A NEWLYWED couple claim British Airways “wrecked” their honeymoon after the airline lost the bride’s suitcase.
The bag, which contained wedding gifts as well as clothing, eventually turned up on the final day of their break having travelled half way round the world in the wrong direction.
5
Jo Cook, 32, travelled to the Seychelles with her new husband Dave the day after their wedding.
The London-based couple were ready to relax and celebrate their new marriage.
However, after landing at the airport, they were horrified to find Jo’s suitcase was missing.
It contained all of her clothes for the honeymoon as well as wedding gifts from family and friends.
The couple later discovered that it had been flown to destinations including Doha and the Maldives by mistake.
Dave, 38, shared their ordeal on Facebook.
He wrote: “Last Friday, Jo & I got married on what was the most happy and emotional day of our lives. As many will know, the next day we flew to our honeymoon to the Seychelles with British Airways .
“What has followed has been hugely frustrating and disappointing, and has gone a long way to wrecking the great honeymoon we had planned.
“We landed safely on Sunday morning, but most upsettingly without Jo’s case.
5
“The bag never appeared on the luggage belt – a sickening feeling knowing that not only all of Jo’s clothes and toiletries were missing, but also many wedding gifts and her birthday cards/gifts.
“I know Jo has held back a lot of distress, and has expended great effort to keep smiling.”
While the resort they were staying at helped them out, offering her some spare clothes as well as a birthday cake for Jo, he claimed the way their situation was handled by British Airways was “appalling”.
He continued: “We reported the bag missing on Sunday, registered a formal complaint on Tuesday after not hearing anything, and have been issued with four different times the bag would be back with us, with still no one from BA contacting us proactively with resolution or compensation.”
5
5
5
The airline told them to contact the local baggage services, without offering any details on how to call them.
BA’s online bag tracer also failed to work according to the couple – it incorrectly claimed the bag had been found and was being delivered several times during their holiday – but it never arrived.
The couple were later sent texts saying that their bag had travelled to Doha, then to the Maldives, then to Dubai, before being directed to Seychelles, which they were only aware of due to the online tracking system.
Dave joked: “Clearly the bag has strong opinions about its own holiday destinations.”
A message from BA to the couple explained: “On this occasion we flew the bag to Doha on 29 July to connect with a flight with Qatar Airways to the Seychelles.
“Unfortunately, the connection wasn’t made (possibly due to additional security checks), and it was then flown with Emirates to arrive into the Seychelles on 02 August.”
The suitcase eventually made its way to them on the Friday – the day before they were to fly back to the UK.
Jo, who works as a Charity Director, told Sun Online Travel: “Our post doesn’t explain the amount of time, upset and energy we lost on our honeymoon to this.
“We have received a response from BA where they have offered an e-voucher for £500 but the email unfortunately once again refers to inaccurate detail around the delivery date and handling of my bag.
“Only in desperation and out of upset for me did Dave resort to social media.
“We asked our family and friends at our wedding to contribute to our honeymoon as a wedding gift – but actually announced on the day that this would be donated to my charity (a cause dear to both of us).
“The honeymoon therefore was an extra special expense to us from our savings, feeling all the more upset for it being impacted by the experience with BA.
“In the context of money, £500 does not nearly compensate enough for what we spent through BA for the honeymoon, nor for the five days without any of my belongings and also forces us to use the airline again. “
A British Airways spokesperson told Sun Online Travel: “The bags were reunited with the customers as soon as possible, but we’re sorry for the impact this has had on the honeymoon.
Can you claim compensation for lost luggage?
Most airlines will reimburse you for the bare essentials you need to buy when your bag is delayed. If you are away from home this may cover essential toiletries, underwear and laundry costs.
If your luggage is missing for 21 days, it’s officially considered lost and you can get compensation and the airline is liable for your losses, according to the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
There isn’t a rule on a fixed amount of compensation you can receive as it depends on the airline and the value of what you have lost.
The maximum will be around £1,000, but it is unlikely you will receive that much.
You must report that your luggage has been lost or delayed at the airport and keep a copy of the Property Irregularity Report.
Then contact the airline in writing within seven days for lost baggage to explain how much the bag and the contents are worth by using receipts or credit card records as proof.
“We’ve been in touch with the customers to apologise and offer a gesture of goodwill.”
Last month, a baggage melt down at London Heathrow meant hundreds of Brits were left to fly without their suitcases.
Queues of up to two hours were seen at Terminal 5 following a problem at the bag drop.
