Airline passengers are usually justified to be cautious about their belongings—briefcases, purses, and other hand luggage—when they’re at an airport.
But all too often, many of those same airline passengers make the mistake of thinking that once they board the plane their possessions are no longer at risk. Not necessarily.
Consider the Hong Kong passenger on a long haul night flight who fell asleep on a plane from Dubai.
When he woke up, $260,000 in cash and valuables were missing from his carry-on luggage.
Most in-flight thefts are less severe, but many involve credit cards and smaller amounts of cash in carry-on bags, or suit jackets, and many happen on long haul flights.
Attention business travelers: if the flight attendant asks to hang your jacket in the coat closet, make sure your wallet and passport stay with you at your seat.
It’s often very hard to catch the airborne thieves, since so many passengers are usually sleeping.
Plus, there are at least 150 to 200 potential suspects.
