Real Deal: Looted Luggage

Nikki had good memories of her trip to Aruba--sun sand and palm trees. But Nikki had bad memories when she started to unpack- the souvenirs that she brought home were gone!

Nikki George, Southbridge
"I was devastated."

When Lisa unpacked from vacation, her jewelry was not in her suitcase.

Lisa Massicotte, Wayland
"I opened it up and it was empty."

You know every time you check your bags--they get wheeled, carted or conveyor belted away--and could be unlocked unzipped and searched. And here's the Real Deal--we have learned there's no system to reimburse you when something is missing.

David Stempler, Air Travelers Association
"Passengers get caught in the middle which is what's happening right now."

Problem is that some people who handle your bags work for the post-9/11Transporation Security Administration. Others work for the airlines. And right now as Logan's TSA Director George Naccara admitted, they're all battling over who's responsible for which missing items.

Hank Phillippi Ryan, Investigative Reporter
"So when will that be solved?"

George Naccara, TSA
"I don't know that."

And it is complicated. Did an airline-paid baggage loader take your stuff? A TSA-paid explosives screener?

This surveillance video from British Airways shows how they caught ramp workers ransacking bags in transatlantic cargo holds, stealing jewelry and laptops. Bottom line: by the time your bags come out here, it could be impossible to pinpoint a theft.

Hank Phillippi Ryan, Investigative Reporter
"You don't really know where that happens, there's no way to know."

George Naccara, TSA
"That's correct.

And here's the astonishing result of the battle over the bags: we found at last count there were 15,804 of complaints from passengers about missing possessions in checked bags. And how many of those are resolved? Zero. Not one.

Hank Phillippi Ryan, Investigative Reporter
"Why is that taking so long?"

George Naccara, TSA
"It was a matter of staffing, TSA did not have the people in Washington. We're now hiring more people to resolve those issues."

The Air Transport Association represents airline companies--but they wouldn't go on camera about this issue!

Diana Cronan, Air Travelers Association
"They told us, ‘I don't know what the hold up is, the two groups keep going back and forth.’"

Officials defend the baggage handling system--they estimate 600 million passengers a year--and most have no problem. But travelers who do complain say their complaints go nowhere.

David Stempler, Air Travelers Association
"It has been almost a year since they started this process, still no resolution."

But for local fliers at least, there may be some good news behind these locked and alarmed doors of the TSA checked- baggage screening room. Though the TSA wouldn't let us take a camera inside, every time a TSA worker unlocks your suitcase here--not only do they leave a notice to inform you - it’s all caught on tape.

Something goes missing in the back rooms of Logan, they'd know who did it.

Hank Phillippi Ryan, Investigative Reporter
"So Logan is one of the few airport that has that surveillance system."

George Naccara, TSA
"That’s correct."

But in hundreds of other airports: your missing stuff will be a mystery, and while TSA and the airlines battle it out, there's no solution in sight.

Hank Phillippi Ryan, Investigative Reporter
"Someone who has been waiting to get their stuff back for months, what do you say to them?"

George Nacarra, TSA
"I say be patient."

Peak travel season coming soon and that means travelers have to protect themselves. So just don’t put anything valuable in a checked bag.

For more information on the TSA's luggage guidelines: http://www.TSATravelTips.us