...We at Alaska Air Group strive to please, thank you very much...
I used to - and still do sometimes - travel with the bolt and rifle in separate bags. Probably won't prevent the random quick-theft of a rifle, but does make it useless to the [bleep] until he buys a new bolt and gets it fitted (unlikely).
So you have lost your rifle in either case, but thwarted any profit to the thief without the bolt. Used to carry the bolt with me as carry-on to lessen the chance that it would go astray, but that is no longer permissable.
Read up on the regs - basically you need a hard-side, lockable rifle case that one cannot get a hand into at any point once locked. In Alaska, at least, TSA will swab the case without opening it, unless they come up with a trace. Then they may have you open it. Don't know about elsewhere. You can include ammo (and other stuff)in the case. As noted by another poster, it is advantageous to get an over-size case and load it up to the 50 lb. (or whatever) limit..all airlines now have bag restrictions for numbers and weight, and differing costs for extra bags over the allowed "free" ones (if any). Research this, especially if traveling on more than one airline.
Alaska Airlines has different bag rules if traveling within the state (3 free, to 50 lbs ea), vs traveling interstate (one free, I think).
You will have to put a declaration inside the case before locking it up and letting TSA have it.
Get a good case - I happen to know how baggage handlers move bags...
and it is not with kid-gloves. Can't, when handling several thousand pounds of bags twice within the half-hour. Alaska Air has a 20 minute guarantee from door open to baggage well - or you get a $20 certificate for the asking for the next time you fly. It'sn a good 25 feet down the length of those baggage holds on the plane, with one guy at the bag-face, another at the hatch, and a third at the end of the belt loader, with bags coming fast and furious on heavy loads. We are only as gentle as conditions allow. Bags get slid hard, or even thrown down the length of the baggage hold - from our knees - it's a low overhead in there.
Baggage handlers may be employees of the airline (Alaska Air rampers within Alaska), or may be employees of a contract company (Outside). We like to think that those of us working directly for the airline are a cut above, with more pride and care in our work and employing airline...
You will have to claim your rifle at a separate location at larger airports, and show ID- your boarding pass will do. So keep the BP or picture ID handy. At smaller airports like Kotzebue, we do generally pass riflecases out to the customer thru the bagwell on presentation of ID, after the regular baggage is out.
