One of the most shocking things that the airline employees do is rush to blame the victim of the crime. Let's have another analogy shall we. If you are swimming in your garden pool and someone comes in to your house through the front door and steals your TV, would you simply say "I won't report it because it was my own fault for not locking the front door". The thief is to blame, not the victim of the crime. You can then advise the victim to take more care, but the responsibility lies with the thief. The airlines and TSA have a significant theft problem, but instead of addressing it, they blame the victim. This perpetuates the problem. If the airline took claims more seriously, they might be able to identify shift patterns when the stealing is taking place and eventually find the culprits. Instead, they put all their efforts into blaming the victim and finding ways to avoid their liability.
Everyone wants to walk away from liability. If a GPS is left in the car, often insurance will not cover it. But if the passenger takes it with them and is forced to hand it over (for example when gate checking due to lack of space) and it is stolen, it is also not covered. In other words, in this scenario the passenger could not win. It is ridiculous and offensive the way airline employees blame the victim of the crime and do virtually nothing to identify the thieves who work for them.
However, one other point. Airlines also have it in their power to address the problem of passengers over-inflating their claims. If a bag is lost and the customer is asked to provide an inventory of the contents, the airline has a powerful tool. When the bag is recovered (as most bags are) they should compare the claim to the reality. Where the customer has clearly tried to defraud the airline, they should prosecute. A few well publicised cases might deter dishonest customers also.
The blame lies with the THIEVES. Whether they work for the airline, TSA or passengers seeking to defraud the airline. Lets keep the blame where it belongs and stop blaming the VICTIM.
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