Beware La Paz airport Bolivia

[bPeteb]

It's nearly a week since we returned from our amazing trip to South America (trip report to come). The only black mark on an otherwise terrific experience was all three of our bags being tampered with after the were checked in at La Paz airport. We didn't realise until after we'd checked in to our hotel in Lima (Radisson Decapolis Miraflores - excellent) and saw a shoe lace hanging out of one of our three bags. We knew straight away that something wasn't right.

All three of our bags had one or more zips forced. Luckily we were able to rezip the bags. Nothing was missing but everything had been rifled through or taken out and put back in. I contacted our Intrepid tour group and five others who flew out that day had the same thing happen. Nothing taken, just stuff taken out and put back in. Bizarre.

I contacted LATAM and they will look into it but what can they do. I also doubt there would have been any point in wrapping the bags as they could just have another wrapping machine in the baggage area once the bags disappeared behind check-in. Paranoid? Maybe. Distrustful? Definitely.

LATAM's priority baggage tagging was also a waste of time. One of our group was caught up in the recent decision by One World to stop interlining. She was flying on to LHR straight after our flight to Lima from La Paz. On top of having to go out through immigration, her bags (as well as ours) took 30 minutes to arrive on the conveyor after we landed. I suppose it didn't help that we parked out on the hard landing and not at the terminal but 30 minutes? Ridiculous.

 

[Buzzard]

I hear there is some nice accommodation in the La Paz prison and not too expensive.

 

[Denali]

..... I contacted LATAM and they will look into it ......

Considering the comments Ive read to LATAM on social media, I doubt anything will be done other than filing your contact in the bin.

Glad nothing was taken and/or nothing was put into your bags.

 

[v1nce007]

Looking forward to the trip report; I've taken a number of tours with Intrepid and have been considering Sth America.

 

[bPeteb]

I hear there is some nice accommodation in the La Paz prison and not too expensive.

hahaha - right across the road from our hotel!

 

[bPeteb]

Looking forward to the trip report; I've taken a number of tours with Intrepid and have been considering Sth America.

This was our fourth, and best. As with any group tour the tour leader will make or break it and Carlos, our leader on this tour, was fantastic.

 

[Mattg]

Unfortunately I'm not surprised. I've found LATAM to be alright in the air, but on the ground there's a lot left to be desired...

 

[juddles]

...... all three of our bags being tampered with ..... We knew straight away that something wasn't right. ..... Nothing was missing but everything had been rifled through or taken out and put back in. ..... Bizarre.....I contacted LATAM and they will look into it but what can they do.....

I think I am missing something here? Nothing was stolen, just that "someone" had looked through your bags? Maybe, just maybe, customs??

I assume that any bag I check in may be looked at. That is what customs have to do.

What could LATAM or any other airline possibly do about that?

 

[juddles]

..... I also doubt there would have been any point in wrapping the bags as they could just have another wrapping machine in the baggage area once the bags disappeared behind check-in.....

LOL. Plastic wrapping is popular in South America as from time to time bags seem to get rained on. But it is certainly not a security thing. I recall getting off a flight Colombia to Madrid, and watched in amazement at the baggage collection carousel - dozens and dozens of bags coming out with all their plastic wrapping completely slashed open

My understanding of travel seems to involve a different expectation than yours - not only do I expect "people" to go through my gear, they have a total right to do so - even an obligation.

 

[bPeteb]

I think I am missing something here? Nothing was stolen, just that "someone" had looked through your bags? Maybe, just maybe, customs??

I assume that any bag I check in may be looked at. That is what customs have to do.

What could LATAM or any other airline possibly do about that?

We (and one other) flew to Lima, another party to BA via Santa Cruz and the third group of three flew to Santiago and then on home.

That means two groups to airports in Peru and one to Bolivia and then Argentina. We all flew on the same day from La Paz. We took six other flights from different airports on our holiday, across both LATAM and AR, and our bags weren't touched.

I agree that customs have a job to do but customs at three/four different airports? Maybe it was customs just randomly choosing us but we had TSA locks on our bags so what was the purpose of just forcing the zips open?

I've just noticed a second response juddles.

Again, I understand bags are searched but all four of our bags that came through to Lima, all four with priority tags.

We do have different expectations. I do not expect anyone to go through my gear. I would have thought that's what an x-ray machine is for. It should only be 'gone through' if something suspicious shows up. An x-ray should have shown two bags full of nothing but clothes and shoes and one the same but with a very small toiletries collection. very high risk...

 

[Renato1]

I think I am missing something here? Nothing was stolen, just that "someone" had looked through your bags? Maybe, just maybe, customs??

I assume that any bag I check in may be looked at. That is what customs have to do.

What could LATAM or any other airline possibly do about that?

I agree with you. I don't bother putting locks on my bag, as I've had them cut open and left in my suitcase a number of times with a note.

A month and a half ago, my wife had her lock cut off at LA airport.

Plainly, the authorities are very suspicious of white middle-aged couples on vacation.

Three and a half weeks ago, at LA airport on our way home, my wife had the see-through scan done on her - and then had an authoritarian African American female officer grope her between her legs and around and under her breasts. My wife felt violated.
Regards,
Renato

 

[bPeteb]

I agree with you. I don't bother putting locks on my bag, as I've had them cut open and left in my suitcase a number of times with a note.

A month and a half ago, my wife had her lock cut off at LA airport.

Plainly, the authorities are very suspicious of white middle-aged couples on vacation.

Three weeks ago, at LA airport on our way home, my wife had the see-through scan done on her - and then had an authoritarian African American female officer grope her between her legs and around and under her breasts. My wife felt violated.
Regards,
Renato

All I can say is OMG!

 

[RooFlyer]

I think I am missing something here? Nothing was stolen, just that "someone" had looked through your bags? Maybe, just maybe, customs??

I assume that any bag I check in may be looked at. That is what customs have to do.

What could LATAM or any other airline possibly do about that?

That was my first thought too - multiple going-through, with nothing taken.

We (and one other) flew to Lima, another party to BA via Santa Cruz and the third group of three flew to Santiago and then on home.

That means two groups to airports in Peru and one to Bolivia and then Argentina. We all flew on the same day from La Paz. We took six other flights from different airports on our holiday, across both LATAM and AR, and our bags weren't touched.

I agree that customs have a job to do but customs at three/four different airports? Maybe it was customs just randomly choosing us but we had TSA locks on our bags so what was the purpose of just forcing the zips open?

I've just noticed a second response juddles.

Again, I understand bags are searched but all four of our bags that came through to Lima, all four with priority tags.

We do have different expectations. I do not expect anyone to go through my gear. I would have thought that's what an x-ray machine is for. It should only be 'gone through' if something suspicious shows up. An x-ray should have shown two bags full of nothing but clothes and shoes and one the same but with a very small toiletries collection. very high risk...

I'm afraid TSA locks, priority tags etc have little or no influence on the way some customs authorities go about their job (if it was customs).

If X-rays were completely reliable for detecting contraband, the sure, bag inspections wouldn't be necessary. But consider for instance - a bottle of wine in my checked bag might be a bottle of liquid [contraband] in some-one else's. A container of baby powder in mine might be a container of cocaine in the other one. Xrays can define shapes, and opaque-ness to X rays, and some other characteristics but they can't tell for sure exactly what something is.

I suspect you and the others were on the receiving end of a customs blitz in Bolivia. You've probably had your bags gone-through on other occasions too, but they have been closed up in better order than your recent experience.

 

[love_the_life]

What difference does it make that it was an "African American" officer Renato? An officer is an officer regardless of their cultural background. I can accept that she may have been authoritarian and that your wife felt upset but personally I don't think a comment on her background adds to the discussion or is necessary.

 

[v1nce007]

Three and a half weeks ago, at LA airport on our way home, my wife had the see-through scan done on her - and then had an authoritarian African American female officer grope her between her legs and around and under her breasts. My wife felt violated.
Regards,
Renato

What does the ethnicity of the officer have to do with anything? Why mention it?

 

[juddles]

....We do have different expectations. I do not expect anyone to go through my gear. I would have thought that's what an x-ray machine is for. It should only be 'gone through' if something suspicious shows up......

Er, no. And that you suspect this happened in Bolivia is even more important. Maybe they don't have the fancy scanning equipment that more affluent countries have?

Please be realistic. International transfer of luggage requires a very good hard look at. Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, etc are immersed in a huge anti-drug and anti-cash smuggling war. It is a matter of immense importance to them, as nations, far outweighing the "inconvenience" that it causes to people having a tourist venture. Please respect the difficulties they face in this war.

And that this was done, with no loss of items, is actually a very positive experience in the world-wide scale of things.

 

[juddles]

...What difference does it make that it was an "African American" officer Renato?....

I hope this does not turn the thread into something about "race" - so I hope to quash this.

You do not need to be racist to have an uncomfortable situation exacerbated by ethnicity. I am unsure how to explain it, but IMHO it is a different experience to have your personal space invaded by someone who is culturally dissimilar to oneself. Somehow makes the situation even more uncomfortable/unknown.

 

[love_the_life]

Not wishing to prolong the discussion, I find it annoying when people hang behaviours etc on ethnicity. Considering that the post in question was OT anyway, I probably shouldn't have bothered even replying. And that's the last from me on his post.
The thread is on luggage being opened at La Paz (and probably by association other SA airports). Having come through a number of airports where there was no x-ray facilities and recognising that Juddles as well as others have a very good understanding of the situation in SA, I would accept their views on the reason for luggage being opened.

 

[bPeteb]

Fair enough juddles. I hadn't thought about it from a lack of technology perspective. Like you say. Nothing taken. If was just a surprise that you've explained for me.
Cheers
Pete

 

[straitman]

My/our experience with La Paz and Santa Cruz Bolivia was totally normal. Santa Cruz definitely has scanners and I think but aren't sure about La Paz.