Originally Posted by daz211
im so sorry ryanair damaged you sons bag but all airlines damage bags and i mean all even BA first class passengers get damaged bags and all airlines advise that any damage or loss to baggage should be reported before leaving the airport how would any airline know that you didnt damage the bag putting it into your car or on the bus or train
as i see it a bag is only there to protect what is inside the bag
it is not a fasion item
This is very true: Any airline may damage your bag. But the differentiator is how they deal with the situation.
The last time I changed my main suitcase, it was because of cumulative damage over a number of flights. Most of the incidents did not result in major functional impairment. The notable exception was that BA did break the handle that was needed to pull the bag along on its wheels (it had one pair of wheels on a corner so had to be partially lifted).
I reported the damage to a BA representative at the destination airport and a PIR (or whatever they're called) was filled out immediately. Later, when I'd bought a new suitcase, I wrote to BA and asked whether they might consider making a contribution towards the cost. Not the whole amount, because the damage that they'd done was significant but didn't destroy the suitcase or make it unusable. The amount that they offered - sending a cheque immediately in the reply - was actually more than the original suitcase had cost many years ago.
Needless to say, it was a good investment on BA's part. I know that it might happen again. But I don't worry about what will happen afterwards.