some socks. So they re-packed my socks but not the wine.

They passed on the Ojai Syrah that I packed next to it…

Great, we’ve always had to battle TCA and now TSA wants in on the game.

So here’s to the stolen bottle being corked. Badly corked.

A friend was flying recently and had a cheap bottle of whisky lifted. There was a TSA inspection note inside his luggage but no note of the confiscation. I wonder if they are removing these items because they believe there are improperly packed?