I have just arrived in Madison after taking a red-eye here involving stopping in Detroit and Cincinnati. The flight out of Portland was overbooked and they had to check some carry-on bags through to the final destination. Mine was one of them.
Tired and grungy, I took a shower when I got here and discovered that my underwear has been removed from my bag.
Let me repeat that in other words. My feminine unmentionables are no longer in my bag.
I’m quite sure I packed them because I ran a load of laundry right before leaving in order to have enough to get me through the weekend so they were the last thing in the bag. I checked with Rob and, no, I didn’t forget to pack them. There was no TSA flyer in the bag, either.
I’ve pulled everything out of the bag and shaken it to be sure. The ONLY pair that’s left was tucked in the bottom under my socks and wasn’t one of the ones that was in that load of laundry.
I’m on the hold with the airline right now. So far I’ve already been passed from customer service to baggage.
Ah. I’m now talking to a representative who is doing a missing file claim for me. She agrees that it is creepy. I have to fill out a Damage/Pilferage Form, turn in my receipts and then wait up to 10 weeks for the corporate offices to make a decision.
Have I mentioned that this is really creepy?
Creepy, indeed. And I expect they’ll charge you a fee for that. 😉
Holy. Freaking. Cow.
That is at the same time creepy, hilarious, and, I imagine, wildly inconvenient.
I can’t help but notice the irony that your feminine unmentionables were stolen on the way to a feminist science fiction convention. A protest by the universe, perhaps, against bras, thongs, and other trappings of society’s over-sexualization of the female body and the crushing weight of the male gaze? Or something?
I was having the same thought!
Like I said on FB: Ewwww. That also makes me in credibly angry. I’m sorry.
Wow, the creep factor is off the charts on this one.
New Rule.
Have a pair to be possibly stolen placed on top so if someone is going to steal them its the designated stolen pair. But before the trip, have them soaked in some itching liquid so if someone takes them they get to have some real fun.
Just remember not to use the “special ones” and have something between them and your clothes so no transfer.
Same logic for whoever keeps taking your food out of the communal fridge. Remember to make some awesome chocolate chip cookies but use Chocolate Ex-Lax for the chips. The lesson will be learned. Oh yeah the lesson will be learned 🙂
Unfortunately, not the first time I’ve heard of something like this (though this is the creepiest I’ve heard of). I’ve known people to lose jewelry that’s packed into checked luggage; unfortunately, TSA and the airlines’ response has always been that it’s not identifiable, so they’re not planning on looking for it or into the situation that has allowed the pilferage to occur, and obviously the mandate that we can only lock luggage with TSA-approved locks means that, in situations where locks are on luggage, it’s the same as having given your front door key to a group of people, some of whom are interested in burglary.
I hope your situation has a much more positive result.
Now everytime I head stateside I’ll be wondering if the TSA person is wearing borrowed unmentionables.
Eeeeeeewwwwwwww!
What the…
Hmmm. Delta left my underwear alone, and no one pilfered the coconut-milk fudge I brought for the Tiptree Auction. But that’s just, really, um. Eeeew.
Wow. That is…unfortunate.
I always carry my “unmentionables” in my carry on, no matter what on the outbound. I’ve had too many searches from TSA. Well, at least you get to do some, um, shopping on your trip. Just what you need!
Three words: Old Lady Underwear. You know, the big baggie giant panties that plump grandmothers wear. Preferably with stretched-out elastic waistbands and frayed edges. Put a few of these on top. Hide the good stuff deeper within.
Ick.
Surely people do not believe the undergarments were stolen by a female staff person who intends to wear them? Of course these were stolen by a fetishist. If it were someone interested in using the items for herself, and she were the same size as Mary, I am sure she could have found many lovely and tasteful garments in the luggage to take as well. Stealing only underwear is something a pervert does–and working for TSA, what a bonanza! I’ll bet a lot of victims think they forgot to pack their underwear or something. And for those who complain, there’s no real recourse.
It is ridiculous that we have an airline “security” system that pretty much gives employees carte blanche to steal from us. You basically can’t travel with valuables anymore. There’s no safe place to put them. I just read a news article about a woman losing a $24,000 Rolex on the security conveyer belt. She was ordered to take it off and put it on the belt. It didn’t come out the other side. Even though she raised hell on the spot, it was never found and the airline is denying she was wearing it. Conveniently, the security cameras were out of order on that station.
A $24,000 Rolex? She should have been traveling on a private jet.