[Butch Cassidy Slept Here]

To the "O.P:" Well I guess if ANOTHER $200+ bottle of scotch is ever bought, and you're travelling by air, it will be part of your carry-on baggage. I'm sure you'll find a suitcase filled with dirty underwear will reach you completely intact. OK, PhxFlyer is right, you're enraged over this incident. Unlike PhxFlyer I would say your rage is almost appropriate considering the dollar value of the item stolen. People SHOULD have the right to expect their luggage won't be rifled. Sadly the truth of the matter is that anything of value, in checked baggage, stands, perhaps, at least a 50% chance of "walking." This is another example of where using Amtrak would have produced less tragic results. From Buffalo to New York (Penn Station) Amtrak operates a few "Empire Service" runs in addition to the "Maple Leaf." The "carry-on" baggage allowance, on Amtrak, is substantially more liberal than with the airlines.

To AADFW: To his credit PhxFlyer has, actually, been restrained in the last few weeks. Hopefully we are not witnessing the results of Phx's temperment succumbing to the Phoenix heat!