Checked Baggage Screening



SFO has one of the most technologically innovative and sophisticated Baggage Screening Operations in the nation, allowing CAS to screen all checked baggage with minimal physical searches by CAS baggage screeners.


Frequently Asked Questions

From the moment you drop off your luggage at the ticket counter to the time you claim it from the arrival carousel, your items will change hands many times as they travel to your destination. This is an example of what you might expect:
  • When you arrive at the Airline Counter and drop off your checked baggage, an airline employee will place your bag on a conveyor belt, delivering your items into the San Francisco International Airport (SFO) checked baggage screening system.
  • Your luggage will then travel through the nation’s most sophisticated and fully automated checked baggage system designed to examine checked baggage and clear it for safe air travel. The checked baggage screening system at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) allows all checked baggage to be screened and cleared automatically with minimal physical inspections needed by CAS personnel.
  • If your checked baggage requires physical inspection, it will be inspected in a fully supervised and video-monitored checked baggage inspection area.
  • If your checked baggage is locked with a lock that is not TSA-recognized, that lock (even if built-in) may have to be broken to gain baggage access. For more information on TSA-recognized locks, please visit the TSA website at www.tsa.gov.
  • Hazardous or prohibited materials will be reported to and removed by your air carrier for the safety of the traveling public. To see a full list of hazardous materials, please visit the FAA website at www.faa.gov. To see a full list of prohibited items, please visit the TSA website at www.tsa.gov.
  • CAS baggage screeners record each bag that has been inspected and then insert a Notice of Inspection (NOI), where you will find the badge number of the screener who conducted the inspection and a stamp indicating when and where the baggage search occurred.
  • Your specific feedback is relayed directly to the employees and their supervisors and used to enhance training and performance.
  • Once inspection is passed (either automated or physical), your baggage continues through the conveyor system and returns to the control of your airline’s personnel.
  • Your luggage is then sorted by your airline and transferred to the correct holding area for your flight, where it awaits transport to your aircraft.
  • When your flight is prepared for departure, your luggage is then transported by the airline or the airline designees across the tarmac to the waiting aircraft cargo hold and stowed for transport.

To ensure the highest quality of service. CAS baggage employees are closely monitored by direct supervision and a Closed Circuit Television System monitored by TSA and the Airport. At no time does CAS personnel screen baggage or perform their duties alone, unobserved or unsupervised.

CAS Baggage Screeners take personal accountability and pride in their work. A CAS Notice of Inspection (NOI) will be inserted into your luggage to let you know that your checked baggage was inspected. A CAS NOI is unique and differs from the TSA’s NOI—on it, you will find the badge number of the screener who conducted the inspection and a stamp indicating when and where the baggage inspection occurred. If you did not find a CAS NOI in your luggage, a physical inspection of your luggage was not required.


Checked Baggage FAQs

A CAS Notice of Inspection (NOI) will be inserted into your luggage to let you know that your checked baggage was inspected. A CAS NOI is unique and differs from the TSA’s NOI—on it, you will find the badge number of the screener who conducted the inspection and a stamp indicating when and where the baggage inspection occurred. If you did not find a CAS NOI in your luggage, a physical inspection of your baggage was not required.

CAS screeners have tools for opening and relocking checked baggage that use certain locks, thus avoiding damage to the lock or bag if a physical inspection is required. To read more about TSA-recognized locks, please visit the TSA website at www.tsa.gov.

Lighters, matches, explosive materials, flammable items, and disabling chemicals are always prohibited in checked baggage. Hazardous materials, which are regulated by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), are also not allowed in checked baggage. Hazardous or prohibited materials will be reported to, and removed by your air carrier for the safety of the flying public. For a detailed list of hazardous items, please visit the FAA website at www.faa.gov.

  • Avoid packing jewelry, electronic equipment, cash, or other valuable items.
  • Pack all fragile items in the original manufacturer’s packaging or have them wrapped in appropriate protective material (i.e. bubble wrap, foam, etc.). Do not wrap fragile items in clothes, towels or other material not specifically designed for protecting fragile items.
  • Do not put film in your checked baggage; the screening equipment will damage it.
  • Avoid packing food and drink items.
  • Do not pack Hazardous Materials in your luggage.
  • Do not pack containers subject to leakage from changes in air pressure (i.e. pressurized containers such as aerosol spray cans).
  • To see more packing tips, please visit the TSA website at www.tsa.gov

Hazardous Materials are regulated by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and cannot be carried onboard or in checked luggage. CAS screeners are required to notify air carriers of hazardous materials found during a checked baggage inspection. The air carrier will determine whether the item is to be confiscated. Inquiries relating to Hazardous Materials that have been removed from your luggage should be directed to your air carrier. To read more about Hazardous Materials, please visit the TSA website at www.tsa.gov.

Under certain circumstances, CAS will pay the fair market value for items missing from your checked baggage. For more information, please click here.