domestic qantas flight. (PADLOCKS on luggage)

[macgret]

Hello
Im from brisbane city australia and just be traveling within australia to melbourne city australia

I will be taking a carrying on bag, the bag is like a laptop design bag. Then i will be taking a luggage that has wheels on it Not sure if this luggage bag could come on board with me..

Allright. My following question is. Ive just brought heavy duty small padlocks for the luggage and carring on bag to lock every zipper posible. Just for security safety its good to protect whatever you take with you.

Know the padlock ive brought was from some hard ware shop like mitre10 store. And it cost me about 28dollars for about 6 small locks. Heavy quality duty locks that are only open with a small key.

Because im going to travel domestic with qantas.. Do qantas domestic accepts whatever padlock the bag has? or do i need to re-buy something like (TSA Approved Locks)

Which cost far too much for one and that not sure either the bags and luggage needs to be freely open incase they might wish to check something or not.. otherwise they might break my new luggage bag that ive brought.

The luggage bag that has wheels is qantas brand bags. Expensive luggage tho but good quality.

Hope to get some information. Im in brisbane southside and wouldnt no if i would need to change these padlocks or not really. Unless i have to give qantas a copy key for my padlocs incase they would need to open it .

thank you
macgret

 

[benhadi]

TSA = only in America

Don't worry about people needing to open your bags on the domestic sectors.

If they do, it would most probably be for theft and not inspection purposes.

Keep the locks. You're OK with any locks.

But, if you happen to fly to America....now that's a different story...


BenHadi

 

[macgret]

Oh good so the padlocks that ive brought are fine. I was just worrying if i had to buy specificaly special padlocks when traveling just incase they need to open my luggage for interest.

They padlocks are heavy duty so it opens with a key. Its not these TSA locks.. well not that i could think of.

iM only traveling qld to victoria.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

On Padlocks...

Use what you like domestically.

Internationally

However fome the BIG issue to me is not someone taking something from my bag....but perhaps adding something to it...so that I become an unwitting courier.

Rationale is that if I lose something in the bag (camera goes on the pane with me)...as I don't pack much of value...it is only a few $$$ toa few hundred at worst.

However if someone puts something in.....then you could possibly be facing years in jail or worse.


Some people go for plactic wrapping.


What I do is put electrical ties on ...you can buty fora few dollars packets witha hundred or so in it (as opposed to travel ones which are costly).


I still put a padlock on....but as many know including myself (after I have lost keys) many padlocks will open with a well aimed sharp tap from a hammer.


So a padlock is no sign that you bag has not been tampered with.

So I put a distinctive electrical tie on as well as the padlock. It cannot be removed without breaking it.

On getting my bag..I check the ties prior to going through customs.

It gives me greater peace of mind.

I figure the chances of someone having the same colour tie is very small....and that any smuggler would just pick someone elses bag instead.

If I am off to Thailand or Bali where I wish to be extra cautious, I put two different colors on...to further decrease the odds.

 

[macgret]

Thank you so much for that reply. Good information given there.

Well the reason why its good to lock your bags is because in the past just not too far ago.. carriers would sometimes open any random bag to search money or equipments (this is stealing) or they could play a mind game and put drugs in your bag) making the security beleive you put that in it.

Other then that ill be taking shaving plades/charger for mobile and toothpaste/Would not sure if i have to put this in a plastic bag but inside the luggage.. The luggage wont be carry on with me while im seating the laptop carrying on bag will the luggage will be handle by the carrier on my flight. So perhaps best not to tempt to take all that in my laptop bag. Because the laptop bag will contain papers.. pen.. laptop... jumper or such incase it gets cold in melb on the 2nd of may as i wouldnt no how cold it would actually be.. compare to brisbane weather i wouldnt want to wear a jacket when its hot here while waiting to get on board.

So to highlight it all up... ive spend 28 or such dollars for 6 good hard quality premium lockpads for my luggage and carring on bag. It is the ones that you open it with a key and same key opens to all of the 6 padlocks..

I was just afraid with new restriction laws and such you must have a special keylock and specialy padlock

Just incase of out of interest they have to open my luggage or such while im not near it.

I will be taking extra keys.. perhaps dangle a free key beside the lockpad so they can see it if they need to (open it) but then again wouldnt want anyone to open my bags without permision.

Its jsut for security reason to why i prefared to lock my bags.. Oh though im only just traveling within australia brisbane to melb and return. But still because i don't have insurance its better then nothing with lock up your bags just incase something is missing or touched.

My apologies to this im just nervours and i get like this when im about to travel soon, But its the excitement too. Because im staying at a hotel. Its also good to lock the bags and luggage while staying at the hotel. Because again sometimes well not sometimes but rarely a cleaner could open it up specialy if your carring 1,000AUD dollars inside it. That is another discuss ill be talking about later about how much money is acceptable to carring on.

 

[opusman]

What I do is put electrical ties on ...you can buty fora few dollars packets witha hundred or so in it (as opposed to travel ones which are costly).

How do you undo them at the other end? Cable ties really need a side cutter or scissors to undo, how do you get those through in your carry on luggage?

 

[NM]

How do you undo them at the other end? Cable ties really need a side cutter or scissors to undo, how do you get those through in your carry on luggage?

I leave one small pocket unlocked and insert a small pair of side-cutters into that pocket. Tat way the nasty side cutters are check-in with the bag and easily accessible when I get there.

 

[opusman]

I leave one small pocket unlocked and insert a small pair of side-cutters into that pocket. Tat way the nasty side cutters are check-in with the bag and easily accessible when I get there.

Ah, so that's the pocket the drugs will end up in

 

[NM]

Ah, so that's the pocket the drugs will end up in

well its a very small pocket. And often secure it with a TSA-approved lock.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

How do you undo them at the other end? Cable ties really need a side cutter or scissors to undo, how do you get those through in your carry on luggage?

They are only plastic so a pair of scissors or a knife suffices. If you don't have one then normally your accommodation will have something....ie many corkscrew will have knife on them.

My bag has a small pocet on it which I have the scissors in...I lock it...but do not have the tie on it.

It is just the one pocket and so easily checked.

Most of my overseas flights are asa family of 5....so I can check if all 5 pbags are tamper free in secoinds and only have to check the one pocket this way.


I also carry extr ties...so that I can redo it prior to each stage of the trip. as they are so cheap it does not costmuch as all. Whereas the commercial travel ones would soon add up rapidly toa consider cost.

ie last time I went Thailand....we checked in 4 times.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

specialy if your carring 1,000AUD dollars inside it. That is another discuss ill be talking about later about how much money is acceptable to carring on.

Personally I would never check ina bag with that much cash in it. Apart from theft checked in nags do often go missing.


If I am heady overseas...then as back up I will often have secreted $200 ish somewhere as back up emergency funds in case my main stash that I have with me gets lost or stolen.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

Ah, so that's the pocket the drugs will end up in

I lock it...and it is only one pocket to check...and it barely fits the scissors.....so quantity could not be much....unless they slit it and made it bigger!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[NM]

I lock it...and it is only one pocket to check...and it barely fits the scissors.....so quantity could not be much....unless they slit it and made it bigger!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I work on the theory that such crimes would seek easy targets, and slashing a bag through an open pocket is not going to be as easy a target as the next bag on the conveyor belt.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

I work on the theory that such crimes would seek easy targets, and slashing a bag through an open pocket is not going to be as easy a target as the next bag on the conveyor belt.

Agree...which is why I use the ties except for that one pocket.

 

[simongr]

Well the reason why its good to lock your bags is because in the past just not too far ago.. carriers would sometimes open any random bag to search money or equipments (this is stealing) or they could play a mind game and put drugs in your bag) making the security beleive you put that in it.

I dont think you can blame the carriers - I would blame the drug smugglers and theives sometmes employed by the carriers and ground handling companies.

Other then that ill be taking shaving plades/charger for mobile and toothpaste/Would not sure if i have to put this in a plastic bag but inside the luggage.. The luggage wont be carry on with me while im seating the laptop carrying on bag will the luggage will be handle by the carrier on my flight. So perhaps best not to tempt to take all that in my laptop bag. Because the laptop bag will contain papers.. pen.. laptop... jumper or such incase it gets cold in melb on the 2nd of may as i wouldnt no how cold it would actually be.. compare to brisbane weather i wouldnt want to wear a jacket when its hot here while waiting to get on board.

Mate - breathe! Given you only have a small bag and laptop I would carry the jackets if it is warm in BNE. Often airports are so air conditioned that they are in fact cold...

I will be taking extra keys.. perhaps dangle a free key beside the lockpad so they can see it if they need to (open it) but then again wouldnt want anyone to open my bags without permision.

Umm why lock them if you are going to attach the keys?

My apologies to this im just nervours and i get like this when im about to travel soon, But its the excitement too. Because im staying at a hotel. Its also good to lock the bags and luggage while staying at the hotel. Because again sometimes well not sometimes but rarely a cleaner could open it up specialy if your carring 1,000AUD dollars inside it. That is another discuss ill be talking about later about how much money is acceptable to carring on.

I have never had anything stolen from a hotel, rarely or never lock my bags.

 

[oz_mark]

I have never had anything stolen from a hotel, rarely or never lock my bags.

I only lock them (and sometimes just use whatever is at hand like cable ties) due to the remarkable ability of zips on my cases to unzip themselves. Not so much that anything has ever fallen out of the main part of the case, but the front pockets have sometimes being completely opened.

 

[coco50]

Personally I would never check ina bag with that much cash in it. Apart from theft checked in nags do often go missing.


If I am heady overseas...then as back up I will often have secreted $200 ish somewhere as back up emergency funds in case my main stash that I have with me gets lost or stolen.

Two rules:

#1 Never put in a checked in bag what you don't want stolen.

#2 Never put in a carry on bag what may be confiscated by security

And for travel in the US

Always use TSA approved locks if you wish to lock your luggage. It won't secure your baggage entirely. My wife found a nice little pro-forma message from TSA HNL saying that they had opened and searched her bag. Nothing was missing.

 

[macgret]

True guys and girls

I was just down the road to check out new luagees and so on and also these interesting new security aproval padlocks that do not use key but use a combination scroll numbers and it has a digital chip in it that shows a small red or green LCD light either its been open or such. I check it out but my goodness they very expensive like from 16.00 just for one lazy padlock to 25bucks. Oh tho the title says US padlocks travelers and such.

I could simply just had buy a few regardless if im just traveling domestic at least i dont have to fuzz my head about what if this and what if that about the smith padlocks that use keys only.

Oh i always clock and hdie my bags while at the hotel room this was years ago. So dont no new regulation rules and so on about padlocks and such. But back then when i end up at the hotel i lock my bags and also hide my bags under the bed if it was to be posible. Sometimes under the window curtain .

The luggage bag is not small. Its sorta about upto my half way to my leg sizes.. it has 2 wheels rather then carring the luggage on hand. Its alittle heavy it cost me 80dollars the luggage bag and its by qantas brands.

 

[JohnK]

Know the padlock ive brought was from some hard ware shop like mitre10 store. And it cost me about 28dollars for about 6 small locks. Heavy quality duty locks that are only open with a small key.

You know a padlock of any kind is not really that safe anyway. With the millions of padlocks that they sell it is pretty well impossible to cover every possible lock with a unique padlock.

How do you undo them at the other end? Cable ties really need a side cutter or scissors to undo, how do you get those through in your carry on luggage?

I have used cable ties a few times and at have asked for scissors or a knife to cut the cable tie at check-in to the hotel.

What I do is put electrical ties on ...you can buty fora few dollars packets witha hundred or so in it (as opposed to travel ones which are costly).

I still put a padlock on....but as many know including myself (after I have lost keys) many padlocks will open with a well aimed sharp tap from a hammer.

So a padlock is no sign that you bag has not been tampered with.

So I put a distinctive electrical tie on as well as the padlock. It cannot be removed without breaking it.

On getting my bag..I check the ties prior to going through customs.

It gives me greater peace of mind.

I figure the chances of someone having the same colour tie is very small....and that any smuggler would just pick someone elses bag instead.

If I am off to Thailand or Bali where I wish to be extra cautious, I put two different colors on...to further decrease the odds.

Not sure if you are aware but there are cable ties/electrical ties with a unique 6 digit number on them. You will know if someone has tampered with your luggage if the cable tie has been cut or if the security number on has changed. The chances that someone has an identical cable tie or a security number close to your cable tie is very remote if not near impossible.

Make sure you take note of the security number.

 

[Mal]

A little tidbit regarding padlocks...

Each lock has a security rating which is how much trouble someone has to go to to break or pick the lock. Small locks for bags tend to have pretty low security ratings.

Ages ago, I bought 2 separate 4packs of locks for my bags. Both were by the same well known Australian lock brand (although they manufacture most locks in China now I think). One of the packs was a larger style of lock than the other pack, and the keys were different lengths.

While mucking around one day, I found out that the key to the larger lock would work in the smaller lock if I slid it in a certain distance and turned the key rather than all the way. Locks aren't secure at all.