PETALING JAYA: Chow May Sim (not her real name) thought she could unwind on her evening flight from Kuala Lumpur to Germany for a business trip.
Flying business class on a premium airline, she looked forward to a smooth, day-long journey with a transit in Istanbul, Türkiye, before touching down in Germany.
However, when she checked into her hotel in Germany, she was horrified to find that her laptop, which she had packed in her carry-on, was missing.
The incident, which happened nearly two years ago, completely ruined her trip.
“My bag was placed in the overhead compartment just behind me, as the one directly above me was full. My mistake was that I had left it unzipped, and I did not notice the loss until well after disembarkation,” she said in narrating one of the many tales of in-flight thefts which are now treated as a significant problem.
Chow said she recalled a fair-skinned Asian woman who sat behind her shortly after boarding at KL International Airport, and was engaged in conversation with a man beside her.
“The flight attendant then came over to tell the woman that she was in the wrong section [she was not a business class passenger], and the passenger then opened the overhead bin, presumably to retrieve her belongings before moving seats.
“I noticed that the attendants were sort of eyeing the passenger, but I did not think much of it as I felt very safe in business class,” she said, adding that the theft was particularly brazen since the cabin lights hadn’t even dimmed yet.
On social media, there are hundreds of comments from air passengers flying various airlines, recounting how they suffered thefts of both large items and tiny, valuable items such as jewellery, cash, or phones.
At the International Air Transport Association (IATA) AGM in Delhi in June, the issue of stolen personal belongings was raised as a matter of increasing concern in several regions. The IATA is an airline trade body that represents 360 airlines, including Malaysia Airlines, Batik Air Malaysia, and AirAsia Malaysia.
Several media outlets covering the event reported that the spate of thefts has prompted the IATA to discuss over the next few months how best to tackle the issue.
The IATA declined to respond to The Star’s request for more information, referring instead to existing media coverage.
That coverage quoted Nick Careen, IATA’s senior vice-president for operations, safety and security, who said in-flight theft had become more frequent in certain sectors over the past 12 to 18 months.
“Our security advisory group is planning to meet in the next week or two to discuss what we could potentially do to better manage this – out of China mostly, where it seems to be very organised,” he said to the media on June 3, adding that “the concern is the degree of organisation in recent cases”.
The problem is serious enough that aviation blogger Sam Chui dedicated a full YouTube segment to it.
He revealed how theft syndicates (versus the opportunistic small timers) are often behind the crimes, even buying business class tickets if they’ve determined a target is worth it.
The more sophisticated syndicates will even collude with ground staff, he claimed.
“For example, someone buying a luxury item at the airport will have to show their boarding pass, which gives the details of their flight and seat number. Syndicate members – with several distributed all over the aircraft – will use flexible [open] tickets to join the target on the same flight.”
It is also not always necessary for the thieves to carry the loot away from the plane themselves, as small items can be hidden in the cabin’s nooks and crannies, such as in toilets, to be retrieved by the cleaning crew or other ground staff involved, he said.
According to retired pilot Capt Lim Khoy Hing, any public discussion of in-flight theft is a sensitive issue.
“Airlines are generally reluctant to comment on such matters for several reasons – mainly due to concerns over negative publicity, passenger confidence, and the legal implications surrounding individual cases.
“Cabin crew are trained to observe unusual behaviour and discreetly monitor suspicious activity, but their role is limited without clear complaints or evidence.
“In many cases, passengers may not realise their belongings are missing until after disembarkation, making investigation and recovery difficult,” he said.
When contacted, AirAsia said in-flight security is a key aspect of airline operations, and this includes measures to mitigate in-flight thefts.
“As a collective industry-wide response, our security team works closely with other airlines, enforcement agencies, and airport authorities to maintain a watch list of suspected individuals and a blacklist of known offenders – supporting coordinated prevention efforts and timely response protocols,” Andi Kalzaidi Zulkefli, the security head for the AirAsia Aviation Group, told The Star.
“In addition, AirAsia’s cabin crew are trained to stay alert and respond appropriately to any suspicious behaviour.
“Upon discovery, the airline reports such incidents to the relevant authorities.
“The airline also encourages guests to remain mindful of their personal belongings and to inform our crew should they observe anything unusual,” he added.
While airlines quietly do their part, passenger vigilance appears to be the best effective countermeasure.
“Remember, thieves also fly business class,” Chui warned.
