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[theolodian]

OK, not completely, but this is another classic example of a pathetic lack of orgaisation and service in the UK.

The missus' suitcase has been missing for 3 days.  She went through LHR on BA.  Her flight was late, they didn't think that she could make the connection in LHR so they gave away her seat, she made the connection by being un-British (pushy), got a seat and made it here fine.  However, her bag is completely missing after 3 days.  It hasn't been scanned in anywhere.  Ouside the UK they have been courteous and helpful and have searched the airports for the bag.  In LHR they have been largely courteous but massively useless, and forget anyone lifting a finger to sort out their mess.  :-?

I have had bags miss connections back in what I used to consider the bad days of flying.  They always showed up the next day.  Either the bad days are returning, or the UK never left them, or the UK is something else entirely.  

What is so pathetic is that there is a bar code on the tag.  All they have to do is scan the barcode and the bag is 'found'.  It also says where it needs to go on the tag, how hard can it be to send the bag on?

We are ringing round LHR; Information, Lost Property, Left Luggage, etc.  Trust me, the missus is giving them grief!    Every number she calls, and says they can't help her, she asks who they actually help.  Bring on the Polish immigrants I say, maybe their english is bad but at least they try to help!

[Marks DTM Calib]

Ask our resident LHR expert.....A380....he might be able to offer some sudgestions.

[markrl]

I think flying British Airways is a bit like eating British Beef, best avoided if at all possible. In terms of lost luggage they are an absolute bloody disgrace. The airlines own industry figures prove this. These are the muppets that have to freight transport misplaced luggage to a sorting centre in Italy. Unless your a premium First Class or Business class ticket holder they just could not give a damm. They have terrible industrial staff relations that rather like a dodgy appendix are likely to flare up at any time leaving you stranded in the filthy departure lounge of one BAA's third world airports. I think unless Willie Walsh and his motley crew start getting their act together fast they aint going to be in business in 10 years time. The market will ultimately punish British Airways in the same way it dealt with MG Rover.  

[Martin_1962]

Who cares about BA now - they got rid of COncorde so they are now just another airline.

Carry on complaining until it appears.

It cannot just vanish

[Dazzler]

PM sent

[markrl]

I quite agree, but at the end of the day British Airways need your custom far more then you need to fly BA. You can always fly on another much better airline. They will simply go bust without customers.
Sit back and enjoy the specture as Wilie Walsh goes cap in hand to the taxpayer to bail out his bankrupt airline and laugh as he is forced to hand out redundancy notices to his strike prone worforce.
They need you far more then you need them.

P.S. You could always fly Lufthansa, the Germans dont only just make great cars there also pretty good at running an airline with a customer service ethos  

[JamesV6CDX]

Agree with Mark - talk to ryan...

[theolodian]

Thanks you guys, but I don't think that there is anything anyone can do.  We went to the airport here yesterday and spent 1.5 hrs talking to people and looking through piles of bags.  (The piles here are on other airlines that may have brought bags from Chicago, Boston, etc.  Every one of those bags was scanned into the computer though.)  

The bag is definitely in LHR.  The thing is every time that they send a telex to LHR about a bag they get the reply that there are 3,000 bags in the pile at LHR and they don't have time to go look for any 1 bag.  They aren't even scanning them into the computer, the airport here was supposed to get 6 bags according to the computer the other day and they actually got 39.  Fair enough I guess, fastest way to get through the backlog.  Some bags were from Saturday, one was from the 12th, so hopefully that roughly frames how long it will take.

BA here is getting bags out right away.  So all we can do is wait.  We spent the next 3 hours at the mall getting some clothes and whatnot.  It isn't the end of the world as long as the bag shows up eventually, which it most likely will.  Annoyingly, their system for giving out money to buy necessities with while you wait for your bag is broken.    So we have to submit a claim and wait up to 8 weeks to argue over reimbursement.    

Need to do at least one more trip for; Jeans, hat , socks, swimsuit, and so on.  The mall was total mayhem last night, but at least I found Heros Season 1 on DVD for £10!    Gotta love the prices over here!

[Markjay]

My suitcase was lost on a business trip to West Africa a while back, and Air France gave me some money (over $100 USD iirc) to help me buy essential stuff until the suitcase shows up (and it did, a day later). My understanding is that this is a general rule applying to all airlines, though possibly only if the suitcase is lost on the outward leg of the journey (i.e. not when going back home). HTH.

[MikeDundee]

I must have been lucky then, all our luggage did'nt come back with us a couple of years ago, but was delivered the next day, and last in Thailand travelled business class first off plane, but one of my packages did'nt come off, neverthless delivered to the hotel the next day. Just your bad luck

[theolodian]

I think that the fatal error was connecting through LHR.  Like certain airports in the northern US, to be avoided if at all possible this time of year.  I used to spend the night at Newark this time every year.

[theolodian]

Well, the bag is in Miami and should be delivered tonight.  

Meanwhile, 2 shopping trips worth of receipts to submit.