Baggage

It's part of the frequent flier's bible: You don't put valuables in checked bags. Security personnel might rifle through them. They can get lost or stolen. The wear and tear of being tossed around can't be good for any breakables inside. But after this week's foiled terrorist attacks in Britain, airline passengers are being told - depending on their destination - to pack away laptops and BlackBerries, expensive perfumes, cosmetics and even some medications. The restrictions come as Department of Transportation statistics show that baggage handling has been getting worse, when Transportation Security Administration (TSA)

Travelers expecting to fly soon should refrain from stuffing carry-on baggage with fluids, gels or any other product that might be considered liquid, but they should be prepared to bring along a lot of patience, airline officials warned yesterday. Handbags and carry-on items are still permitted on most airlines, but fliers should check items such as shampoo, creams, toothpaste, hair gel and all beverages, according to Transportation Security Administration guidelines for baggage. Although most domestic and overseas flights only banned liquids and gels, British Airways went a step further yesterday and established more rigorous restrictions that prohibited all cabin baggage, including handbags, and all electrical or battery-powered items such as laptops, mobile phones, iPod and remote controls.

Americans are less security conscious about their luggage than travelers from Europe and Japan, but the U.S. market for baggage locks is nevertheless expanding. New York-based Safe Skies has become the second company to offer a baggage lock designed so that airport security screeners can gain access to locked luggage without having to break off the locks. The first company into the business was Travel Sentry of Durham, N.H., in November 2003. Travel Sentry coordinated the development of the locks with various manufacturers and provided the training and tools so Transportation Security Administration staff at all U.S. airports could inspect luggage for explosives without breaking the locks.

In November, my wife and I flew from San Francisco to Los Angeles on United Airlines. At the ticket kiosk, an agent advised us to check our carry-ons because the bins over our last-row seats were filled with emergency equipment. We agreed. When we got home, I unpacked my bag and discovered that a new $1,800 laptop had disappeared. The Transportation Security Agency said it didn't open the luggage. United sent a form letter, denying responsibility. Do I have any recourse? Many travelers think, incorrectly, that Department of Transportation rules cover them for all losses.

On a flight from Minneapolis-St. Paul to Detroit in June, an extremely large man lifted up the armrest, sat down and occupied at least one quarter of my space. Would it have been possible to have someone from the airline tell him that he must purchase an additional seat? Passenger bulk has become an issue for passengers and airlines. Southwest, for one, requires "large people" to purchase a second seat for "safety and comfort." Some travelers suggest airlines should adopt a total weight system, under which passengers would be weighed with their baggage.

If Mayor Martin O'Malley wins the race for governor this year, City Council President Sheila Dixon would automatically replace him in City Hall's top job. But renewed ethical concerns about Dixon's official actions could hamper the two-term council president's ability to hold onto the post when she has to campaign for it in the city's 2007 election, political observers say. Her supporters say Dixon has survived such questions before and that she has...

PHILADELPHIA -- In the little office at Philadelphia International Airport where unhappy US Airways customers go to file claims for missing baggage, five employees were on duty at times this week - and had very little to do. Seldom was more than one passenger with a bag problem at the counter at a time during an hour-long stretch Wednesday night. The scene was in sharp contrast to the Terminal B-C bag-claim area during last year's holiday season, when US Airways' old management didn't have enough workers and equipment on hand to meet the demand.

Good morning --Sidney Ponson --Your trip to St. Louis may involve a surcharge for all of your baggage.

Kehinde Akintola Oladapo used to lug bags for Southwest Airlines in Maryland. For years, he also stole the mail. And that was only the beginning. The former baggage handler from Nigeria forwarded the stolen mail taken from airplanes to thieves in New York, who then robbed 1,500 people of an estimated $21 million in what prosecutors called one of the largest identity theft cases busted in Maryland. Yesterday, U.S. District Judge Marvin J. Garbis sentenced Oladapo, 48, of Lanham to 14 years in prison for purloining letters shipped through Baltimore-Washington International Airport and allowing others to use the personal financial information inside to tap bank accounts and set up false credit.

Given all that has happened in his very public private life over the past five years or so, it's easy to forget that Eric Benet was once a promising recording artist. The R&B singer's last album, 1999's A Day in the Life, went gold, spurred by the success of two singles: a funky remake of Toto's "Georgy Porgy," featuring Faith Evans, and the charming ballad "Spend My Life With You," a duet with Tamia. Then in 2001, Benet married actress Halle Berry, one of the most celebrated beauties in Hollywood.