Steal My Luggage Once, Shame on You. Steal it Twice, Shame on the TSA

Some advice for travelers - don't bring your hoity-toity luggage to John Wayne Airport in Orange County:

When Per Lindby got to John Wayne Airport on Aug. 4 for a trip to Rapid City, S.D., he checked his Louis Vuitton luggage and didn’t give it another thought.

He flew Delta Air Lines, first class, connecting in Minneapolis.

He arrived safely in Rapid City, but his luggage — a suitcase and a duffel bag — didn’t.

He called the airline.

When he told the Delta representative that his bags were Louis Vuitton, she told him not to hold his breath — they must have been stolen, he recalled.

“I was told my suitcase didn’t even make it on the plane,” he said.

Louis Vuitton is a luxury brand. Lindby said the suitcase cost $3,200 and the duffel $1,900.

Lindby, a Yorba Linda resident who owns a company that makes motorcycle parts, was left with nothing to wear for his South Dakota business trip. “Luckily, it’s not a really well-dressed job I have to perform,” he said.

Upon returning to Orange County, Lindby went to South Coast Plaza and bought new Louis Vuitton luggage. “We spend a lot of money on nice stuff because we make a pretty decent living,” he said of himself and his wife. “I guess when you make money, you buy some pretty stupid stuff sometimes.”

On Aug. 19, Lindby again boarded a Delta flight at John Wayne Airport. Again, he checked a Louis Vuitton suitcase. This time, his final destination was Madison, Wis.

Guess what?

The bag didn’t make it to Madison. A Delta representative again told him he shouldn’t count on getting it back, he said.

Lindby figures he’s out about $14,000 for the three pieces of luggage and their contents, which included Louis Vuitton shoes.

Mr. Lindby finally learned his lesson:

Lindby flew out of John Wayne again this week. This time, though, he wasn’t lugging Louis Vuitton.

“I went to Wal-Mart and bought a suitcase for $30,” he said.

Lindby and his Wal-Mart suitcase arrived without problems in Daytona Beach on Wednesday.

Of course, no one should have their stuff stolen regardless of what it costs, but when you travel with luggage that costs that much and is easily recognized you're kind of asking for it. Especially when you consider that your luggage will be out of your view for hours at a time and in the hands of people who can make more money selling your luggage than they can working their jobs for a week or two.

It's like people who drive black Cadillac Escalades.  You might as well put a "Steal Me" sign on it.

I bought a relatively inexpensive but fairly bulletproof Delsey suitbag way back in 1989 that has gone with me all over the country on more trips than I can remember.  Nobody will steal it because it doesn't look like anything special and even after 21 years the thing is still good as new and holds a ton of stuff.  I think it actually weighed in at 45 pounds on one trip.

You can have your Louis Vitton stuff.

I have a friend who works for the TSA at John Wayne.  I'll have to ask him if he's gotten any new luggage lately.