American Airlines - checked baggage handgun

[txyaloo]

TSA takes personal responsibility for that bag with the gun. If someone steals it there will be heck to pay with TSA.

It wouldn't look good for them to lose a gun by theft from an airliner they are charged to protect especially after taking custody of the bag.

Tex

How does TSA take custody of the bag? Once their security screen is done, the bag is in the custody of the airline and their baggage handlers. TSA takes no responsibility for the bag or gun. If either are stolen, you deal directly with the airline.

I fly with firearms fairly frequently on United. Never had any issues with the orange tag. I do get an orange tag on the outside of my luggage, but it's their standard "Priority/VIP" tag for flyers with status.

[n5wmk]

OK, so this has been bothering me ever since it happened, and I decided today that I'd call AA customer service and see how far I could get. When finally (after about 8 minutes on hold) I got a person instead of the automated voice response system, I explained about the orange tag with "Return to BSO", and just asked "What does BSO stand for?" She said that it sounds like my bag should be going to Boston....

So I said it had nothing to do with Boston, but had everything to do with me declaring an unloaded firearm in my luggage while flying from DFW to Tucson and return. "Oh, well, let me transfer you to someone in Baggage Customer Service". More waiting on hold, then a really nice lady discussed the situation with me. BSO actually means Baggage Service Office, which is the area that certain items are supposed to go, if they are tagged. I asked what else besides firearms would have the orange tag. She said that some customers will ask for added insurance on high value items, and those also get the orange tag, and that the passenger would pick them up in the baggage service office. She did admit that the majority of the orange tagged bags do contain firearms. She repeated that the tagged items are supposed to go to the special pickup area, where the passenger has to sign for it, so that it is tracked through their system.

Well, that part of the process isn't working, obviously, and I told her that on both ends, my bag came off the carousel. I told her that I didn't like the idea of my bag with a firearm, or any bag with valuables in it for that matter, getting flagged so that anyone from baggage handlers to other passengers at the carousel could see the "steal me" orange tag. She said that she would pass it along, but that in order for me to actually get someone's attention, I needed to go online to the AA customer relations page and fill out a contact/complaint form. Which I did this evening, explaining the situation and my dissatisfaction with the policy, and that I would be taking a different airline when transporting a firearm. Just a few minutes ago, I received this response:

October 17, 2016

Dear Mr. N5WMK:

Thank you for contacting American Airlines Customer Relations.
We very much appreciate the time you took to send us your suggestion about our service in regards to our firearm baggage procedures. Your idea certainly has merit and it clearly reflects the thought that went into it.
It is always helpful for us to consider our service from our customers' perspective. We try to be responsive to our customers and carefully analyze trend information based upon their reactions. In this way we can identify those service elements that are most appealing as well as improve those that produce a negative response.
Our aim is to suit the needs and wishes of the majority of our customers. We have forwarded a copy of your comments to the appropriate management personnel with an eye toward improvement. As we determine the appropriate action in this regard, your preferences will be considered. Thank you for giving us the benefit of your observations.
We hope to welcome you aboard another American Airlines flight in the future.


Sincerely,

Kyle Calef
Customer Relations
American Airlines

Now, whether or not anything comes of this remains to be seen, but at least I've let AA know my thoughts. If I get anything from AA, I'll post it here.

[allisji]

I wonder at what point in the process the Orange Tag bags are theoretically supposed to be separated from the standard bags? I would guess that all of the bags are pulled off of the airplane and loaded on to the trucks, then when the bags are unloaded from the trucks and loaded onto the carousel they are supposed to separate out the bags with the Orange Tags.

Seems like there must be a better way to separate them to ensure that the tagged bags really do get separated. I would guess that even if you really stress the need for the bag crew to look for the tags, they will continue to miss them, because in a job that is as repetitive as unloading and loading bags it's nearly impossible to not get into a rhythm and not see one or two orange tags.

Seems like they should try to keep them as separate as possible from the other bags, by transporting them on separate trucks and loading them all last and unloading them all first.

[J.R.@A&M]

I've declared a firearm in my baggage on Southwest Airlines two times. Most recently was the week before Labor Day.

They never affixed anything to the outside of my bag.

Interestingly some airports they asked me to open the box and they placed the "Firearm declaration tag" inside the box. And at another one they told me that they aren't required to open the box and see the firearm, they just taped the tag to the outside of the box. They did have me wait with the bag until TSA came to run the bag through the scanner.

The other day I flew out of IAH, Terminal B on United. The United rep didn't seem to know where to put the declaration tag, so I suggested she tape it to the outside of the gun case, because "that's the way they did it [to allisji] last time", which she did. I hung around the TSA area til they told me "No problem, man, you can leave," so I went on through security. No special tags on the outside of the bag. My firearm was in a nanovault with the cable tied around the internal "spine" of the luggage.

[RoyGBiv]

OK, so this has been bothering me ever since it happened, and I decided today that I'd call AA customer service and see how far I could get. When finally (after about 8 minutes on hold) I got a person instead of the automated voice response system, I explained about the orange tag with "Return to BSO", and just asked "What does BSO stand for?" She said that it sounds like my bag should be going to Boston....

So I said it had nothing to do with Boston, but had everything to do with me declaring an unloaded firearm in my luggage while flying from DFW to Tucson and return. "Oh, well, let me transfer you to someone in Baggage Customer Service". More waiting on hold, then a really nice lady discussed the situation with me. BSO actually means Baggage Service Office, which is the area that certain items are supposed to go, if they are tagged. I asked what else besides firearms would have the orange tag. She said that some customers will ask for added insurance on high value items, and those also get the orange tag, and that the passenger would pick them up in the baggage service office. She did admit that the majority of the orange tagged bags do contain firearms. She repeated that the tagged items are supposed to go to the special pickup area, where the passenger has to sign for it, so that it is tracked through their system.

Well, that part of the process isn't working, obviously, and I told her that on both ends, my bag came off the carousel. I told her that I didn't like the idea of my bag with a firearm, or any bag with valuables in it for that matter, getting flagged so that anyone from baggage handlers to other passengers at the carousel could see the "steal me" orange tag. She said that she would pass it along, but that in order for me to actually get someone's attention, I needed to go online to the AA customer relations page and fill out a contact/complaint form. Which I did this evening, explaining the situation and my dissatisfaction with the policy, and that I would be taking a different airline when transporting a firearm. Just a few minutes ago, I received this response:

October 17, 2016

Dear Mr. N5WMK:

Thank you for contacting American Airlines Customer Relations.
We very much appreciate the time you took to send us your suggestion about our service in regards to our firearm baggage procedures. Your idea certainly has merit and it clearly reflects the thought that went into it.
It is always helpful for us to consider our service from our customers' perspective. We try to be responsive to our customers and carefully analyze trend information based upon their reactions. In this way we can identify those service elements that are most appealing as well as improve those that produce a negative response.
Our aim is to suit the needs and wishes of the majority of our customers. We have forwarded a copy of your comments to the appropriate management personnel with an eye toward improvement. As we determine the appropriate action in this regard, your preferences will be considered. Thank you for giving us the benefit of your observations.
We hope to welcome you aboard another American Airlines flight in the future.


Sincerely,

Kyle Calef
Customer Relations
American Airlines

Now, whether or not anything comes of this remains to be seen, but at least I've let AA know my thoughts. If I get anything from AA, I'll post it here.

I'll send them my thoughts as well. Thanks for the suggestion.

[allisji]

I've declared a firearm in my baggage on Southwest Airlines two times. Most recently was the week before Labor Day.

They never affixed anything to the outside of my bag.

Interestingly some airports they asked me to open the box and they placed the "Firearm declaration tag" inside the box. And at another one they told me that they aren't required to open the box and see the firearm, they just taped the tag to the outside of the box. They did have me wait with the bag until TSA came to run the bag through the scanner.

The other day I flew out of IAH, Terminal B on United. The United rep didn't seem to know where to put the declaration tag, so I suggested she tape it to the outside of the gun case, because "that's the way they did it [to allisji] last time", which she did. I hung around the TSA area til they told me "No problem, man, you can leave," so I went on through security. No special tags on the outside of the bag. My firearm was in a nanovault with the cable tied around the internal "spine" of the luggage.

that's the same way that I pack mine.

[mr1337]

Flew out of Austin last week on United. The check-in lady had me open my bag and unlock & open my nanovault (which is secured to the luggage with a cable wrapped around a solid part of the bag inside). She said I need to leave my box unlocked. I've checked my pistol many times at many different airports, but this is a first. I told her that policy is to keep it locked. She said that it needs to be unlocked for TSA. I objected again. Then, she basically said "whatever" and I locked the case back up and walked my bag to the TSA oversized bag screening, where the TSA clerk took my bag, ran it through the x-ray, and gave me the OK. I didn't have to open my bag or the case for TSA, contrary to what the United agent suggested. Even if I did, I would have been right there to do it.

For anyone flying with a firearm for the first time, make sure your hard-sized case is LOCKED at all points of transport unless you are showing TSA or your carrier that it is unloaded. And don't let them put anything on the outside of your bag that indicates there's a firearm inside.

[Abraham]

mr1337,

You posted: "And don't let them put anything on the outside of your bag that indicates there's a firearm inside."

...and if as AA insists despite your objection of tagging your firearm box with the orange tag, and you insist they don't, what then...?

Cancel your flight or go along with their orange tag policy or...?

[Syntyr]

Week before last, I traveled to Tucson. Like the previous 4 times that I have gone there recently, I carried my unloaded handgun properly packed per TSA and AA requirements. No problems with the ticket agent or TSA, but there was difference on this last trip compared to the other trips. Previously, the AA agent taped the declaration form the outside of the hard case inside my checked bag, and escorted me to the TSA x-ray location, where I waited while that person opened the bag, viewed the hard case and form, did an explosive residue wipe, and said all was OK.

I have flown with weapons more than a few times and every time that is the way it has worked for me. I flew with both United and Southwest. Never AA yet.

That sure seems like an odd procedure. Like a giant red flag that says Steal Me!!!

[MeMelYup]

The airline is saying the tag denotes a high value item. Doesn't the TSA reg state that the outside of a bag will not be identifiable as having a firearm in it?