$625K in gold stolen at Miami International Airport

[FWAAA]

Can you see American's insurance feesing up to this lose? Or being sued by the owner for negligence!------ Are they "self-insured" on this also? -----If so, you know, someone had to change his shorts over this one!

AA isn't out any money unless this was AA's gold.

AA will not be (nor will any AA insurance) paying for this loss.

 

[TWU informer]

This is how to earn the right to enter negotiations and get a raise in pay and benefits for yourself and your coworkers. Satire of Course. IDIOTS make us all look bad.

 

[AANOTOK]

This is how to earn the right to enter negotiations and get a raise in pay and benefits for yourself and your coworkers. Satire of Course. IDIOTS make us all look bad.

And as long has humans exist, so will the IDIOTS...

 

[Mach85ER]

Maybe pilots should too just in case some mini's are missing!

Give me a break AANOTOK and KEV3188.

We don't have access to the minis or the cargo without direct camera surveillance. If the minis were offered, they'd come from a FA which would run the high risk of termination if it was carried out with any frequency. We aren't the problem.

Big deal, you exit out a portal, make it a random selection and bags are xrayed and the selectee gets a metal detector clearance. UPS hub employees did that 20 years ago.

eolesen,

While it's possible, for bag looters to work in teams, too much coordination is involved with what you suggest they'd do. Big time professional smugglers with high value targets? Maybe, not for the day to day looting.

My bags are subject to search on company property, and yes, I know of one pilot who was terminated, for 12oz catering found on a post flight search.

 

[Kev3188]

Give me a break AANOTOK and KEV3188.

I'll get right on that.

Just as soon as you stop painting all ramp crews with the same broad brush...

 

[WorldTraveler]

AA isn't out any money unless this was AA's gold.

AA will not be (nor will any AA insurance) paying for this loss.

you are kidding, right?

Carriers of all types have responsibility for the losses that occur while they are transporting property.

Where in the article or in any other information do you or anyone else have that the shipment wasn't properly declared? If the item was properly declared then AA or any other carrier would find it VERY HARD to avoid responsibility.

The notion that a shipper would drop off $625,000 worth of gold in an unmarked, undeclared suitcase or lie about the contents is a significant stretch of the stupidity of the shipper. And where does it say that it was passenger luggage and not a shipment? It is possible that one criminal ring outsmarted another and intercepted unmarked gold but there is nothing in the article to suggest that was the case.

Even if it was just an unmarked suitcase or passenger shipment, AA will have to pay standard international baggage liability.

But do you really think a criminal ring is going to be filing a claim or talking to the press about lost undeclared shipments?

Given that there have been repeated articles about theft and drug activity on AA flights to/from MIA, I'm not sure why anyone would NOT consider theft as a real possibility.

And this event which has been reported in the general press adds doubt to those shippers who properly declare their valuables and then hand them over to AA to be carried thru MIA.

 

[wings396]

Not too sure about that WT, I have seen all sorts of things shipped over the years without being declared. Granted many were exposed due to issues such as this, but none the less people do crazy things. Have even known of a counter to counter package to bust open during transit that was filled with cash. Needless to say, nobody showed up to cliam it on the receiving end. Don't underestimate what some people will do.

 

[WorldTraveler]

The missing article was a shipment, not passenger luggage, and it was properly declared.

AA is liable, they have criminal elements operating in their employee ranks, and insurance companies will either charge AA very high rates or will exclude employee-related criminal losses, esp. since there is indeed evidence showing that the box was properly unloaded at MIA.

http://www.reuters.c...lsSector&rpc=43

The way you stop crime, any crime in any situation, is by making the criminals pay, not every innocent person who does their job well- and there are plenty of good, honest people at AA. If AA were serious about the problem, they would make no square inch of their property inaccessible to surveillance equipment of multiple types, they would put in place procedures that would ensure the protection of honest employees and honest shipments, and ensure that criminals and their property is immediately confiscated and prosecuted by the law.

 

[miamifrank13]

i worked at mia for 20 yrs and the ramp cameras are very good.i am sure AA and law enforcement are pressuring all handling this cargo.coworkers of mine have been called in about missing shipments and even their phone records have been checked.if they cant find the gold it will be hard to prove theft but can show as improper handling of a high value shipment if it was properly declared. dunbar ships millions of dollars cash everyday from mia not a high value shipment as they guard them themselves

 

[WorldTraveler]

not sure when you left but there is a new terminal there. The fact that there is a blind spot that allowed something to happen which can't be tracked is evidence that there are holes in the security systems - and criminals of all types are very adept at exploiting those types of situations. I would hope MIA and AA have already invested in a whole lot more cameras to close every blind spot and make sure no activity can happen outside of the eyes of cameras.
I'm glad AA and the police have been as aggressive as you say they have been; the innocent people shouldn't have to worry about their jobs or their future because of the actions of the corrupt.

It is precisely because of the value involved that some companies should take security upon themselves. The article notes that gold is the number one import to MIA and most of it is destined for Switzerland. As I noted, it is not uncommon for either private or public security to be involved with shipments in Latin America.

Once again, the article notes that the gold was properly declared.

 

[700UW]

Isnt cargo for AA contracted out now?

 

[mike33]

not sure when you left but there is a new terminal there. The fact that there is a blind spot that allowed something to happen which can't be tracked is evidence that there are holes in the security systems - and criminals of all types are very adept at exploiting those types of situations. I would hope MIA and AA have already invested in a whole lot more cameras to close every blind spot and make sure no activity can happen outside of the eyes of cameras.
I'm glad AA and the police have been as aggressive as you say they have been; the innocent people shouldn't have to worry about their jobs or their future because of the actions of the corrupt.

It is precisely because of the value involved that some companies should take security upon themselves. The article notes that gold is the number one import to MIA and most of it is destined for Switzerland. As I noted, it is not uncommon for either private or public security to be involved with shipments in Latin America.

Once again, the article notes that the gold was properly declared.

If there was a blind spot then i would suspect someone in security knew about it and was involved in some way

 

[WorldTraveler]

whether it is contractor or actual AA employees, it is still AA's responsibility to ensure that the system is secure - just as it is to ensure that any carrier's aircraft are properly maintained regardless of who did the work.

 

[737823]

Isnt cargo for AA contracted out now?

Didn't the IAM facilitate UA contracting out cargo?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5d7G77sYWT4

Josh

 

[AANOTOK]

Isnt cargo for AA contracted out now?

Everywhere except MIA, DFW, ORD, JFK and LAX...They wanted it all outsourced but the deal made with the TWU was they would save those five stations and take back the 2.5% raise they had offered.