This post is extremely disturbing, I mean disturbing enough that I woke up at 4am thinking about it ... doesn't it bother you? ... people search your bags and destroy your stuff without you being present! It really sucks to be in America right now, how can you let this happen. Who on earth is going to stop your governments insanity, you've lost all sense of liberty. I just don't understand what happened to the fighting spirit of America to be so submissive.
I've had more luggage damaged, more things stolen out of my luggage, and more luggage misrouted to other places in the world besides where it was supposed to go when traveling through London-Heathrow than through any other airport, bar none. I do my best to go anywhere but Heathrow, but there are times when it is unavoidable due to cost and scheduling logistics.
I don't pack anything valuable in checked luggage anymore. Nothing. Anything valuable that I need at my destination and that I cannot carry in carry-on luggage personally, I ship with an insured carrier like UPS, DHL, or FedEx.
Of course, traveling with almost any airline nowadays is tantamount to paying someone to torture you and pick your pocket clean. I won't tire you with the last simple trip home from New York to San Francisco, which took two full days and cost me an extra $250 beyond the fare that I'd already purchased, for no real reason at all.