Continental Airlines or TSA stole my pony bottle :o(

[Venus]

I have just returned from Cocos, Costa Rica via Houson to London, and an item was removed from my hold luggage following check in at Houston

What should I do

At San Jose airport, Costa Rica my name was called over the pager as a suspect object was found in my hold luggage

I showed that there was a 1.5 liter diving cylinder inside my bag, the cylinder was open, it did not contain compressed gas or any other substance

The official was happy with his inspection and left a ticket on the outside of my bag that there was a cylinder inside and it was ok :angel:

In fact he even tasted the silicon grease on the value

Following my arrival to London I have just unpacked my bags to find that TSA had unlocked and made a further inspection of my bag at Newark and left a notice that this had been done

I also noticed that my cylinder was missing

The cylinder is a very valuable piece of safety diving equipment that I have taken on six previous flights with both American Airlines and Continental Airlines with no problems
I can't do any solo diving until I get another one :splat:

The cylinder was open and had no contents at all, the official at San Jose had confirmed this

So, what do you think I should do?

I have written to TSA asking for it to be returned or the value of a replacement (I included a quote from my LDS), and
informed my insurance company that I may be asking a claim (although, they do not think that this qualifies as a "lost or stolen or damage")

Thanks

Venus

 

[Dtaine]

sounds like a lawsuit waiting to happen - best of luck dealing with the TSA

definitely save any response from the TSA, and also be sure to write the airline and airport management as well

 

[fdog]

IF you had the valve removed from the cylinder, they don't have a leg to stand on. A cylinder with no valve or regulator (as in a SpareAir) installed is permissable.

However, I've read elsewhere on this forum that a TSA inspector made someone install a valve into an open (valveless) cylinder, then install a regulator, so they could verify that the cylinder was empty! So, don't expect too much from thinking ability when it comes to TSA inspectors.

File a claim with your airline first. You gave your items to them for safekeeping. I'd not mention your suspicions about the TSA making a mistake; just the facts (gave your luggage to the airline intact, was returned missing items)


All the best, James

 

[1_T_Submariner]

Good luck getting anything out of them. Was the valve in the bag if so was it still there?

 

[rivrdiving]

TSA aint too smart if they tasted the silicone on the valve..Thats jest plain ignorant specially when ya looking for toxic substances..One of them fine outstanding protectors of america probly made something illegal out of it..
Call the airline and start there I reckon..
Good luck

 

[Garrobo]

Forget it and buy yourself another bottle. Dealing with the gov't will take months if not years.

 

[Scared Silly]

I have dealt with the TSA and claims. First as James said if the valve was on, open or not, you do not have a claim as all cylinders must be valve free. So it was probably removed and the TSA will not try to open it, instead they will dispose of it. Chances of getting it back are slim.

That said, if the valve was not on then you have a possible claim. Almost all TSA inspections are now video taped. They started doing this for their protection as well as yours. I know this as I had them pull the tapes on one inspection where they damaged one of the items in my bags. The tapes shed much light on what and why they did what they did. I was reimbursed for the damage the item in my bag as well as the box, tax, and shipping.

What you need to do is recreate the time line with the approximate time you past through Houston and Newark. You note that the inspection was in Newark which does not make sense as it should have been inspected only in Houston and then past through in Newark.

In the meantime send PM with your email and I will put you in touch with my TSA contact who has been very helpful. I will ask him to forward this information to his colleagues in Houston and Newark. This will strictly be to see if the inspection was caught on tape and why it may have been removed. This will then assist you in filing a claim.

If the bag was inspected on video and the item removed then replaced, then your beef is with Continental. Which in that case, you may be screwed.

 

[k ellis]

Dont feel bad I stuck my dive knife in my checked luggage and flew continental. Never seen or heard from it again. I even declared to the check in people I had it and they said it would be fine. goes to show you how airlines operate. They would not even take a complaint on the telephone but instead jumped back at me saying they had no obligation to take complaints.

 

[ArcticDiver]

Going the informal route with TSA or the airline may be OK for grins and giggles. But if you actually want anything done the first step is to file a claim with your carrier airline. Be sure to use the form they provide and include any documentation you may have. Before you actually send in the claim read the Terms of Carriage to see exactly what the airline responsibility is.

At this point, really, all you know is that the bottle is missing. You may surmise that TSA took it. But, it may have been removed at some other time. After you file the claim let the airline and TSA give you their best shot at mutual finger pointing. You may, or may not, get the bottle back, or money in its' stead. But, for sure you will get an education.

Yes, there are some bad apples in TSA. I ran into one of them on my flight last week. This one was a Cop Wanna Be. But, overall, my experience is that they just want to do their job, get their pay and go home.

 

[Grover48]

Read the liability clause for your airline.

Some I have flown state you have 4 hours from claiming your luggage to file a claim for missing or damaged items.