Help!!! Lost Luggage

[CHIVILCOY]

Wifey and I have just returned from our regular trip to Buenos Aires and up until now have had no problems with lost luggage,late yes but never lost.
We usually go with Air France but due to price decided to go with Iberia this time via LHR and MAD.
On arrival back at GLA last Saturday our largest case was missing off the BA codeshare leg from LHR and without any real concern we reported it to the BA staff where a PIR was duly completed and we were assured that the case was traced to being still at LHR.
To cut a long story short, a week later and still no case despite being well tagged with name tag, frequent flyer label etc; and after lots of calls to BA still no idea of where it is,only being told to phone the claims department.
We would prefer the case back as there are a lot of sentimental items belonging to my wife which her mother had given her.
Has anyone lost a case and had it returned after more than a week? what is the maximun length of time we can ever hope of getting it back? and what level of compensation can we expect?

[rsoman]

There are a couple of BA experts in these forums who will I am sure give you all assistance. In the meantime, why dont you try this out
http://www.worldtracer.aero/filedsp/ba.htm
The file reference is the reference no you would have been given by BA when you filled the PIR.
Best luck and apologies if you have already checked this out.
Also the link below from BA may be of help as well
http://www.britishairways.com/travel/askbainter/public/en_in?p_search_text=lost%20luggage
Item 1 should answer some of your questions

The same BA pages also inform that BA's liabilty is limited to 1000 SDRs (Special Drawing Rights) - roughly 815 Pounds maximum. Should be the same for Iberia as well since the Montreal convention is in effect in EU from July 2004.

Cheers

[apaddyinuk]

Chivi, it has been some time since I worked in baggage tracing and it was with Aer Lingus but I can tell you that the proceedures were very similiar to BA. Firstly, LHR is a bottomless pit of lost luggage. If BA were initially able to trace the suitcase to having made it as far as LHR then I am sure it is still there but perhaps it got lost on its way to the security screening area. However, was your flight from Spain with IB into t2??? If I remember correctly, Iberia are the worst in LHR for looking for lost luggage, it could be very possible that it is sitting in their baggage tracing office gathering dust (or ciggy ash) and no one has had the decency to advise BA of this.
Hang in there, its still early days believe it or not!
Sorry Im not of much help.

[CHIVILCOY]

Thanks all for the links and the info so far.
Yes apaddyinuk you are correct it was T2 at LHR that we arrived from Madrid with Iberia and I suspect you are also correct about it lying around somewhere being ignored.
Will post any further news I get.

[striparella]

Maybe if someone works in T2 they could go on down and have a look for you!

If you were asking about my airline i'd head on down to baggage and check it out for you - i did if for my flat mate!!

World tracer isn't the most reliable thing in the world.

[apaddyinuk]

Chivi, It might be worth politely asking someone to go and search Iberias baggage office, they may say no But just like strip said, I used to regularly get off my bum and go take a walk to other airlines offices, they are usualy fine about it!!! Also, ask BA if the bag was first traced to LHR by IB. Usually when a bag comes into an office after missing a flight they "quick Onhand trace" the bags just so it can be located quickly should a report be made, this "Onhand" trace usually leaves a tracing code (like your PIR) which will state which airline and which airport has your suitcase!!!
Oooh, its all coming back!!!
Make sure you let us know how you get on!

[Little Blue]

I used to make a habit of losing passengers bags, when I was a little Customer Service Agent, usually when certain pax really peeed me off.
However, my baggage tracing skills were second to none, especially when it was my own bag that had gone missing.
Not too sure of the procedure nowadays, but I know that it was pretty common for bags to be missing for well over a week. Just keep badgering the lost baggage department.
I remember going thru some onhand bags at CDG during a baggage strike, trying to find some identification and one of them absolutely stank, so I opened it up, only for hundreds of maggots to come tumbling out all over the floor and every other bag in the area. There were a load of thawed out fish in the case. Who the hell would pack that? The cleaners had a field day squashing the little bleeders.
I'll bet you find yr bag in the corner of an office, in GLA.

[spanishflea]

As others have said the best thing to do is actually get someone to go and physically search for it. I was extremely lucky on a recent trip that after losing the bag, a colleague who was travelling on a much later service from Heathrow was able to go to the baggage desks, flash the Gold card, and nicely persuade someone to go and look for it with an accurate discription.

I got it back within 24 hours, just a shame the buggers had pinched all my CDs from inside :rolleyes:

[CHIVILCOY]

Latest update is I phoned BA baggage tracing people again this morning and got on to a nice lady who assured me she would check it out and phone me back in twenty mins.
As you have guessed nine hours later and no phone call back :{
I feel a letter to Willie Walsh coming on.:p

[apaddyinuk]

HAHAHAHA....Good luck...another job I used to do in Aer Lingus was answer letters addressed to Willie...do you think he ever read them?? Do you think he will read them in BA...NOPES! LOL!

[CHIVILCOY]

The plot thickens!!!
Just off the phone again to BA baggage and it turns out they suspended tracing on the suitcase as they got mixed up with the tag number with another small bag which was late and we received on the 23rd.
So the case is live again on the system and hope is again restored.:)

[NZLeardriver]

See if your stuff shows up here : http://www.unclaimedbaggage.com/

[CHIVILCOY]

NZLeardriver

Is that link you posted supposed to be useful or have you got a wicked sense of humour!!!

[419]

If anyone's ever in the neighbourhood, I strongly recommend a visit to the place linked to by Nzleardriver.

It's a bit of a bugger to find, but once there, there are some amazing bargains to be had.

[CHIVILCOY]

419 wrote;
"It's a bit of a bugger to find, but once there, there are some amazing bargains to be had."


Well I hope none of the bargains are mine.:sad:

[apaddyinuk]

CHIVILCOY, Soz, havent checked this thread in a while. Any luck with your bags???

[CHIVILCOY]

apaddyinuk
Not so far,went to BA GLA last weekend just to speak to someone face to face instead of over the phone which helped.

Nice chap said we shouldn't give up hope yet and he that would look into it personally and keep in touch which he has.

He reckons the suitcase is sitting in Madrid with Iberia(surprise,surprise) and with them moving terminals at Barajas probably hasn't helped matters.

[apaddyinuk]

Chvilcoy, If its anything to you I would say that the new terminal has more than resulted in this messy delay!!! I did a trip almost 2 weeks ago with a crew member who commutes from Madrid, His suitcase did not make it to LHR so he had to go away for 2 nights without his luggage. I then flew with him again last week and he said that the suitcase was still "lost" but definately in MAD T4!!! He tried to get in to find it but there was a mountain of bags which they seem to be taking forever to pile through!!! I would say that your bag is either in this mountain or is still sitting in the old baggage office in the old terminal waiting for someone to bring it over to T4 as soon as the new mess is cleared! Obviously the priorities are all wrong but hey...get your claim in asap!!! If they settle with you AND THEN find your bag, you still get to keep your settlement!!!
Hard to tell whos in the wrong here...BA for not doing enough hands on searching or Iberia for being...well....Iberia!!! Fortunatly as a result of the Oneworld Alliance you can blame either!!!!

[ExSimGuy]

Could have happened to me!

Many moons ago, when working at LGW "attached to" BCAL, I used to quite often have to go gown to Genoa "on duty" for a 24-hour business trip.

In those days, prawns from Genoa were really superb and, after I brought some home for the family on occasions, my local pub landlord placed a "standing order" for every trip I took! (the "interstate" transport of foodstuffs wasn't so discouraged in those days!)

I used to take a (very old!) overnight-size bag with me,which was filled in the morning at the market and loaded with bags of ice. Holds were un-pressurised, so stayed pretty cold for most of the flight, and there was only a "small" trail of fishy-smelling water dripping fromthe bag when I got it from the belt.

Be assured though - the guys at Customs never stopped me, not wanting the prawn-smelling water dripping on their examination tables after checking my bag! ("get the hell out of here with that!")

(These days, I do NOT recommend that as a way of smuggling what you shouldn't!)

Hope you get your bags back, especially your wifes "sentimental items", but yes, grab the "compo" as per your rights! A few years ago, flying from the Mid-East to UK, My flight was delayed, then split into 2 groups due to lack of aircraft. One group (including me) got the next flight BAH-LHR, and the other group were shipped BAH-AUH-LHR.

On arrival at LHR, one of my bags was missing. Yep, it was probably sent out with the group that went via AUH, and would arrive in 2 hours. BUT - I was already late for The GatBash:mad: so I said "yes, that's as maybe, but I am already late for an appointment, and you know the rules"!

Thomas Cooks voucher for $US50 for "emergency clothing", which I couldn't use as the shops were closed, but it paid for my beer at the GatBash ;) and, as I stayed overnight in Gatwick and then breakfasted there (in the bar!) before heading home to the South Coast, my suitcase was delivered there before I even arrived!

GF - "Thanks for the Beer"!

[sixmilehighclub]

Since the new Terminal at Barajas Madrid, there has been a few baggage problems. Mainly due to airlines badly planning connecrions.

I recently spoke to some people who had flown BA LHR to MAD, without a hitch, and were due to connect onto Rio & Buenos Aires with an Iberia flight.

Iberia had checked them in at LHR, but advised they wil check their bags all the way but there may not be a seat for them on the second sector of the journey was overbooked. Iberia had also only allowed a 45 minute connecting time (the industry IATA minumum you should have on your ticket for an international - international connection is 75 minutes!). Then through the huge new terminal which has lack of assistance, hidden signposting and it seems, late at night, is almost impossible to get into the transfer connections area, so you have to leave the airside terminal by train to go to departures, landside, get checked in, if there are seats, get your new boarding pass, and go by train all the way back through passport control using various lifts and esculators on the way.

The bad thing is, because the taxying took longer, BA arrived on stand 5 mins late, only allowing 40 minutes connection. (I timed it and it took me 35 minutes first time round, and that wasn't with any dawdling, shopping or queues!)

So when Iberia announce there are no seats/ or they wouldn't make their flight due lack of time, BA have to pick up the tab to overnight them, etc.

Surely Iberia are overbooking to gain the revenue, knowing that it is unlikely for the customer to make the flight, but will be full on all sectors, collecting money as they go and not losing any because they are passing the rebooking/ hotel/ compensation costs onto other carriers?? Not to mention possibly ruining peoples travel plans!

Anyway (rant over), It is possible if you came through Madrid that your luggage has got so far, and now with the added backlog because of the new Madrid terminal, your bags have been further delayed. I have heard of 3 month delays before, where luggage has arrived intact, still locked.

My luggage went missing once ex Washington with BA, I got it back 24 hours later, but it had been wrecked by US security, the suitcase rendered unusable and why they felt the need to open a large pot of sealed wrapped moisturiser and not reseal it properly was totally beyond me. Total damage approx £300 and a note from the US security to say they had opened it for a random check and I am not entitled to claim. :*

Fingers crossed for you CHIVILCOY!!

Six:ok:

[CHIVILCOY]

sixmilehighclub
Take your point regarding connection times but Iberia cannot use that excuse in our case as we had a three hour connection wait in Madrid.
Latest news is that we received an email yesterday from Iberia saying they had traced our suitcase to the baggage centre at Madrid Barajas (surprise, surprise) and it had been rushed on BA465 flight to LHR and BA1498 to GLA arriving last night, furthermore if we wanted to make a claim we would have to claim BA as it had nothing to do with Iberia! Bl**** cheek :eek: !
Guess what? Your right, still no suitcase as it didn't arrive on the BA1498.
Phoned BA tracing this evening and they have informed me that it will be arriving later tonight on a BHX flight so it's looking good at last.
Hopefully this thread shall be closed tomorrow but you never know. ;-)

[CHIVILCOY]

33 days after checking it in at Ezeiza we have just taken delivery of our suitcase:D

Still fully padlocked with name and frequent flyer tags intact, some damage to the handle and back but thankfully all contents safe especially the sentimental items just as my wife had packed them.

We would like to thank you all for the support and advice given as it certainly helped us not to give up hope and also thanks to Pprune for giving us the facility for posting our plight.

Lastly we wish to give a big thanks to Bill McCartney of BA at Glasgow who personally took on our case and kept us well informed even when he had no news to give us (Willie Walsh give this man a rise ;) )

[apaddyinuk]

Delighted to hear you got your bag back Chivi!!! Dont lose faith in the system!:}