SAN DIEGO -- Nils Grevilius is single-handedly taking on the airlines.

"Am I going to win? Yes, I am going to win," said Grevilius.

He is suing United/Sky West over a stolen laptop computer, one that was taken by an airline employee.

The airline doesn't deny it, and said Grevilius' bag was scanned after coming off his plane but never made it to the luggage carousel.

"They did nothing, they did nothing and they defended doing nothing," said Grevilius.

His complaint is not new, nor is the airline's response. The fine print on a plane ticket says the airlines will not cover lost or stolen electronics.

It just so happens electronics are exactly what many thieves are stealing most frequently from a passenger's luggage.

"Electronic items are common; laptops, iPods, jewelry and cash …," said Lt. Bill Kellerman of the Harbor Police.

At Lindbergh Field, the Harbor Police have processed 79 theft complaints since January 1. But the real number of thefts is unknown since the Harbor Police are not the only ones responsible for taking claims, and other agencies do not have local data, only national.

When a bag or an item from a bag is missing at Lindbergh, a passenger might also report it to the airlines or the Transportation Security Administration and Gen. Michael Aguilar.

"We are not a fortress in San Diego and we never will be," said Aguilar.

Aguilar said his TSA officers are likely not the ones responsible for the majority of the thefts at Lindbergh Field.

There has been one TSA employee arrested this year for pilfering a bag but it is estimated that for every one TSA inspector who touches a bag, eight other non-TSA employees also have access.

"The actual time it is under TSA control is very, very small," said Aguilar.

The rest of the time, a passenger's things are with airline employees or contract workers.

Traveler Roman Bogomoly said he believes an airline employee or contract worker stole from him.

"When I did open the bag, half of the items were missing; two shoes, three shirts, three jackets," said Bogomoly.

More than $2,000 worth of high-end clothing was missing, he said.

"They even went through the toiletries and picked out cologne, which I was very offended by," said Bogomoly.

When he called to report it, the airline agent was not surprised.

"Her response was, unfortunately, 'This is not the first time this has happened,'" he said.

All airlines at Lindbergh use contractors along with regular employees to handle baggage.

"Contractors, vendors that work with carriers have a lot of opportunities. They are there on the restricted areas. They aren't always visible. They have access to checked baggage that others do not," said Kellerman.

But just how are they getting stuff out of the airport without getting caught? Insiders said they are going through back gates used for mail and cargo or even just walking straight out the front doors.

"They can put it in a backpack, stash it on airport property and retrieve it later," Kellerman said.

There is nothing to stop them.

"It isn't hard for them to get it off the airport because they are not searched when they leave the airport," said Kellerman.

Neither is anyone else, for that matter.

The 10News I-Team wanted to see just how easy it was for anyone to get out of the airport with something that didn't belong to them.

The I-Team hid cameras well out of view as reporter Kerstin Lindquist approached the baggage carousel. A bag Lindquist picked up did not belong to her and she managed to get it through the front door.

On a second attempt, this time with a bigger bag, she was even assisted by a fellow passenger.

"The baggage claim carousels are another opportunity because we don't have people checking claim tags or bag tags when people walk away with their baggage," said Kellerman.

Eight years ago, the airlines stopped paying for bag checkers at carousels.

The bottom line is no one is watching, not what's getting out … so, what about what is going in?

"Why would an airline believe that a person who steals things from people's luggage would not put a bomb in a person's luggage?" said Kellerman.

Grevilius did win his lawsuit, as a judge ordered United to reimburse him for his stolen laptop, overriding the small print. The settlement was only a couple thousand dollars but the impact is precedent-setting, putting a little more control back in the hands of the passenger.