On a Hong Kong Express Airlines flight 599 from Phu Quoc, Vietnam to Hong Kong on Wednesday, a passenger caught someone going through carry-on bags that didn’t belong to them. The backpack ownerof a backpack found cash missing, and the alleged thief discarded stolen items once he realized he’d been made. On arrival, passengers were told to remain in their seats while police boarded the aircraft and dealt with the man.
There have been an average of over 15 theft cases on Hong Kong-bound flights per month. About 70% were on short-haul Southeast Asia routes, with Vietnam among the main departure points.
- pairs or small groups target short Asian trips
- they buy last-minute tickets, avoiding checked bags, and take only some cash or a few credit cards – hoping the haul is small enough that the victim doesn’t realize right away
- they switch up airlines and routes
Fellow passenger reported a thief caught stealing from carry-on bags on today’s HK Express flight from Phu Quoc. More airlines are now fitting CCTV cameras for better cabin security. Concerning trend…. pic.twitter.com/GnOBfuvHDW
— Fahad Naim (@Fahadnaimb) April 1, 2026
There’s online discussion of airlines “fitting CCTV cameras for better security” because of this but that’s not broadly true. It’s not common practice. While often discussed, cabin surveillance video isn’t being broadly adopted outside of cockpit door monitoring systems.
Cathay Pacific does collect “your images captured via CCTV in our airport lounges and aircraft,” but that’s normal airport cameras and the cockpit door camera. That’s not cameras in the cabin (or lavatories!).
American Airlines and Singapore Airlines both acknowledged built-in cameras in some seatback entertainment systems in 2019, but those were not actually activated.
After 9/11, there was a move to require video cameras inside commercial aircraft but that’s a requirement labor unions pushed back on hard – it’s one thing to monitor passengers but they did not want to be monitored. (It’s the same line of reasoning that causes pilot unions to push back on extending the lenght of time that cockpit voice recorders store data for.)
People don’t put locks on their carry on bags? Even the small ones have zippers you can put a lock on.
What really bugs me is that airlines do not insist that passengers put their carry on in the bins directly above their seats. The airlines insist on this with premium seats but not the “cattle car”. “This bin for seats “Row XX Seats ABC ONLY” and then enforce it. After all, the flight attendants are spread throughout the cabin. With exception to CRJs, the bins are big enough for those who have correct size carryon.
Phu Quoc? Such fun sounding places. Phonetically, is that really, ‘foo-kok’? Add it to the Bangkok pile. Anyone interested in a Hong Kong-based jeweler? Chow Tai Fook! Phuket!
Cabin CCTV should be a no brainer for airlines, stop thefts but also have records of unruly passengers. I am willing to bet the only reason they don’t is FA unions don’t want their employees feeling like they are being watched, which imo is not a good enough excuse.