Passengers need to be more aware of in-flight theft

Reading about a man traveling in business class on flight UL 226 from Dubai to Colombo, which arrived on February 3rd, getting caught stealing from fellow passengers' hand luggage took many by surprise. Apparently many hand luggage items were found cut open with a sharp instrument, and valuables such as gold sovereigns, expensive wristwatches, wallets, and more were missing. The thefts were only noticed when passengers were preparing to disembark after a comfortable sleep in their business class seats. When complaints were raised, a search resulted in the recovery of the stolen items in the luggage of a Chinese traveller who eventually admitted to the theft, additionally, three or four Chinese nationals from the same province, who were traveling in economy class on the same flight, were also detained.

Last November, a traveller, was arrested for stealing the handbag of a 55-year-old Sri Lankan office assistant who works in London after she arrived at Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) from London. Her handbag contained £ 2,700 (approximately Rs. 1,423,500), two new iPhones, and two new Samsung phones. Shortly after the flight landed, the handbag went missing, prompting the woman to lodge a complaint with the SriLankan Airlines staff. The aircraft was then held at the BIA and investigators from SriLankan Airlines, along with BIA Police officers, conducted a search of the passengers and their luggage. The handbag was eventually found with a 60-year-old accountant, a dual citizen of Sri Lanka and Canada, residing in Canada. Interestingly, by the time the handbag was recovered, the suspect had used part of the stolen cash to purchase six bottles of whiskey and three bottles of perfume on the plane.

In-flight theft is becoming a highly concerning issue due to a recent spate of highly publicized incidents, not only in Sri Lanka but within Asia. Last 5th February, Singapore’s Airport Police Division arrested a 30-year-old man for stealing US$885 in cash from a passenger on board a flight to Singapore. Other neighbouring countries too have seen a rise in such incidents, done mostly it appears by global syndicates working with each other and targeting certain routes with wealthy customers. They know which routes wealthy people are travelling on, and their people go on board targeted flights just to steal things.”

Flights in and out of the Hong Kong and Mainland China, including those to and from Bangkok are some of the most common where in-flight theft is mostly prevalent. Flights to luxurious destinations such as Dubai have likewise been targeted by thieves, as they are aware that many passengers aboard such flights carry a significant amount of money, jewellery, and high-worth collectibles on board.  In-flight thefts are not done by individuals, but more of planned and concerted efforts by organised crime groups. The way they operate is to spread out throughout the plane. Some will sit in Business Class, and some will sit in Economy, so that’s easy for them to pass the stolen stuff. They also have people helping them on the ground. Sometimes it’s not necessary to take the stolen goods themselves as they may get caught by the police. So they will hide [the stolen item] inside the toilet compartments as there are a lot of secret compartments, particularly in the lavatory, like inside the trash bins, behind the sink, or in the mirror. Once they’re off the plane, the airport cleaner will come on board to retrieve their item for them.”

Practical pointers against in-flight theft

International luggage brand PacSafe offers a number of ways by which airline passengers can keep their valuables safe during their flight.

These are the following:

• Keep any valuables about your immediate person  Putting valuable items such as money, jewellery, and personal electronics in your pockets or, better yet, in your carry-on under your feet or beneath the seat immediately in front of you can keep thieves from rummaging through your belongings. Use luggage to be kept in the overhead compartment to hold less valuable items;
• Lock your bags onto a fixed feature  Securing bags to a fixed item like your seat, especially if they come equipped with a turn and lock system to keep them in place, will prevent thieves from “casually” snagging onto your bags;
• Keep important items in the deep  That is to say, stuff them into the depths of your handbag, purse, or even fanny pack. Be sure to keep items like passports and wallets covered under other items to keep any nosy rummagers from pulling them out;
• Lock your zippers   Be sure to lock your zippers into place or use luggage with built in locking systems with multiple features, including those like interlocking zip pullers to ensure the security of your belongings;
• Turn your luggage the other way  Your luggage in the overhead compartment, that is. Turn them upside down or position openings towards the wall to reduce the possibility of anyone tampering with them; and
• Remain vigilant  This is especially true on long-haul flights when there are times when cabin lights will be dimmed considerably or switched off all together. As comfortable as your seat may be, especially in first or business class, it pays to be more awake than asleep whilst in flight.

Have a safe journey.

Source: Hospitality Sri Lanka

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