Anyone who steals from bags should be hung by, uh, well let's not go there.
However, if you think that this level of security is only at United, then be prepared to never fly on any airline. As far as getting stuff on the plane, yes I suppose it's possible, but there is the issue of getting the item out there to start with. We won't go into that. But if you think about it, where do you think they rummaged through your stuff? Probably in the cargo bin in Philly. Could have been at the baggage claim in chicago, but the cargo bin would provide the most cover. So now you are talking about installing cameras in every cargo hold. This has been done on a limited basis, but it leads to other problems.
The biggest problem in this case is Philly. That airport is probably by far the worst of any airport in the country for items missing from bags. In fact, there was a time when my airline had one particular flight everyday that had by far the highest number of pilferage claims of any of our flights. They finally caught the guys, but thieves are quite crafty.
If United doesn't act quickly on your claim, call the news. However don't expect much too soon as far as who took the items. This takes time. And locker checks are not the answer. That is already in place. The problem is these guys usually end up taking the items to some hiding place, not their locker. There was a case where I worked that actually turned out to be a couple of the baggage delivery guys. They have to park in the parking garage, which is above the terminal building. Long story short, in the stairwells, are another set of stairs - something about they were used when the airport was being built, but not in normal use today. In fact they have these little half height doors. Anyway, the police found the stuff they were taking in the side stairwells.
The point is there is much more to the issue of pilferage than you would think.
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