[traveling_rick]

We flew in flight 392 back from Panama City, Panama to Atlanta. We had four bags checked in. At the Delta counter, the panamanian Delta agent was doing his work with little interest. Once he took the bags, he called over a "security" lady that was talking with some other "security" lady. He said something in her ear and she said "estas?" to which he said yes. We had met another group that was in the other kiosk and their bags were handled normally. Our bags never made it to the conveyor belt as we walked away and assumed that they would of course.
When we arrived in Atlanta, all of our bags had been opened and we had to get to our next flight. Cursory checks looked like they had been searched. Once we arrived at home, we found that all of the jewelry, perfumes and an iPod had been stolen from the bags.
Delta customer service just shrugged and basically said - not our problem. They did not offer any other service or advice and did not mention that they would notify any of the checkpoints of that activity. In the meantime, we are probably out around $1,000 overall. It was naive of my daughter to put her jewelry in the suitcase or the brand new perfume, but on the latter, she was thinking it was liquid. I think the Delta folks in Panama shoudl be audited and if you find someone smelling like Burberry perfume - guilty!
I have around 40k skymiles, but very disappointed in Delta and will have to treat them as a second or third choice.
By the way, this just happend Sunday, May 24 2009.

[Silent Bob]

I think your first mistake was walking away from the bags without knowing 1) if there was problem and 2) making sure they would go on the belt. If this guy called over a security agent, was it for you or something else? Never walk away from the your bags "assuming" everything is ok. Make sure they're tagged correctly and placed on the belt.

Obviously you know your second biggest mistake, and this also goes in two parts. You placed expensive items inside your check luggage, which we all know the airlines (all of them) will claim no responsibility if your stuff is lost. The second part of this is that you assume it was the airlines, but between the airlines, maybe that secuirty agent whose ear was whispered to, customs agents, and TSA, any one of these parties could have a hand in the taking of your things. and with politics as they are down there, there is no one to cry to because they defend their own down there. Theft is rampant in latin america airports, the people that live there know this and try their best not pack items that may get "lost" along the way. I learned this from when I first traveled to Mexico. And since then, whenever i go down there, I never pack expensive items.

I don't know how often you travel to latin america, but the biggest tip is never travel and check expensive things (the perfume i know you had no choice), even the panamanians (???) know this. But on this trip you made many assumptions and got burned. The airlines are not gonna accept responsibility in this, so may wanna chalk this one up as a lesson learned.

[PHXFlyer]

Duty free shops and purchases on the airplane are not always the bargain they appear to be. Many times one can find the same or comparable product for less at a local discount store or online. It sure is tempting when one is offered a bottle of liquor or perfume/cologne for the equivalent of $40 USD when you know the same spirit or fragrance sells at retail for $60-$80. It's better to resist the "impulse buy" and shop online. Many times you can find free shipping and all one pays is taxes and even then only if the merchant has a brick-and-mortar presence in the state to which the goods are shipped. Better to make an informed purchase and keep the theives out of your baggage.

[abutterfinger25]

The Montreal Convention prohibits carriers from refusing liability on ANY items it accepts as checked baggage. Since this was an international flight operating to or from the US, the Montreal Convention applies.

File a claim with Delta. If they deny the claim by refusing liability on the jewley, then please follow up with a complaint to the DOT (http://airconsumer.ost.dot.gov/problems.html)

[justme]

Originally Posted by abutterfinger25

The Montreal Convention prohibits carriers from refusing liability on ANY items it accepts as checked baggage. Since this was an international flight operating to or from the US, the Montreal Convention applies.

File a claim with Delta. If they deny the claim by refusing liability on the jewley, then please follow up with a complaint to the DOT (http://airconsumer.ost.dot.gov/problems.html)

That may be the law but how in the world does that make sense? As more than one other person pointed out, there are many many hands that touch the bag that are not employees of Delta. Delta (IMO) has no legal obligation to something you put in your bag on your own accord. If you are forced to check it because it is banned by the FAA/DOT/TSA, the federal government should be responsible since it is their regulation that prohibits the item from being taken on board, not the airline.

[Butch Cassidy Slept Here]

I believe the Montreal/Warsaw Conventions include a liability cap on baggage. To override this one would need to be able to prove (in court) gross neglect on the part of Delta. It sounds like the OP is aware of the cap when she wrote:

In the meantime, we are probably out around $1,000 overall.

I assume, for payment of an additional charge, the airline's liability can be increased, up to a point, by declaring a higher value to the baggage when it is presented for check-in. Perhaps (or perhaps not) Delta might have been a little more attentive to the bag in question had a higher value been declared. Interestingly, as I recall, the wording of private travel insurance policies excludes jewelery with respect to baggage loss.