BA baggage tracing service.

['I' in the sky]

Has anyone here ever had to use the BA baggage tracing service ? If so how long did it take you to get your baggage?

I arrived in the UK on a flight on Friday evening but my baggage didn't. I was told there and then that they had received a message saying my baggage hadn't made the connection and was still in Madrid. It is now Monday evening and my baggage is still in Madrid.

This appears to mean that even though everyone knows where the baggage is, in three days nobody can arrange for it to be put on a flight.

Does anybody know how this system works ?

[brockenspectre]

that I experienced was several years ago on a flight from London to Stockholm where I was due at a business cocktail party in the evening. I arrived about 3pm but the suitcase didn't. BA traced it back to LHR and got it put on another flight (not sure if it was another BA or an SAS flight) and it arrived at my hotel by 8pm in the evening (after I had had to buy a new outfit for the evening). I didn't receive any compensation for the inconvenience of the loss - at the time I apparently didn't fit the relevant parameters.

Sorry you are still waiting - maybe someone else can help.

:)

[slim_slag]

It took them three weeks to find one of mine when flying LHR -> BOS a few years back. What surprised me was the high cost of replacing what you can fit in a medium sized bag, and the compensation limits are totally inadequate. Generally happens very infrequently, but it is a real annoyance when it does.

[bealine]

Sorry if it seems like I'm stating the obvious, but have you filled in the relevant form at the Baggage Services Desk?

I only ask that because, for security purposes no airline is permitted to load "Rush Baggage" on to a flight unless they possess documentation proving that the passenger has already travelled - word of mouth or a telephone call is not, by itself, considered sufficient!

It is very unusual for baggage that hasn't made a flight not to be loaded on to the next available one if the correct procedures are followed. Mind you, we are talking about Spain here and their baggage handlers' manana attitude is legendary!

Regrettably, passengers often leave the airport relying on the mobile phone or a secretary to contact Baggage Services on their behalf!!!

My apologies if it is our Baggage Services depoartment that has screwed up!

Good Luck!

['I' in the sky]

I reported the missing case at the desk before leaving the baggage collection area but wasn't asked to fill in any paperwork. They took my details and gave me phone number to ring.

They actually told me there and then that the baggage had already been located in Madrid and gave me the flight number that it should arrive on the following day. It didn't and still hasn't.

Conflicting infor,ation also seems to be a speciality.

One person gives a flight number it should arrive on.

Another person says that according to the computer the baggage hasn't actually been relisted to another flight but she will make sure it is.

A third person then says no way can anyone tell me what flight it is going to arrive on, they won't know till gets here so please stop ringing us and just wait for our phone call.

A fourth actually went as far as to say ' It looks like we found it and then lost it again'

Regarding compensation I did ask about that as I don't actually live in England anymore so what I needed for my two week visit is in the suitcase. I was told somebody would ring me about this matter today. That phone call did not arrive either.

[rsoman]

Well, dont be tempted by the assurances it (was) is located in the computer. Insist on putting it in writing by filling up the appropriate forms as Bealine says. If it is not done within 7 days, and your baggae doesnt eventually turn up, the airline (and I am speaking of the law here, not any specific airline), can legally wash their hands off as,if there is no written record, your baggage is assumed to have arrived on time!

I do not know how many airline staff may be familiar with the applicable rules and deadlines and I do not doubt their sincerity when they say a complaint is not necessary, but as we all know when a compensation request is procedded with, it is usually the legal chaps in the airline who deals with it.

Cheers

[Departures Beckham]

You need to fill out a PIR (Property Irregularity Report) immediately, together with a Customs Declaration. The PIR is your proof that you have reported your loss to the airline (which will be requried by your insurance company), and the Customs Declaration will allow the airline to take the bag through Customs and ship it to you once it arrives at the airport.

There is an agreement between airlines where they will carry 'rush-bags' for eachother to allow the bag and it's owner to be re-united as quickly as possible. Therefore once located, your bag should be on the first flight home.

Once you get a file reference number from BA, go to World Tracer (http://www.worldtracer.com/filedsp/ba.htm) for live updates.

[PAXboy]

My mother lost an item on an internal flight with BA the other week. After filling in the forms, they told her that they allowed 45 days for it turn up.

Losing a piece of fragile baggage that was only marginally too large to go in the cabin and weighed practically nothing, between LTN and IOM??? She won't see that again!


Like others here, the only time I ha bags not make a connection (LH), they arrived promptly on the next flight 24hrs later.

[AOG007]

Paxboy,

What do you expect on the IOM. It's full of three legged, red-eyed, interbreed weirdo's!!!!!! Similar to Cornwall, but worse!

AOG007

[Tinstaafl]

Has happened twice to me.

First time was checked through from Brisbane to Manchester via Sydney, Bangkok, LHR.

After being told at check-in that the baggage was to be collected at Manchester, it transpired that it was off-loaded at LHR.

Our baggage was delivered that afternoon to Bebbington in the Wirral.

Second was staff subload London to Aberdeen then to Sumburgh.

My bag didn't make it to Aberdeen (where I would re-check in) so I continued to Sumburgh. My bag was delivered the next day to Lerwick.

Can't complain really. Considering the number of times I've travelled it's fairly reasonable. Not as good as it could be, but acceptable.

[Super Constellation]

Dear "I":

Madrid is one of the worst european airports regarding Lost Luggage (apparently they tend to lose it quite frequently).
But fear not... it'll be with you in a maximum of 5 days counting from the date you reported it and actual deliverance time is about 1-2 days.
As for the proof you've actually travelled, if the guy in the LL (lost Luggage) office was typing it in a computer you should be OK.
As for costums, if your flight is inter-european you probably don't need one.

Best of luck.

[Departures Beckham]

With regards to Tinstaafl's journey from Brisbane to Manchester, it's worth remembering that bags will very rarely (definately not in the UK anyway) be transfered from an international flight to a domestic flight (they will be transferred vice-versa).

This is because bags on an domestic flight are not subject to inspection by Customs & Excise. Therefore, in the sameway that you will need to clear Immigration when you arrive in the UK, your bags will need to clear Customs.

[DX Wombat]

It has happened to me twice on Perth to Manchester flights. In both cases it was the LHR to MAN sector operated by BA.:( The first time was due to a major computer crash at LHR, the second was unexplained but they were waiting for me at Manchester to tell me that my bag had not been on the same flight. In both events the bags were with me by the evening of the same day. So, no complaints from me about their service. ;) :D

['I' in the sky]

Super Constellation.

Thank you, you are not the first to utter these words of encouragement about Madrid. It was actually one of the BA baggage helpline operators who said that Madrid and CDG were the worst two airports for losing luggage.

However your 'maximum five days' seems optimistic. I say that because today, Jan 1st I have just been contacted to say that my luggage is in Manchester and will be with me by 7.30 this evening so I make that 12 days.

For a bag of which the location has been known since the minute it was reported as not arrived I think that is pathetic considering it was only a 2.5 hour flight away. I will in due course detail some of the more annoying aspects of BA Customer Service to the appropriate department, and please don't take that as a general swipe at the baggage tracing service staff, some of whom I believe have tried to go the extra mile to help me, albeit one certainly hasn't.

To the management of Madrid airport and Iberia, I hope you are suitably proud of the reputation of your baggage handlers.

To the management of BA, surely if you are aware of the reputation of this airport it is up to you to impress on them that they cannot continue to languish in their third world mentality and yet be worthy of your codeshare.

[PAXboy]

"AOG007" <grin> I strongly suspect that this item did not make it past the high class ciitzens of LTN.

In the IoM theft and burglary is very low and car theft almost nonexistant - try getting a car off an island when there is only one ferry port!

[bealine]

I am indeed sorry to hear you tale. Unfortunately, as anyone in ther airline industry will tell you, putting a rocket behind Madrid airport will have as much effect as oine solitary raindrop falling into a furnace! In this business, the tail very firmly wags the dog, I'm afraid! (That's why the BAA get away with charging a rental of £30,000 per annum for each and every check-in desk! .......Something to think about next time you dump your litter on one!)

Anyhow, write to our Customer Relations Department because, as our customer, you have very definitely suffered inconvenience and our problems with our airport services providers should very definitely not be yours!


To the management of BA, surely if you are aware of the reputation of this airport it is up to you to impress on them that they cannot continue to languish in their third world mentality and yet be worthy of your codeshare.

Unfortunately, as with most airports, BA does not choose the staff! BA also was not responsible for Spain's entry into the EC (and now we're considering Turkey???!!!???)

The EC exists for one purpose only - to shaft Great Britain!

Fact: In Britain, we let any national work for British Airways, providing they have the right work permits and can obtain security clearance. Indeed, there is positive? discrimination to ensure ethnic minorities have a higher chance of employment.

In British Airports, airlines can choose which handling agent they wish to handle them and, if they so desire, they can employ their own staff! In Spain, (and Italy), you MUST use the services of the airport operator. (In Madrid, the staff work for the airport, despite wearing "Iberia" uniforms!)

:mad:

[Tinstaafl]

I've just had the nightmare journey from hell, even allowing for part of the journey being an ID90 standby.

Orlando-Atlanta-LGW, LHR-ABZ-LSI.

Bag checked in & tagged MCO-ATL-LGW.

No spare seats on any flight to ATL with the carrier so they reroute me to ATL via Tallahassee. I'm told my bag will be waiting for me at ATL.

Get to Tallahassee Ok but the next flight is full. That's OK, there's another flight due that will get me to ATL in time AND it has plenty of spare seats.

XXTS arrives, forcing my next flight & their competitors equivalent to return to ATL for more fuel. Both of these flights are to be the next TLH-ATL flights.

By the time they arrive I'll need to sprint through ATL if I have a hope of catching my flight, except...

...can't refuel. There must be 20mins from last lightning strike before fuelling may commence.

We depart TLH at the same time as my ATL-LGW flight's ETD.

Arrive at ATL 30 mins after my LGW's ATD to find NO BA reps. Anywhere.

Am told by the MCO-ATL carrier that my bag is in the International Transit Area and would take several hours to be delivered from there due to the time of night (2000). Am also told that my bag would go onto whatever flight I next catch as long as I show my bag's checkin/tracking number.

Rebook on the next day's flight & go to a hotel for the night.

Check in the next day 6 hours before ETD & make sure BA are informed about my bag, it's whereabouts & the tracking number. I express my concern about ensuring my bag is loaded. They ensure me it will.

Get to LGW. No bag. Report this to BA & complete the appropriate documentation.

Go to LHR. Thanks to no longer having bags to check in I'm able to get on a flight leaving in 15mins. Yay!!

Nothing about my bag in the BA system when I check at ABZ.

Ditto when I check again after arriving at LSI. Customer services there very kindly allow me access to a terminal to peruse through each of the 340 items listed. It pays to know people!

Phone call this morning. Bag found. It arrived in London from ATL this morning and should be here this evening.

The lesson? Only ever travel with carry on bags.


Addendum: Nope. Got here the day after I'd been told. Thank christ it's back! Now I can set up my brand new wireless router. Yay!

[bealine]

No spare seats on any flight to ATL with the carrier so they reroute me to ATL via Tallahassee. I'm told my bag will be waiting for me at ATL

Good isn't it? - Even after their experiences of Lockerbie and September 11th Americans still allow bags to be carried without the passenger being on board!!!

The Moral is "Fly with CAA controlled carriers and avoid FAA controlled ones"

[AtlPax]

bealine - checked baggage had nothing to do with Sep 11.

Also, don't they pull checked baggage off a flight only when the pax does not check in at the gate? Tinstaafl, I assume you checked in again at the gate where you then found out the flight was overbooked and you couldn't board. You intended to board but couldn't due to overbooking. There was no way for you to know this at the time you checked your luggage. Thus the appearance of a "security risk" would be greatly lessened if not eliminated in this particular scenario (Lockerbie).

[Tinstaafl]

Exactly. I was already checked in. I was re-routed after loading was finalised.

[bealine]

AtlPax - In the US, bags are not always offloaded if the passenger fails to join at the gate. (I have to say, Delta Airlines here in the UK seem to offload bags but American Airlines, Continental and US Airways don't!) Whilst Checked Baggage had nothing to do with Sept 11th, the events reminded us all that terrorism is still very much alive and that 100% vigilance on all aspects of our operation is essential.

Even though we're talking about checked-baggage, and an airline staff passenger, and 100% hold baggage screening, as far as the CAA and DETR are coincerned, we still can't be 100% positive that the bag doesn't contain something very nasty! (Indeed, the DETR often test our scanners by placing "test" baggage containing plastic explosive and similar nasties through our systems at night. Whilst 100% success is often recorded, we do get occasions where these bags get through with the green "OK to Load" flash on the computer screen!) This is why CAA controlled airlines will always remove a bag if the passenger fails to show. Indeed, if the passenger is part of a group, the rest of his travellers have to positively identify their baggage at the aircraft side before we can proceed!

The FAA is still very naive, believing their 100% screening works 100% of the time and trusting airline staff! Indeed, the US media was slating US airline security last time I was stateside because the FAA had carried out some random tests and found out exactly the point I'm making here!!!

They're aware of the problem but, so far, have done s*d all about it! You can't expect much else really, cosidering US airline security staff are still amongst the poorest paid airport workers.

This is the reason why many US oil companies have continued to insist their travellers fly with European carriers across "the pond!"

[slim_slag]

bealine,

From what I have seen as a passenger, security in the US is a lot better than it was pre 9/11. From what I have seen as a passenger, I'd actually argue it's now better than in the UK, but I guess that would be a tough one to win :)

I think baggage matching is now mandatory on the first sector of any trip. If you get to a second sector then it's not, but that is being worked on.

[bealine]

Precisely - the second sector screening has been implemented, and enforced, by CAA licensed carriers for at least ten years!!!

[slim_slag]

bealine,

I think we would all agree that the US had a lot of catching up to do after 9/11. Security was remarkably sloppy before then because it gets in the way of convenience, and back in those days convenience was considered more important.

If you look at what they have done since then it's quite remarkable. They have thrown cash resources and the American 'get things done attitude' at the problem which would be unavailable in the UK. For instance just look at the check in areas at LAX now. They are full of CT baggage scanners which cost US$1 million to purchase and another million to install. It takes time just to manufacture these, but they eventually intend to put 1000 of these in.

So it's inevitable that the US will overtake Europe, the question is has it already happened.

I thought baggage matching was a regulation introduced after Lockerbie and applied to all carriers operating in the UK.

[DistantRumble]

My bags have flown without me twice

once LHR-JFK with bealines's employer
once Manchester Basel with Swiss


... both times it was luggage that didn't make the xfer ... why do the rezzie systems allow you to book a short conn at LHR when yer luggage won't make it ? I thought the rez systems wouldn't let you do thi - i.e.

DUB-LHR-JFK without at least 3 hours for the 2nd leg.


T1-T4 even through the cargo tunnel is not a fast journey.