Lost Luggage
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Lost Luggage
Hi all, really need some honest advice please.
Arrived at Gatwick on Saturday morning by Continental, and had a connecting flight to Edinburgh with British Airways. We came from Houston, and the lady stuck a wee sticker on the back of my passport in relation to my baggage i.e. Flight numbers, final destination etc.
Well, we got to Gatwick, went to the BA desk and was told the flight was cancelled. The lady told us to go to the baggage reclaim belt (8) and get our bags there. We stood for 15 mins but nothing, so I checked the screens, and they said that all bags from our flight would be on belt 5, so my girlfriend waited at belt 8, and I belt 5. After 30mins, there was no sign, so went over to the BA luggage area, and was told that it will be delayed.
I completed a form, was given a 10 digit ref number, and was told to expect it either on Sunday on Monday, as it will come up by road.
I don’t believe him, because it’s very busy, and also there are a lot of cancelled flights.
What do you guys think will be the most likely situation, and also any insider knowledge would be good, i.e. what actually happens.
Thanks.
Arrived at Gatwick on Saturday morning by Continental, and had a connecting flight to Edinburgh with British Airways. We came from Houston, and the lady stuck a wee sticker on the back of my passport in relation to my baggage i.e. Flight numbers, final destination etc.
Well, we got to Gatwick, went to the BA desk and was told the flight was cancelled. The lady told us to go to the baggage reclaim belt (8) and get our bags there. We stood for 15 mins but nothing, so I checked the screens, and they said that all bags from our flight would be on belt 5, so my girlfriend waited at belt 8, and I belt 5. After 30mins, there was no sign, so went over to the BA luggage area, and was told that it will be delayed.
I completed a form, was given a 10 digit ref number, and was told to expect it either on Sunday on Monday, as it will come up by road.
I don’t believe him, because it’s very busy, and also there are a lot of cancelled flights.
What do you guys think will be the most likely situation, and also any insider knowledge would be good, i.e. what actually happens.
Thanks.
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Same has happened to the missus recently.. BA 1st class from beijing and no bags back at Heatrow. Dont panic, they have same-day couriers bring them out to you soon as they turn up (used to earn my corn that way). Also happened a couple times before to her to/from Madrid last year, bags always turned up within 48hrs.
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Cheers for that, i just dont believe they will do anything on a Sunday or christmas eve, but we'll see what tommorrow brings!!!
Also, when i enter my 10 digit ref number into the BA lost luggage website thing, its comes up with not being trackable,please contact carrier!
Also, when i enter my 10 digit ref number into the BA lost luggage website thing, its comes up with not being trackable,please contact carrier!
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I cant comment on the ref number issues but the firm I used to work for did 'the bags' 24/7, 365 days a year. It wasnt unusual to be in glasgow or edinburgh 2/3 times a week from heathrow base. Also dont forget if traffic allows glasgow can be done in 6hrs.
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good man, so IYO, what would be the best way to see if they have arrived in Edinburgh, Call BA baggage people (if i cant get through), call the baggage bit in Edinburgh, or nothing and wait to be called?
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I'm assuming your home address is in Edinburgh? your bags should be brought to your front door by mr courier either direct from Gatwick or Edi. I would say wait until tomorrow afternoon then make a call to chase it up.
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Craig, the replies to your post so far have been correct.
However, having worked at LHR yesterday with loads of cancelled and disrupted flights, there are many, many bags that missed their flights. (The Stuttgart aeroplane I boarded yesterday afternoon had 60 missing bags - that's just one flight!)
No doubt poor old Gatwick is in a similar state of chaos!
So, my addition to the thread is not to panic if your bag doesn't turn up today - it might take a few days to sort out. I know missing bags, no doubt with Christmas prezzies inside, will dampen your Christmas Day a bit but behind the scenes people are working flat out to get this sorry situation resolved!
If you have Travel Insurance, contact them as there is usually a daily allowance you can claim under the "Baggage Loss or Baggage Delay clauses" for you to buy replacement items (washing and shaving kit, clothes etc) until your bag turns up.
So, please bear with us, between us British Airways and Continental are doing our best! Sorry for all the inconvenience!
However, having worked at LHR yesterday with loads of cancelled and disrupted flights, there are many, many bags that missed their flights. (The Stuttgart aeroplane I boarded yesterday afternoon had 60 missing bags - that's just one flight!)
No doubt poor old Gatwick is in a similar state of chaos!
So, my addition to the thread is not to panic if your bag doesn't turn up today - it might take a few days to sort out. I know missing bags, no doubt with Christmas prezzies inside, will dampen your Christmas Day a bit but behind the scenes people are working flat out to get this sorry situation resolved!
If you have Travel Insurance, contact them as there is usually a daily allowance you can claim under the "Baggage Loss or Baggage Delay clauses" for you to buy replacement items (washing and shaving kit, clothes etc) until your bag turns up.
So, please bear with us, between us British Airways and Continental are doing our best! Sorry for all the inconvenience!
Bear in mind that the BA 'tracking service' is absolute rubbish, and the staff there seem to have been taken on to deprive various villages of their idiots!
Sorry Bealine, but they really are a disaster. Mrs Radeng had to wait over a week earlier on this year and they had absolutely no clue about what was happening. Now this was just a missed bag connection from AA at SFO to an LHR flight, at a time when things were running normally.....Plus they lied like troopers, and one stupid woman, when told that her supervisor was wanted, replied that she hadn't got one! It's worth making a good formal complaint if they don't turn up fairly quickly - Mrs Radeng got a cheque for £200
Sorry Bealine, but they really are a disaster. Mrs Radeng had to wait over a week earlier on this year and they had absolutely no clue about what was happening. Now this was just a missed bag connection from AA at SFO to an LHR flight, at a time when things were running normally.....Plus they lied like troopers, and one stupid woman, when told that her supervisor was wanted, replied that she hadn't got one! It's worth making a good formal complaint if they don't turn up fairly quickly - Mrs Radeng got a cheque for £200
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Have you thought about calling CO? Perhaps the bag got left behind in IAH and never arrived at LGW in the first place.
Worldtracer is the system most airlines use to trace lost baggage.Try entering your lost report (PIR) number here and see what comes up.
http://www.worldtracer.aero/cgi-bin/...uest.exe?tran=
Good luck!
Worldtracer is the system most airlines use to trace lost baggage.Try entering your lost report (PIR) number here and see what comes up.
http://www.worldtracer.aero/cgi-bin/...uest.exe?tran=
Good luck!
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Hi Craig,
I'm also in Edinburgh and have recent experience of a bag going missing. My circumstances were a bit different to yours - I flew from Hong Kong, picked up bag at Gatwick, checked it in for EDI flight but it wasn't in EDI when I arrived. (It had, in fact, gone to Madrid
).
However my domestic flight, like yours, was with BA, so a few words of advice:
- the BA call centre whose number you were probably given can't help. Don't waste your time calling them.
- the "BA" staff in Edinburgh (who aren't actually BA staff) probably can't help either. They'll do their best but they're poorly trained and don't really know how the system works.
- BA's online tracker gets updated once a day at best - so don't rely on it either.
- your best approach is to speak to someone who actually works for BA in baggage handling. The BA folks at Gatwick were very helpful to me. Their number is 01293 666360.
(Shame BA baggage handling at Gatwick is about to be contracted out as it is at Edinburgh
).
The advice about checking with Continental whether your bag made it to Gatwick is also good.
I was eventually reunited with my bag (after it had gone from Madrid to Amsterdam, Amsterdam to Edinburgh and then back to Gatwick) and I'm confident you will be too. But as others have said it may take a day or two.
Good luck
13Alpha
I'm also in Edinburgh and have recent experience of a bag going missing. My circumstances were a bit different to yours - I flew from Hong Kong, picked up bag at Gatwick, checked it in for EDI flight but it wasn't in EDI when I arrived. (It had, in fact, gone to Madrid
). However my domestic flight, like yours, was with BA, so a few words of advice:
- the BA call centre whose number you were probably given can't help. Don't waste your time calling them.
- the "BA" staff in Edinburgh (who aren't actually BA staff) probably can't help either. They'll do their best but they're poorly trained and don't really know how the system works.
- BA's online tracker gets updated once a day at best - so don't rely on it either.
- your best approach is to speak to someone who actually works for BA in baggage handling. The BA folks at Gatwick were very helpful to me. Their number is 01293 666360.
(Shame BA baggage handling at Gatwick is about to be contracted out as it is at Edinburgh
). The advice about checking with Continental whether your bag made it to Gatwick is also good.
I was eventually reunited with my bag (after it had gone from Madrid to Amsterdam, Amsterdam to Edinburgh and then back to Gatwick) and I'm confident you will be too. But as others have said it may take a day or two.
Good luck
13Alpha
