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This is why I stand right where the bags first appear and watch closely.

That and... Houston.

All of this could be prevented if Airports would have Airport Personnel check and confirm your baggage claim check against the baggage you pick up.

This is common practice - or at least it is in West Africa where we live and work in the oiflelds, and in many parts of Europe we have flown to and around and used domestic airlines. Before you can leave the airport you must show your Claim Check Tag to Security personnel for your luggage. It does not take but a very short time - usually less than one minute.

This has bothered me for years on domestic flights in the USA as anyone can walk in off the street in lots of airports and get next to the domestic baggage claim. Fairly often the baggage claim area is a long ways from the where we de-plane from and it takes awhile to get to baggage claim - and bags are just left to lay until you get there.

We can't stand thieves.

I think it is the public's own fault. We use to have a person comparing claim tickets to luggage at the El Paso Airport. People got to cutting through and ignoring the check point. It got to where there needed to be half a dozen security personnel present to make it work. The Airport finally gave up.

I've seen airline workers checking baggage tags against tickets (at the luggage carousel) only a very few times (three? maybe?) in my whole "flying career" of the last 30+ years. I always scurry to the luggage carousel and stand as close to the point where the luggage pops out as I can.

Your main line of security is that there are so many bags, the odds of yours getting snatched are low. But for somebody it becomes 100%.

In the 80's I flew from Albany NY to Orlando FL, I was taking 2 of my competition firearms. When I checked them in at Albany they put a orange strap around my gun case, firearm enclosed. When I got to Orlando the case did not come out on the carousel, I was freaking out. I was told to go to security to claim it, that was cool. Then on the return flight when I was in Albany the case came out on the carousel, not cool.

They had that at Lindbergh Field for several years. The baggage area was fenced off, with one exit manned by an 80 lb. Filipino woman standing at the head of a perpetually long line.

People react to it like checking receipts at Costco, like an accusation of dishonesty or something. It also runs afoul of the "you can't make me!" syndrome. Some would hide their claim checks, claiming they were left on the plane, anything to screw up the process so they could complain.

Now (last time I was there) it's every man for himself, grab and go.