Luggage ransacked & stolen at CDG
 

:mad:

After an hour delay arrived at Birmingham with Air France to find my luggage Travelpro broken into and items stolen.

With hindsight should not have put the 200 cigarettes I purhased form an earlier leg into my case. It was obvious the security people in France saw them and decided to help themselves ! - they even placed 2 "ADP Security" stickers on my luggage.

Informed that this is a regular occurrence flying Air France from Charles de Gaulle.

Everyone beware !

How can you be so sure that happened in CDG? Surely the thieves left their signature (like, "François did it")?
I travel as a pax at least once a week from CDG, and it never happened to me. Happened a couple of years ago from LHR though. That doesn't allow me of any generalisation, doesn't it?

Could have been those damn lard-arsed yanks you keep slagging off Adam!:D But more likely it was the CDG ground handlers. BA had to install CCTV in the aircraft holds to prevent this sort of thing at CDG, but now after a few successful prosecutions the problem has been stopped!

FLYBLUE

I knew it happened at CDG because when we landed at Birmingham the luggage was almost immediately at the carousel - and I was in 1A and first off !

Furthermore they left the English money which was clearly on display.

Carnage Matey!

Yep, have been told the same thing. It's BA all the way from now.

To add insult to injury, the French don't give a merde ! Telephoned CDG security immediately the night it happened and they gave me Air France UK Ticket Sales to phone.

Have sent letter to Air France Crawley & Paris but have been told by the French company that I work for that I won't get a response.

Adam
 

Thinking might help a bit mate. Who saw you put the Fags in the Bag... They show up on x-ray also....

Anyway - fags and money don't belong in checked luggage - nor do camera's, computers or in fact anything except the washing; unless of course you want them nicked.

Certain airports are faimed for loosing things - LHR & CDG are well up the list - in both cases there is a fairly simple recommendation which seems to work more often than not:

Only check in to that airport - clear customs and get baggage and re-check for next flight.;)

Why - because the transit baggage is easier to "work-on" than the local traffic.

So saying it requires a bit of local geographical knowledge - especially at CDG, but it can in many cases a) be quicker and b) at least let you have your luggage if delays make you have a layover. It also means that you can in chaos conditions, be much more flexible and, worst case reroute - or buy other sectors - with a fair chance of having everything when you arrive.

In the last 5 years and 600+ flights, at least 50 were to from or through CDG - and only delayed baggage, but no losses. But maybe I'm just lucky that my much travelled baggage is always so shabby that nobody in thir right mind would waste their time searching or stealing it.:cool:

Hi Gofer

Cigarettes were put into my luggage in my hotel room so the obvious place where they were spotted were on x-ray. Usually I'd never do this as they'd always be purchased after check-in.



I actually checked in at CDG (business class) and luggage taken at
check-in desk.

I think I was singled out because of expensive looking TravelPro; the fact that the flight was delayed 2 hours after check-in didn't help.

You are right with your advice and am now going to resort to and old battered case !!!

Adam

Beware American Airlines too
 

We too had our luggage "DONE" at Macarran we think - after handing our luggage over for search and security tagging we never saw our camera equipment again - the camera equipment was too heavy for hand luggage as we already had other equipment with us and was put on full view of everyone during the search - makes you wonder about how easy it is to ADD an explosive device let alone take out our cigarettes and cameras - makes you wonder! No insurance compensation either - travel insurance said NO because our gear was in the "SAFE" hands of American Airlines - American Airlines are going to pay the minimal amount - I know it is our own fault for trusting them but we need the equipment for our business - it is still VERY VERY annoying

SP1

I understand your annoyance fully; the airlines don't seem to care a **** !

The security aspect is perhaps the most serious - just how easy would it me for someone AIRSIDE to add an explosive device.
It is very worrying.

Adam