Thai business class passenger had 200,000 baht stolen from overhead locker

 

Picture: Sanook

 

A Thai business class passenger on Thai Airways had 640,000 yen taken from an overhead locker while they were asleep.

 

Two other passengers also suffered theft on the flight to Japan.

 

Police were called as the passenger noticed the theft before getting off. A small notebook had been placed instead of the stolen bills.

 

A fellow passenger reported a Chinese man had been repeatedly wandering about while most slept on Saturday's flight.

 

Under his seat they found a stack of money.

 

Passengers have been warned to keep valuables on their person on flights.

 

Source: Sanook

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2018-05-28

I simply fail to understand how someone sitting their cannot notice someone opening the overhead locker and rummaging around in multiple bags, or they are in a very deep sleep how someone else does not see it, or the cabin crew. And from the thief perspective surely its a bit of a risk and needle in haystack situation. Why are people carrying so much money around with them anyway in this day and age?

Despite having some serious moments of anguish, I'm assuming the Thai passenger experienced a happy ending.

This is a good advert for Thai airways as they trumpet a return to profit!

I simply fail to understand how someone sitting their cannot notice someone opening the overhead locker and rummaging around in multiple bags, or they are in a very deep sleep how someone else does not see it, or the cabin crew.

In business class on a lie-flat seat after a meal it's easy to sleep well. The lights are usually dimmed and the flight crew are mostly in the galley area. I've often slept for 8 hours on long flights, and not woken once.

But I agree that to put large amounts of cash in a locker is stupid. I never have more than about 5,000B on me in cash, regardless of where I am. That's what bank cards are for.

If I was carrying 200,000 Baht, I sure wouldn't leave it in the overhead locker. Glad he got his money back, but not a smart move leaving it in the open to be nicked in the first place.

Just now, KittenKong said:

In business class on a lie-flat seat after a meal it's easy to sleep well. The lights are usually dimmed and the flight crew are mostly in the galley area. I've often slept for 8 hours on long flights, and not woken once.

But I agree that to put large amounts of cash in a locker is stupid. I never have more than about 5,000B on me in cash, regardless of where I am. That's what bank cards are for.

Yes its easy to sleep, but say there are 40 seats/beds in the cabin, it is a pretty big gamble and needle in the haystack for some guy to start opening lockers without arousing suspicion, or simply opening a locker where the person with the contents in there is not asleep. It just seems a strange situation.

10 minutes ago, smutcakes said:

I simply fail to understand how someone sitting their cannot notice someone opening the overhead locker and rummaging around in multiple bags, or they are in a very deep sleep how someone else does not see it, or the cabin crew. And from the thief perspective surely its a bit of a risk and needle in haystack situation. Why are people carrying so much money around with them anyway in this day and age?

 

Good points. I wonder if there's anything in the cabin crew job description / cabin crew procedures about regularly walking around the cabin to watch for theft at the seat, from overhead bins etc?

 

On the other hand does anybody expect that Thai cabin crew would seriously follow this procedure (if it exists).

 

True, why do people carry so much cash money on flights and why is it in cabin bags in overhead lockers, not on their body?

 

Further, how come it's that easy for thieves to take the cash (or whatever) from bags in overhead lockers? I always put passport etc., in a zipped pocket which is fully inside of another zipped section of my bag. Not difficult, not a  total roadblock to professional thieves but it would take another half a minute or so to get to the document or whatever.   

 

This is becoming a regular event, perhaps there is a need for all airlines to make an announcement (several times) immediately on arrival for passengers to retrieve their bags from the overhead bin and do a quick check if anything is missing while the passengers are waiting for the airbridge to be connected and the door opened? 

 

 

 

could try this perhaps !

Apparently many airlines now have CCTV in the passenger cabins. Would really simplify situations like this. Wonder if Thai Airlines have them installed ?

Yes its easy to sleep, but say there are 40 seats/beds in the cabin, it is a pretty big gamble and needle in the haystack for some guy to start opening lockers without arousing suspicion, or simply opening a locker where the person with the contents in there is not asleep. It just seems a strange situation.

I dont know. In business class it's a fair bet that most bags will contain something of reasonable value. And often the cabins aren't full. And most seats that are in flat position probably contain a person who is at least dozing if not asleep.

Theft is certainly a gamble though. There was another report of a Chinese passenger stealing things on planes a couple of weeks ago.

Edited May 28, 20188 yr by KittenKong

I wonder if there's anything in the cabin crew job description / cabin crew procedures about regularly walking around the cabin to watch for theft at the seat, from overhead bins etc?

On the other hand does anybody expect that Thai cabin crew would seriously follow this procedure (if it exists).

On most airlines I've flown with cabin crew do check the cabin a few times an hour, at least on night-time flights. I would imagine that part of their job is to look for anything strange.

I have been on some short international daytime flights on small planes with no proper business class where a doggy bag of (rather nasty) food and drink was handed out in the boarding area and the cabin crew didnt put their noses outside the galley for the entire duration of the flight. TAP is one. Bl**dy awful service. The passengers on that flight could all have been slaughtered by an axe-wielding maniac and staff would be none the wiser until about 5 minutes before landing.

20 minutes ago, electric said:

Apparently many airlines now have CCTV in the passenger cabins. Would really simplify situations like this. Wonder if Thai Airlines have them installed ?

Even if they did they would not be working  ?

I am wondering who should be considered most stupid, the people leaving large sums of money in the lockers, or the idiot, who thought he could get away with it.

1 hour ago, KittenKong said:

In business class on a lie-flat seat after a meal it's easy to sleep well. The lights are usually dimmed and the flight crew are mostly in the galley area. I've often slept for 8 hours on long flights, and not woken once.

But I agree that to put large amounts of cash in a locker is stupid. I never have more than about 5,000B on me in cash, regardless of where I am. That's what bank cards are for.

 

5000 baht won't get many travelers through immigration if they ask to see their 20,000 baht.

 

Nor will it be of much use if you're entertaining customers and they drag you to a sushi place or "entertainment venue" that doesn't take plastic.  Or get you through a weekend if your card gets stolen or cloned on a Friday after the banks close.

 

5000 baht may work fine for your circumstances, but not everyone travels under the same conditions and cash is occasionally the only solution.  Besides, $6,000 isn't a whopping amount for an international business trip.

 

20 minutes ago, impulse said:

 

5000 baht won't get many travelers through immigration if they ask to see their 20,000 baht.

 

Nor will it be of much use if you're entertaining customers and they drag you to a sushi place or "entertainment venue" that doesn't take plastic.  Or get you through a weekend if your card gets stolen or cloned on a Friday after the banks close.

 

5000 baht may work fine for your circumstances, but not everyone travels under the same conditions and cash is occasionally the only solution.  Besides, $6,000 isn't a whopping amount for an international business trip.

 

some folk here will never understand why people travel with cash.

 

i always have a minimum of 1000 usd just in case.

all you need to do is land in a strange country once and find out your card has been blocked and you have only the equivalent of 100 bucks in your wallet. 

Edited May 28, 20188 yr by HooHaa

I wonder if he declared the cash when passing through emigration. 50,000 baht is the most that can be taken out of the country without declaring it.

If he didn't, he may be in trouble on his return.

Anyway, who would leave that much in an unlocked bag in an overhead locker when they might be sleeping. On Thai, people often have to put bags in lockers that are not directly over them, so it doesn't cause alarm to anyone awake to see someone opening a locker and looking in the bag, though obviously if they were doing it to all the lockers it should arouse interest.

all you need to do is land in a strange country once and find out your card has been blocked and you have only the equivalent of 100 bucks in your wallet.

I carry four cards for precisely this eventuality.

USD90 in cash got me into the USA last year for a one month stay. Along with my credit cards, of course.

A few years ago it was reported (in the US) criminals flying just to steal as it is easy to case out goods in the boarding area and nobody ever looks behind themselves.

Similar model pacsafe bag stays on me at all times. Passport, cards, and money. I’m not one of those stupid scum who will be opening the overhead lockers to get carry on bags during an emergency evacuation. They should be jailed 5 years.

3 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

I wonder if he declared the cash when passing through emigration. 50,000 baht is the most that can be taken out of the country without declaring it.

If he didn't, he may be in trouble on his return.

Anyway, who would leave that much in an unlocked bag in an overhead locker when they might be sleeping. On Thai, people often have to put bags in lockers that are not directly over them, so it doesn't cause alarm to anyone awake to see someone opening a locker and looking in the bag, though obviously if they were doing it to all the lockers it should arouse interest.

The OP clearly states the passenger had 640,000 yen (the Baht figure being the equivalent of this, i.e. about US$6k). So, no currency rules or regulations broken here.

6 hours ago, KittenKong said:

In business class on a lie-flat seat after a meal it's easy to sleep well. The lights are usually dimmed and the flight crew are mostly in the galley area. I've often slept for 8 hours on long flights, and not woken once.

But I agree that to put large amounts of cash in a locker is stupid. I never have more than about 5,000B on me in cash, regardless of where I am. That's what bank cards are for.

The only thing I've found out, the Dreamliner is aptly named.

I usually wear 'cargo pocket' trousers when travelling - they could get me arrested by the fashion police, but they are ideal for passport cash and cards. 

 

I've also heard of instances where someone has accidentally taken the wrong bag from the overhead bin, so at least you'll still have the essentials while you're recovering your bag.

This will be problems for the traveller... He brought 4 times the legal amount of Thailand unless he registered it.

1 hour ago, dabhand said:

The OP clearly states the passenger had 640,000 yen (the Baht figure being the equivalent of this, i.e. about US$6k). So, no currency rules or regulations broken here.

dabhand.. no need to do any conversions..hehe.... He had 200k thb.. Legal amount is 50k.

13 minutes ago, paahlman said:

This will be problems for the traveller... He brought 4 times the legal amount of Thailand unless he registered it.

perhaps you should read the article, then check currency limits for entering thailand.

Cash always in the front pocket.

 

Also have some safari style shirts with large pockets when flying.Very useful to put in the passport.

 

Avoid cargo pants as stuff can slip out from the leg pockets.

 

The suitcase always locked when stored in the above head locker  as it has other valuables (passport, purse, phone, computer etc.).

 

Issue solved.

1 hour ago, Kinnock said:

I usually wear 'cargo pocket' trousers when travelling - they could get me arrested by the fashion police, but they are ideal for passport cash and cards. 

 

I've also heard of instances where someone has accidentally taken the wrong bag from the overhead bin, so at least you'll still have the essentials while you're recovering your bag.

I even got the wrong laptop at the scanners. The other guy had exactly the same as mine.

7 hours ago, HooHaa said:

some folk here will never understand why people travel with cash.

 

i always have a minimum of 1000 usd just in case.

all you need to do is land in a strange country once and find out your card has been blocked and you have only the equivalent of 100 bucks in your wallet. 

I always carry at least the same, if on a trip maybe more, don't see why people are reluctant to carry cash, we all know the reasoning behind encouraging us to use cards!

7 hours ago, impulse said:

 

5000 baht won't get many travelers through immigration if they ask to see their 20,000 baht.

 

Nor will it be of much use if you're entertaining customers and they drag you to a sushi place or "entertainment venue" that doesn't take plastic.  Or get you through a weekend if your card gets stolen or cloned on a Friday after the banks close.

 

5000 baht may work fine for your circumstances, but not everyone travels under the same conditions and cash is occasionally the only solution.  Besides, $6,000 isn't a whopping amount for an international business trip.

 

1 hour ago, paahlman said:

This will be problems for the traveller... He brought 4 times the legal amount of Thailand unless he registered it.

 

OP states that the traveller had 640,000 yen stolen. No limit to foreign currency taken out of Thailand.

 

(provided that above USD20,000 is reported to Customs)

 

Had the guy taken THB, then yes, the limit is 50,000 and perhaps problems, but he had yen.

 

54 minutes ago, HooHaa said:

perhaps you should read the article, then check currency limits for entering thailand.

 

The OP said the flight was to Japan, not entering Thailand.