Can TSA open regular suitcase combination locks? How?

Can TSA open regular suitcase combination locks? How?

6/24/2019 8:56:12 AM

If your suitcase closes with a zip, then it can be opened with a normal biro (the ubiquitous cheap Bic office biro works particularly well). Simply hold the biro so it points along the zip, with the nib end pointing at an angle into the zip teeth. Then press down. The pen disengages the teeth of the zip, and you can pull them apart by running the pen or your finger along the zip. To reclose, simply pull the zipper over the opened part, and then back again. This works even on those suitcases with two zip pulls that lock together. Travel security like this method because it’s fast, basically undetectable, and doesn’t require any special tooling or any co-operation from the lock manufacturers.

12/1/2014 3:10:27 PM

The TSA mandates that luggage can be opened without the owner’s presence. Many suitcases therefore have special locks created by a company called Travel Sentry that are designed to be openable with some sort of code/master key. If your lock has a diamond logo like the one in this picture, it is one of those locks.

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Image released under CC-BY-SA license by “Baggage Master”.

While I have never tried them personally, you can also find many videos with tricks to reset luggage locks (e.g. with lock-picking tools or by guessing the combination, see comments) and they are obviously not very strong. One way or the other, the TSA can therefore always open a suitcase if they decide to, the best you can hope for is that they don’t damage your luggage in the process.

Although they don’t quite say that directly, if they want to inspect a locked suitcase with a non-conforming lock, they would presumably simply break it open. So my guess is that either your lock could be reset/opened with some simple tools or you forgot to engage it and they didn’t need to.

Googling for “Polo Pierre Riche”, it seems this range of suitcases does come with a TSA lock (even if the diamond logo is not visible on your picture) so the first hypothesis might the right one (although all the TSA locks I have seen do have a keyhole somewhere).

Credit:stackoverflow.com‘

About me

Hello,My name is Aparna Patel,I’m a Travel Blogger and Photographer who travel the world full-time with my hubby.I like to share my travel experience.

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