Nick Bradbury's story, of confused and incompetent herding by Southwest following last week's crash-landing in New York, is unsettling enough. But the fact that his laptop and other gadgets were "misplaced" by the staff who emptied the abandoned plane of carry-on luggage is an astounding coda.
The next day Southwest delivered our bags to our hotel but my carry-on wasn't among them. It arrived a day later – without my MacBook Pro. That, along with an Apple TV and a Lightning cable, had been stolen from my bag. Southwest has agreed to reimburse me for these items once I provide proof that I purchased them (no problem, I have receipts). They claim the items weren't stolen but were more likely "misplaced" by someone sent on board to retrieve carry-on bags.
Leaving aside the specifics of which Southwest staff stole his stuff, I can't help but think of the incessant criminality of baggage handlers and the fact that nothing ever seems to be done about it. Who is stupid enough to check laptops and cameras? Even the airlines tell you not to. It always struck me as the clearest evidence that airport security is mere theater: who is better placed to bring down a plane than the people filling it with bags and boxes?
