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I arrived in British Airways to US for a two month stay. British airways lost both my checked in luggages. One luggage was returned in two days, but even after 14 days, there is no news about the second luggage. Yesterday they delivered a luggage, which was not mine and I refused to accept it. However now they claim they have delivered my luggage and the case is closed. Is there a legal way I can get British Airways to compensate me? The items in the bag are of much sentimental value as they include items I made with my own hands and in my free time for my grandsons in the US. Please share your experiences. Thank you

2006-06-06 13:52:09 · 4 answers · asked by pho 2 in Travel Air Travel

4 answers

Unfortunately a law suit would go nowhere and honestly no lawyer would persue it. You would pay more for the case than what you actually lost. There really is no legal recourse. Airlines have 7 days to return your luggage before you are entitled to any compensation. And generally what you are entitled to by most airlines is $25/day for 7 days for personal hygiene products. Since you claim the second piece delivered was not your piece, you should have already filled out a detailed claim listing the contents and their value. Sentimental value is not the same as retail value unfortunately. Be as honest and precise as possible and they will be able to determine your amount of compensation. The airport at the local level will not be able to take care of this, you have to be in constant communication with their Baggage Service Center. If they say your baggage was delivered and you claim you never signed for it, then you need to have them call the local baggage claim office from which it was delivered and get a copy of the signature. All files are to be kept on hand for a minimum of 30 days. As a former airline employee of another airline I did have to work in the trenches in baggage claim many times. Everyone hates that job. But, sometimes agents will close files out of force of habit once they are taken by the delivery company. The delivery company should also have a copy of the signature for who signed for the piece.

Unfortunately checking luggage is at your own risk. The only thing airlines have to guarentee is getting you to your destination. If there are things of value in your luggage, airlines do not guarentee they will not be damaged, stolen or lost in transit. Read the airlines contract of carriage to see what it says about baggage as each one may be different. You should be entitled to some sort of compensation to be determined by the airline if your have not recieved your baggage as of yet. Keep copies of your file that you received when you made the claim on arrival. Document every call that is placed, names of people you spoke to and what was said. They document your record on the other end with every call and details of the conversation.

One way to keep your luggage from getting lost in transit is to always put current ID tags on the outside as well as on the inside. You should have a copy of your itinerary as well as contact names, phone numbers and addresses of where you will be. That way if any of the outer tags are seperated, when the agents go inside the bag to find anything to identify who it belongs to, then they will have some leads. If you failed to do any of this, there really isnt much an airline can do to identify your bag. There are millions of black roller bags out there that end up in a warehouse because people didnt put proper identification on them or in them. If you failed to do this, its pretty much a lost cause.

Lesson should be, never check items that have value. If they are too large to carry on, ship them. But as I said, checked luggage is not guarenteed. Loss as well as damage happen and there is no full proof system established.

Im sorry you experienced this, it is frustrating. Trust me, Ive been on the other end and getting yelled at for things I could not control sucks. Just remember that while "the airline" failed you, the people you are dealing with are doing what they can to find your baggage. Sometimes it may take months to turn up, but every once in a while you can get lucky.

Good luck and I hope they make it right for you.

2006-06-06 14:11:18 · answer #1 · answered by southrntrnzplnt 5 · 1 0

Unless you had travel protection, I don't think you will be able to be compensated for the lost luggage. Although, no money can bring back the value of an item that holds sentimental value.

The airlines aren't responsible for lost luggage, it is a part of air travel. That is why they recommend carrying anything important on with you. But, the best thing I can suggest is to continue to work with British Airways about your experience and see what they will be willing to do. At this point, I'm not sure what they will do.

2006-06-06 14:10:54 · answer #2 · answered by tech_fanatic 7 · 0 0

All airlines have lost baggage policy.

They will pay a maximum of US$ 300 / - for the lost baggage, irrespective of its worth.

You should ensure that the case is not closed , take the bag back to their office, and make a claim.

The maximum you can get is US$ 300.00 - by policy and airline law.

2006-06-08 23:52:56 · answer #3 · answered by Textpert 3 · 0 0

This is where you will probably find your luggage. The sad part is you'll probably have to buy it back. They make lots of money off other people's misfortune. www.unclaimedbaggage.com

2006-06-06 14:00:40 · answer #4 · answered by zphtar 3 · 0 0

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