When to check or carry on? How to keep your luggage safe and secure at Sea-Tac

Sea-Tac — New numbers show as that of Nov. 1, 341 bags were stolen at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, but there are things people can do to avoid becoming a victim during their holiday travel.

Port of Seattle Police advise flyers to get to baggage claim quickly and avoid any stops on the way. They recommend that people put any valuable items in their carry-on, not their checked bags. Around the holidays, this not only includes jewelry, electronics, and medications but also holiday gifts.

“I have had bags lost for a week at a time,” traveler Morgan Jones said. “We’ve had to have them delivered to my house a couple of times. So I try to stick with carry-on.”

If you do have to check a bag, police say you should make it stand out with accessories like colorful ribbons or bag covers. It makes it less likely you will miss it when it hits the carousel and also less likely someone grabs it accidentally.

It can also increase the number of witnesses because more people might remember it and it can make it easier for police to spot it on video if someone does take it.

The U.S. Department of Transportation tracks lost, damaged, delayed, or stolen bags. The most recent data available, from August, shows American Airlines and its partner airlines had the highest rate of mishandled bags.

That was followed by United Airlines and Frontier Airlines. Alaska Airlines, headquartered in SeaTac, came in fourth.

Last year, KIRO 7s Linzi Sheldon investigated three types of technology to track bags: the LandAirSea GPS tracker, a Tile, and an Apple Air Tag

KIRO 7′s tests found the Apple Air Tag was the most effective in terms of keeping an eye on an item and tracking it down.

Port of Seattle Police Detective Darin Beam said he uses them himself and recommends that travelers put them in their checked bags.

In 2022, Seattle-Tacoma International had its highest number of baggage thefts at 477.

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