View Full Version : luggage rifled - Air France
Espada III
4th Apr 2013, 06:06
On a flight from TLV to MAN yesterday with Air France via Paris our luggage was slit open and a few items removed. Also the case was damaged as a wheel was ripped off. Presumably this happened in Paris.
The baggage desk were rather unhelpful and simply said that we should claim via the website of AF. I don't hold out much hope. Any suggestions as to how we can get AF to pay up. The total cost of the damage and stolen goods will be about £150.
Always, always, always make a written report before leaving the airport for any baggage incident. Making a report (web-site or otherwise) after leaving the airport puts the onus on you to prove the damage and loss - which can be difficult or impossible to do. (If you think about it, this is a reasonable rule protecting the airline from bogus claims)
Go online and report this incident as soon as possible. If AF agree they are liable, they will repair or replace your luggage and cover the cost of your loss up to a maximum of 1131 SDR (about 1320 euro). This from the Montreal Concention 1999 (MC99). I would mentioned that the AF agent counselled you not to make a claim at the airport.
No reason to assume it happened in PAR, just as likely in TLV or MAN.
Hotel Tango
4th Apr 2013, 08:59
And never ever put anything of value in your checked baggage.
Sunnyjohn
4th Apr 2013, 09:43
Sad to read this. I assume you had a soft case since you stated that it was slit open. Maybe that's a lesson for the rest of us to use hard case luggage. I hope it gets sorted for you.
Johnny F@rt Pants
4th Apr 2013, 12:13
No difference with hard cases. My parents recently travelled MAN-Sao Paolo with BA, their luggage didn't make it till they had moved on, TWICE:ugh:! By the time they had it both suitcases had been slit:mad:. Fortunately nothing was removed, but 2 cases ruined! Still waiting for any comment/recompense from BA.
Espada III
4th Apr 2013, 18:08
No reason to assume it happened in PAR, just as likely in TLV or MAN.
Hmmm - not so sure. Luggage is very secure in TLV - it gets X-rayed in front of you before check-in. The luggage was out very fast in Manchester and nothing else was damaged in the line of luggage it was with. Easiest to blame the French!
Hotel Tango
4th Apr 2013, 21:58
From my personal experience over 40 odd years, I have found that there is more likelyhood of baggage being tampered with at the transit airport - if transit times allow. As a matter of interest, what was your transit time in Paris?
There are plenty of opportunities at every step between check-in and the return carousel. One airline had to install hidden video cameras in the bulk hold of their B737s to catch black-hats pilfering during the unload. Apparently even their colleagues, at the bottom of the conveyors, didn't know what was happening in the hold. A quick slash and grab takes only a second or two.
I'm not saying it didn't happen in Paris, just that there is no evidence to support your assumption. Indeed bags in transit are rarely hidden from view, often out in the open with many sets of eyes and CCTV about.
It is important to report baggage pilfering, even after the event. The airlines, yes even AF, do take security quite seriously and your incident could provide important clues.