one2gofst, it takes a real man to admit your mistake and stand up and say, "[I feel] bad about wrongfully accusing the airline/TSA."
It's the right thing to do, though, and to do it here on the forum publically.
I respect you for that.
I'm not saying it doesn't happen, but theft from checked luggage is way down post 9/11. The people handling the baggage are more carefully vetted themselves now. And the areas where checked baggage are handled are under a lot more surveilance now too.
Theft from checked luggage is the responsibility of the airlines. It is the airline's responsibility to persue the matter with TSA if they believe that TSA is at fault.
If you have valuables in your checked luggage, it's a good idea to snap a few digital pictures of them before you pack them. I like to use the morning newspaper from my departure city as a background. Then snap a picture of two of the items in your suitcase. If all goes well, you can just delete those pictures right off your camera. They cost you nothing. And most digital cameras have some way to display pictures right on 'em. So, if need be, you can show your pictures to the baggage agent at your destination airport immediately.
If you're traveling with valuables in your checked luggage, you can request a hand-inspection of your checked bag in your presence and then you can lock the bag before it's taken away to go to the plane. The practical procedures for this vary from airPORT to airPORT. Notice I said airPORT not airline. No major airport has been built post-9/11, so no major airport was designed to accomodate the post-9/11 security changes. As a result, each airport has had to figure out how to work the post-9/11 security changes including 100% screening of checked baggage using 3D x-rax machines that are the size of school buses. Where to practically put those giant machines and how to fit them into the flow differs from airport to airport.
The best thing to do is call your airline's ticket desk at the airport you'll be departing from and ask them what practical procedures to follow and how much extra time to allow. Notice that I said to call "your airline's ticket desk at the airport," not the airline's national 1-800 reservations number. The very best that the people on the national 800 line can do is read you a vague paragraph or two off of their computer screen. These new security measures are very dynamic. The information on the computer screen could very easily be out of date. You want to talk to someone on the ground in the airport you'll be going out of who deals with these issues day-to-day.
Several people have suggested (in this tread and others on the same topic in the past) somehow securing the knife to the luggage itself perhaps using a zip-tie, some paracord, or even a small paddlock inside the bag. These are great suggestions if the knife and your bag allow them.
Finally, when you arrive, check for your valuables immediately. Your claim will be much more credible if you file it at your arrival airport immediately after the baggage arrives. Just go to the baggage service desk for your airlines and explain the matter.
