BA missing luggage - All Santa presents gone ..absolutely gutted!

[iwillinmyarse]

Just that, took a flight on Saturday 18th from Heathrow to Dublin, checked in 4 bags, with clothes, toiletries etc but mostly all the Santa presents only to be told by the pilot on landing that no bags had been loaded on the flight and to go online to BA.com and chase them up. No way to contact BA directly as won’t answer the phone, no email address and no sign of the luggage. 3 days to Christmas and not a single present to put in the kids stockings, am absolutely gutted. Logged the baggage as advises by the pilot but to no avail. Does anyone know of any way to get in touch with BA and actually try to track down missing baggage?🙏

Good luck!

BA sound terrible. The only time I had hold luggage that missed a flight (on a v tight delayed connection from Bucharest via Amsterdam to Edinburgh) it was KLM - and lost baggage staff at Edinburgh airport told me KLM had already contacted them and my bag would be inbound on the next flight, in 3 hours time. Which it was.
I hope you get your cases before Xmas, OP.
And that BA manage to sort out whatever is going wrong with baggage management at LHR. Perhaps they have a lot of staff isolating with Covid - 30% of Londoners are totally unvaccinated?

BA are awful, people think they're better because they're more expensive but Easyjet are much better IMO. BA are still trading on their old reputation but they have gone seriously down hill over the years. My OH went to America and all his bags went to Dubai. Never had that with any other airline.
I hope you get it sorted OP, it's disgraceful behaviour on BA's part and I don't understand how the pilot didn't know - they quite often on flights tell you that they're just waiting for the baggage to be loaded. Would going to the airport and seeing if you can speak to someone there be possible?

This is a lesson to me, I'm really really lax about putting address details on baggage. If mine got lost god knows where it would end up.

I don't think it would matter. The sticky label they put on the bags once you check in would have your personal details.

I had to claim for lost luggage before and the max. claim didn't cover the value of my clothes at all. I remember being really annoyed at the time. Luckily my bag was delivered a week later.

It isn't easy to replace Christmas gifts if they were expensive but I'd try to get to a retail park and get something rather than IOU type vouchers if the children are young enough to believe tbh.

Hope they turn up before Christmas. I haven't got my bags off the plane a few times. They have always turned up in the end. I would imagine the pilot had to make a slot for take off so they couldn't wait around for the bags to be delivered any longer. Annoying, but that's the way it goes sometimes.

• OH's baggage being sent to Dubai instead of the US was years ago, BA are terrible with baggage it's not just down to covid.

So there's a whole flight of luggage-where?

You'd think if it was sorted ready to load it would be pretty easy to find wouldn't you?

Hope you get sorted out soon Op.

@TyrannosaurusRegina

No need for the she in italics love; I said he because the majority of BA pilots are in fact male

I think you’ve made your point and if it is of any consolation to you from what I’ve seen at BA diversity on the flight deck is improving year on year.

Shame this side show has been deflecting from the real issue I was trying to address, where I’ve been honestly trying to correct some fairly wild and misleading assumptions and allegations.

.

Smyths click and collect or whatever toy store is nearest you.
As pp said, Joe Duffy!
I'll get the Anto and Jude candles on.

@saleorbouy

Go to the airport and find the BA desk and the baggage handling agent and make a nuisance of yourself until you get some answers. You should have baggage receipt barcode stickers, usually attached by check in staff to your Passport cover at check-in, or a receipt printed by self check-in. This will allow them to be traced.

Don't bother doing this. We flew long haul home to Dublin last week and due to a short transfer in Amsterdam our luggage missed our flight. It was put on the next flight 6 hours later but we didn't get it for 3 days. I live in Dublin so it wasn't a huge problem but I did go to the airport the next day and there was literally no one to speak to. There are no airline desks and the information desks weren't manned. I emailed [email protected] who ended up being helpful, However my situation was different. BTW OP where are you staying, I'd like to try and help you out a bit if possible

@C8H10N4O2

I don't think that's a great option as it's not that places don't deliver to Ireland, it's that post-Brexit, custom charges may apply; these have to be paid in the post office before delivery so you won't have time most likely

Amazon is not the exclusive preserve of Little Britain.

Astonishingly its also available within the EU with prices in Euros and no cross border taxes within the EU.

I'm not sure why you posted so snidely? Perhaps you misunderstood me. I'm pointing out - not specific to Amazon - that the issue isn't 'places not delivering to Ireland' but that delays (& prohibitive costs) can be caused by custom charges that have applied post-Brexit.

As another poster clarified, custom charges are paid at the point of sale in relation to Amazon specifically.

My suitcase wasn't loaded on a flight when I arrived in Heathrow on 24th December with Qatar airways. They had a desk in the airport to complain too where I filled in a form. They delivered my suitcase the next day on Xmas Day. So I have my fingers crossed for you!

I was told when this happened to us. If it means losing slot for take off as baggage would take too long to load the pilot just has to go rather than delay the flight

In my experience the luggage always turns up, delivered directly to your front door/hotel , even if a few days late, provided you fill out the forms before leaving the airport.

@iwillinmyarse

Ps, anyone who may have a hotline to St. Anthony might put in a good word 😜

We're good friends. I'll have a chat with him.

I'm pointing out - not specific to Amazon - that the issue isn't 'places not delivering to Ireland' but that delays (& prohibitive costs) can be caused by custom charges that have applied post-Brexit

Post Brexit custom charges only apply to orders from the UK.

I'm pointing out that Amazon exists in Europe, you can order to Dublin from Europe, no Brexit delays or customs charges or currency conversions.

Just asked my BA pilot friend, for clarification - they don't always get told if the luggage is loaded. They get given a load sheet to sign with all the weights on, but it's not split to a point where they would know that the bags hadn't been loaded. The pilots would only find out if they were actually told that the bags hadn't been loaded, which they sometimes are and sometimes they find out the other end.

Groundstaff shortages - covid and/or lack of re-employment - either, both, not sure.

I thought bags had to travel with the person who checked them in for security reasons ...ie if you check bags in then miss your flight they unload your bag

Security reasons means bags can't travel without passengers, the other way around is not a problem.

OP, I hope your luggage turns up soon. What an awful thing to have happen.

@Hankunamatata

I was told when this happened to us. If it means losing slot for take off as baggage would take too long to load the pilot just has to go rather than delay the flight

There can be a lot of balls in the air in situations like this, some of which the crew may not be privy to…

Lose a slot, maybe pick up a horrendous delay, screw up the return flight which may in turn screw up connecting flights…

There’s also the question on some routes which are mainly hand baggage only of do you risk a major delay for a relatively small amount of hold baggage.

@RandomLondoner

I thought bags had to travel with the person who checked them in for security reasons ...ie if you check bags in then miss your flight they unload your bag

Security reasons means bags can't travel without passengers, the other way around is not a problem.

Bags can travel without passengers, as long as it isn't just a case of the passenger not turning up. If it is out of the passenger's control, like the bags not being put on the plane by the baggage handlers, the bags will be put on a later flight.

I think st Anthony might be better than Joe Duffy. I think Joe is part two of self published books today, and tomorrow will be Christmas hilarity in Dublin accents.
I hope they turn up, any missing bags I have ever heard about appear before any compensation might be due!

@saleorbouy

evilharpy 0824

Bags are linked to the address and details you booked the tickets with. The airline checkin tag has you surname and a bar code that at linked to the sticker stub that the checkin staff usually attach to your passport or boarding card.
Sure it's no harm to have a Name and phone number, email on the bag, I'd guard against having your address as this is a risk to your home security will you are away. It's in full view of many during your travels, you might arrive back to a burgled home.

Pre covid (and hopefully post covid) I used to put a business card in my luggage tag. Name, email address, phone number and an address that would hold onto any deliveries for me but was not my home address

@C8H10N4O2

I'm pointing out - not specific to Amazon - that the issue isn't 'places not delivering to Ireland' but that delays (& prohibitive costs) can be caused by custom charges that have applied post-Brexit

Post Brexit custom charges only apply to orders from the UK.

I'm pointing out that Amazon exists in Europe, you can order to Dublin from Europe, no Brexit delays or customs charges or currency conversions.

God what's your issue?!

I wasn't specifically talking about Amazon. Any UK orders.

I know OP mentioned Amazon. I was talking more generally and correcting her misunderstanding that UK companies were not shipping to Ireland.

I'm not sure why you keep trying to correct me?!!

With regard to custom charges, the way in which these were calculated has changed since 01 January 2021. This applies to orders originating outside the EU. Many orders are placed on what appear to be EU sites but in fact the parent company is non-EU & custom charges apply. This has been a hot topic recently here eg someone ordering an IKEA voucher (from their Irish office) was faced with a significant charge as the parent IKEA company is outside the EU.

(I appreciate none of this is pertinent to the OP, just trying to explain to this poster - UN impossible to quote - the various issues at play)

Thank you all for the replies, I can’t answer them all but just a few things;
I in my innocence thought the pilot may have found the plane a little “lighter” on take off that they may have expected given it was a full plane the week before Christmas 😳

To the poster who is horrified at my Rubix cube and hot water bottles 😁 that was just me listing what I’d got so far that I could order on Amazon which would arrive in time. I was a bit like a rabbit in the headlights for the first 3 days and assumed I’d have been reunited with the bags by now so was sort of holding off buying again. I’ve since also managed to replace the instax cameras and film and some stationery from an online chemist here in Ireland and am assured they will arrive in time so please don’t be worrying about the kids having a lump of coal and a Rubix cube to open on Christmas Day 😜 anyway if the luggage turns up i’ll Be keeping the hot water bottles for mysel as they’re lovely knitted ones.
The main presents were two laptops and before anyone says anything about me being mad putting them in the luggage I know!!but the alternative was to take them on board but having to open them going through security. In front of the kids.They my biggest worry for obvious reasons as we really struggled with devices for online learning earlier his year so had been saving all year to get them (now looks as we will probably be back to the online learning in new year but that a whole other thread😢)
The Pilot was definitely a “he” which is the only reason I mentioned it, it wasn’t me ignoring the fact that women also fly planes!
It is heartening to know some luggage is getting through and i’ve Promised St. Antony a few bob if he can swing things in my favour so thanks to all who also have connections in that department 🙏 not that am overly religious but he seems easier to get in touch with than BA.

Also just wanted to say I am bowled over by those who have offered to help , am genuinely grateful . I live about 45 minutes from Dublin but I don’t drive and am very nervous about going in on the train and wandering around he shops only because am terrified of exposing my parents to Covid. We have all been so careful over the past weeks just so we could get here so if it were a choice between a scaled back Christmas stocking for my children or putting my parents at risk, it’s a no brainier.
Also like someone else suggested other family member are offering their gifts to bulk up the offering (it’s easier for them to pass off something being lost in the post as an excuse)
Look it’s not the end of the world I know given everything that other people are going through around the world , it’s just disappointing and frustrating at the lack of any sort of customer support from BA.