One woman's story may be a warning to travelers coming in and out of Lindbergh Field.
It involves stolen baggage, and an impending investigation into the patterns of thefts at San Diego’s busy international airport.
Dustine Rey returned from a family ski trip in Oregon to realize her baggage had been stolen off the conveyer belt at Lindbergh field. Inside her suitcase was a necklace from her late Grandmother, plus all her snowboarding gear. The estimated value of her bag and its content is about $5,000, she said.
At Lindbergh Field, the conveyer belt is just steps from the curb. Rey said this, combined with the fact that the airport does not have anyone to check baggage tags, contributed to the theft.
"Alaska airlines kinda knew right off the bat,” Rey said. “They said at 6:21, your baggage was scanned. It made it to San Diego. It made in onto the conveyer belt.”
According to her baggage claim number, it's not lost.
“Unfortunately, Alaska airlines said they have been seeing this increasingly in San Diego, and they didn't seem fazed by it."
At Lindbergh Field, the conveyer belt is just steps from the curb. Rey said this, combined with the fact that the airport does not have anyone to check baggage tags, contributed to the theft.
Harbor Police told NBC7 they have not noticed a spike in thefts, but acknowledged they do occur despite the security cameras in the baggage claim area.
"So, what was described to me is that this is somewhat of a common theft,” Rey said. “They pull up right where they would pick up someone. Someone gets out of the car. They walk right in, pick up the bags, and within 30 seconds they're back in the vehicle and they're gone."
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Rey says at least one other passenger on her flight had their bag stolen. And while she won't let this ruin her memories, she does not want it to happen to someone else.
"The wonderful memories far outweigh the things I lost, but I still would like to be proactive about letting people know this is a problem here in San Diego, and it's something that needs to be addressed."
Again, Harbor police said they have not noticed a spike in thefts, but said after this story they would take another look at those numbers, and what they look for are patterns.
The Airport Authority said the bags are the responsibility of the individual airlines.
