TSA Bag searches more common lately at LAS?

For all the years that they have had checked bag searches (about 10 tears, maybe?), we have never had our checked luggage searched at the Las Vegas airport.

Then on this trip (Late Oct - Early Nov.), both of our suitcases were opened and searched at the Las Vegas airport. We also took a side trip to California, and one of our bags was searched in the departure from LAS. That's 3 bag searches on one overall trip, all three in Las Vegas.

All that was in the luggage was the usual clothes, toiletries, and trip planning paperwork.

Is anyone else experiencing this increased scrutiny?

- bcc

I would agree with that statement. I would say 50% of the time when I travel in the US, I get a little note inside my luggage stating that my bag has been searched. For some reason, I must be on some list!

We've had bags searched coming and going for years. Not every time. I don't think this is new. It may be more prevalent at some airports than others.

For a while after 9/11 they had a guard and a bomb (or whatever) sniffing dog at our little airport checking cars before entering the parking garage. Now the guardhouse and dog are gone. Guess they didn't find much value in it.

I rarely check bags at McCarran, EXCEPT when I've used Bags 2 Go at the hotel.
Seems most times, I would get that paper inside, saying they inspected.
I complained to Bags 2 Go, and funny thing..........the inspections stopped.

This year, I've mostly used carry-on. Small rolling bag & bare necessities.

THIS trip, was very short & I did something I've never done.
Didn't bring a suitcase.........only my fannypack.
It CAN be done if short trip. Mine was only 2 nights, and I didn't miss my suitcase. Worked out Great!

I layered clothes. Black mock top shirt under black print shirt, with hoodie sweatshirt.
In my fannypack I brought a small ziplock with phone charger, throwaway toothbrush & tiny toothpaste, mascara, alittle makeup, comb, and of course & Players cards.
Washed out undies, and they dried overnight. But, had to use hairdryer in the bathroom on my
socks, cuz they didn't dry out enough. But it Worked!

Point is, scale back on what you bring, and maybe.........don't bring anything at all.
That will fix 'em! lol

Soon I expect that the airlines will start charging people who don't check bags a fee-- the "Oh no, you won't fix 'em fee".

Was there anything unusual in your bag? We have had our checked bag inspected a couple of times. Once I had a heating pad packed (trip I dislocated my back right before we left) and the other we had collected about 18+ decks of cards and had layered them on the bottom of our bag. I am sure the first the wires tripped something and the cards probably looked like packs of drugs or something.

As far a you go Calif.Loves.Vegas--scaling down is good, but I can't believe no suitcase at all. We did a 10 night trip with only a carry on, but that is about all I can scale to. No suitcase at all is scary.

I, too, have had notes left in a bag I checked several times on and off. The most horrific, though, before they left notes was going from CA to Massachusetts and they didn't search the bag with their hands (if they do now?), they used a rod or something with the end shaped like a screwdriver tip, a tiny rectangle about 1/4" long.

Well, it punctured a can of Kerns nectar. Pills I took in the morning needed something heavier than water in my stomache. There is nothing more horrifying than opening a pristine suitcase to see all your clothes soaked in apricot nectar! No idea how or when. Not even sure it was the TSA but a friend suggested a dog could have smelled a fruit smell and alerted on that - truly don't know. It was nothing in my suitcase that punctured that very perfect puncture in the can, nor was there a corresponding hole in the suitcase if something had pierced it from the outside. Fortunately, an understanding hotel front desk got me clued into a laundromat and, soon, things were back to normal, though I missed an hour-and-a-half of the event I had come to attend.

Linda

The last time thru, the TSA used some type of "sniffer" on my luggage to see if the was any bomb making residue on my carry on bag.

I also witnessed the TSA pat down a US Marine traveling in his class "A" uniform.

No one is and should be immune to the TSA doing the job for which they were hired to do. Quit complaining and be thankful that there is security in place and trying to do the thankless job of screening passengers to ensure that your airplane arrives at it's destination intact. I am sure that the people who have become victims of airline terrorism, if they were here, would tell you complainers to shut up and be thankful that we have what they did not have.

Departed LAS last week. Didn't get a TSA note in my checked bag. And LAS is one of the nice big airports that lets certain frequent flyers (Alaska, American, Delta, United, USAir) through with minimal screening. Special line, no waiting, shoes, belt, and coat on, don't have to remove liquids or laptop, and just an old-fashioned metal detector like it was 1986.

Wish everyone's airport experience could still be like that, but unfortunately our last round of hijackings resulted in many hundreds of thousands of deaths, so we need to remain vigilant.