Travelers are still chasing compensation for lost luggage last summer! One suitcase went on a 12,400-mile journey across Canada and the US
- By 2022, more than 26 million pieces of luggage were delayed, lost or damaged
- Thousands of suitcases piled up at Heathrow, nicknamed ‘luggage heap’
- Nearly a year later, many readers are still vying for compensation
The rate of mishandled baggage doubled to 7.6 bags per 1,000 passengers in what has been dubbed “the year of lost baggage.”
Thousands of suitcases piled up at Heathrow in June, earning the nickname ‘heap of luggage’.
A report from Sita, an IT provider for the airline industry, cites the number of mishandled bags more than eight times higher for international flights than for domestic flights.
Nearly a year later, many Money Mail readers are still fighting for lost property compensation from flights taken in the summer of 2022.
Holiday Hell: By 2022, more than 26 million pieces of luggage worldwide were delayed, lost or damaged
Pauline Somers’ heart sank when the baggage carousel stopped without sending her suitcase through after her flight from Manchester to London last August. It was the first leg of a three-week journey through Alaska and Canada.
Little did the 67-year-old from Cheshire know that her luggage had embarked on an amazing 38-day expedition of its own.
Her case would travel more than 12,400 miles across Canada and America before being returned to her.
When it arrived, personal treasures had been looted, including photos of Pauline with her late husband, which she had wrapped to feel close to him.
She planned the “bucket list” vacation with her husband in 2020, weeks before his sudden death from cancer. Two and a half years later, she braved her maiden voyage without him.
Thanks to British Airways, she says it was the ‘holiday from hell’. Airline mistakes derailed its plans from start to finish, with five canceled flights, lengthy delays, unreachable support teams and, of course, lost luggage.
Just before takeoff from Manchester on August 24, the gentleman for Pauline asked an attendant if any suitcases on the tarmac might have belonged to them and was told that this was not the case.
“When we landed it became clear that they were ours and many people were in tears,” she says. In Canada, days were wasted traveling to airports when she was told her luggage would show up. But despite promises, it took weeks after she got home for it to be delivered.
Chaos: Lost luggage piles up worldwide, including thousands of suitcases at London Heathrow (pictured) in June, dubbed ‘luggage heap’
It had followed her to London, Toronto, Vancouver and Juneau in Alaska before being shipped to Seattle and returning to London.
British Airways offered her £1,394 compensation and 10,000 Avios but she is ‘shocked’ by the offer. ‘This holiday cost me over £8,000 and from day one I couldn’t wait to get home.
“I’ve wasted so much time at the airport, on the phone, and buying essentials, this barely covers it,” she says.
A British Airways spokesman said: ‘We apologize to our customer for the distress this situation has caused.
“We have made every effort to reunite them with their luggage as quickly as possible using different airlines and apologize for the inconvenience.”
According to watchdog, the Civil Aviation Authority, airlines are responsible for your losses when checked baggage is lost, delayed or damaged. But there are no rules governing how much compensation you should receive.
j.beard@dailymail.co.uk