Underwear security

While we were at San Francisco airport recently, there was a very industrious entrepreneur hard at work there in the ticketing area of the international terminal. For $5 a bag, he tied up your suitcase with rope, sealed it completely in shrink plastic with only the handle sticking out. He claims this is a win win for everyone except the luggage thieves.

The passengers and airlines both like it, he says, because the chance of theft or damage to the luggage goes way down. He'll even put it in a box for you if you really are a safety person. He also said it's a way to make sure nobody sneaks anything in your suitcase. According to an airport spokeswoman, if there is any issue in customs when the case is X rayed, they'll cut the plastic, look inside and even send it back to be rewrapped. The service is especially popular when the destination is a country that has a reputation for lax luggage security.