Carry-on luggage is being stolen—Swiss warns of thieves on this route

Here's what it's all about

• There have been repeated incidents of theft from carry-on luggage on flights between Zurich and Hong Kong. The perpetrators are said to have struck mainly at night.
• Swiss is responding by issuing warnings to passengers and raising cabin crew awareness about suspicious activity.
• The airline says these are rare, isolated incidents. No increase in such thefts has been observed on the rest of the Lufthansa Group's route network.

Summary created with

Anyone flying between Zurich and Hong Kong should keep a close eye on their valuables. There have been repeated incidents of theft from carry-on luggage on this route in recent months. This was reported by the aviation portal “aero telegraph” . The perpetrators are said to have struck mainly at night, when the cabin lights were off and many passengers were asleep.

Swiss has confirmed isolated incidents. While these are “very rare” relative to the airline’s total flight volume, a spokesperson for the airline said. Swiss has not provided exact figures. Nevertheless, the airline is taking action: In an internal memo, it has alerted cabin crew to the recent increase in reported thefts. Crew members are advised to store their own luggage and valuables in lockable storage compartments whenever possible.

Crew members are being educated

In addition, crews on the Hong Kong route are specifically instructed to report any suspicious activity. “When cases are reported, we notify the authorities at the destination so that they can investigate upon arrival and, if necessary, detain any suspects,” says the Swiss spokesperson.

Passengers are now being warned as well. On flights between Zurich and Hong Kong, Swiss makes standard cabin announcements. In these announcements, passengers are urged to keep their valuables with them and not to stow them in the overhead compartments.

The Lufthansa Group does not currently see this as a problem across its entire route network. A spokesperson stated that the company has not observed an increase in such cases.