reeves84
December 20th, 2002, 5:13:01 PM
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-bags20dec20,0,2814845.story?coll=la%2Dhome%2Dheadl ines
The government on Thursday asked air travelers to leave checked luggage unlocked for security screeners to inspect starting Dec. 31, but the policy prompted an outcry after officials failed to specify who would be liable for lost, damaged or stolen articles.
With passengers checking about 1 billion pieces of luggage a year, the new policy by the Transportation Security Administration to check for hidden explosives is expected to entail opening millions of items — in many cases while the passenger is not present.
The requirement also will test how much privacy passengers are willing to give up for security's sake.
The government on Thursday asked air travelers to leave checked luggage unlocked for security screeners to inspect starting Dec. 31, but the policy prompted an outcry after officials failed to specify who would be liable for lost, damaged or stolen articles.
With passengers checking about 1 billion pieces of luggage a year, the new policy by the Transportation Security Administration to check for hidden explosives is expected to entail opening millions of items — in many cases while the passenger is not present.
The requirement also will test how much privacy passengers are willing to give up for security's sake.