The Truth About the TSA Skeleton Key for Locked Luggage
TSA is going to unlock it, one way or another.
You’ve probably seen TSA-approved luggage locks at airport stores. Maybe you even have a suitcase with one built in (and maybe, like me, you’re too afraid to inadvertently lock yourself out of your own bag to use such a contraption).
But what are TSA-approved locks—and do you actually need one to keep your luggage safe?
Hang onto your packing cubes and let us explain:
TSA Locks: What they are and why you should use them
TSA Locks are regular luggage locks with one big caveat: They’ve been approved by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to allow security agents to easily open your suitcase should they need to get inside.
The thing is, once your suitcase leaves your hands at check-in, it goes through an X-ray and explosives detection security screening, much like the one you go through with your carry-on bags. If something in your checked suitcase sets off an alarm or raises a screener’s suspicion (Hint: Cordless curling irons are a no-no!), it will be flagged for inspection.
If your suitcase is locked—which about half of all bags are, according to Consumer Reports—the TSA will find a way to unlock it. And that’s a heck of a lot easier if you’ve got a TSA-approved lock.
“It makes sense that people really want to lock their baggage, and TSA has a need to be able to inspect all things going onto an aircraft,” said TSA spokesperson Carter Langston. “So TSA, many years ago, developed with the private sector this TSA-approved lock that people can use.”
How TSA locks work
It’s simple: TSA security screeners have a master key that can open any TSA-approved lock—whether it’s a combination or a padlock-style lock—so that agents can examine the contents of your suitcase.
If you’ve got any other kind of lock and the TSA needs to get into your bag, they’ll just break the lock, which could damage your suitcase (for which TSA isn’t liable) and leave your luggage unlocked moving forward. Same goes for if you’ve wrapped your bag tight with Saran Wrap to prevent theft (sounds crazy, but it’s actually not a bad idea!).
You’ll get a note from the TSA that your suitcase was inspected, though agents aren’t required to detail what items triggered the search or what, if anything, was removed.
OK, but do you need to lock your luggage in the first place?
Well, it can’t hurt. According to Langston, theft from baggage at the airport is extremely rare. Checked bags are almost always under closed-circuit camera supervision, at least when they’re in the TSA’s hands, Langston said (though, apparently, that didn’t stop these guys from stealing cash from bags from a Miami Airport TSA checkpoint).
According to a 2024 Baggage Insights report by SITA, a company that handles IT operations for international airlines, about seven out of every 1,000 bags were “mishandled” in 2023. The vast majority of these, however, were baggage delays (77%) followed by damaged or tampered bags (18%), then lost or stolen bags (5%). There was no mention, specifically, of theft from bags.
Still, whether or not locks can save your stuff, travel experts say they’re a good deterrent.
“If somebody wants to get into your bag, they’re going to get through any of those locks in an instant,” said Stan Sandberg, the cofounder of TravelInsurance.com, a comparison site for travel insurance. “If there’s a bag with a lock and one without a lock, they’re going to go to the one without.”
And then there’s this: Your checked luggage navigates a labyrinthine roller coaster of conveyor belts to get to your airplane before doing it all over again and being dumped into baggage claim at your final destination. Theft isn’t the only thing you have to worry about.
“A lock is also going to prevent the bag from unzipping or opening accidentally,” Sandberg said.
How to know if your lock is TSA-approved
All TSA locks have a distinctive Red Diamond logo. Each lock also has a code used by the TSA (and other international agencies) to tell the TSA which master key to use to open the lock (there are reportedly seven different keys).
Do TSA-approved locks work internationally?
Yes. TSA locks are accepted in the United States and Canada, as well as most countries worldwide, including New Zealand, Australia, Japan, Brazil, China, Vietnam, and more. For a full list, go to TravelSentry.org.
Are they good locks?
Let’s just say nobody should use them to lock their bank safe. Reddit users complain that many TSA locks are easy to pick, and there are a slew of “TSA Master Keys” on Amazon claiming to do the job. To test this, I bought this TSA master key and was able to successfully open both of my TSA combination locked suitcases (though I should note that the $5.99 key got stuck in one of them, and I had to break it to get it out).
Locks aside—if you don’t want your bag opened by security, don’t pack prohibited items
Only about 5 percent of bags are singled out for inspection (it can happen at random or because there’s something questionable inside). So no matter what kind of lock you use, chances are it will stay put during its journey if you follow the rules.
“The best thing passengers can do if they don't want to see the courtesy note and have their bag inspected is to know what is allowed and what’s not allowed in checked baggage,” Langston said.
Some common items that may inadvertently end up in checked bags (and could even land you a hefty fine) include:
- Spare lithium batteries (like power banks and cell phone battery charging cases)
- Certain adhesives, including rubber cement and some super glues
- E-cigarettes, lighters, matches
- Cordless curling irons (they contain butane, which could explode)
- Fireworks (including 4th of July-type sparklers)
Unsure whether you can pack your favorite superglue? (Hint: the answer is probably no). The TSA has a “What Can I Bring” tool on its website where you can search for specific items.