orbitmic

I have nothing against people expressing their frustration at one of the many hiccups that add unpleasantness to what one would love to be smooth and efficient trips. Nevertheless, this is what this remains: a mere case of a delayed luggage that arrived the next day, as they are, every day, in every class of travel, and with any airline.

If I may point this out, what neither the OP nor the other people commenting on this thread seem to realise is that the ridiculous message about the luggage having arrived coming two days after effectively being picked up was in all likelihood caused by the OP's choice of course itself.

For better or worse, the whole routine of delayed luggage delivery is just that - a succession of predictable and bureaucratic steps each coming with their lot of box ticking: notify the issue, tick, identify the luggage tags, tick, query systems in the airports where the bag started from and was supposed to transit at to check if it is located in any, tick, if not check the last known place and whether it was put on another flight by mistake tick, ultimately locate the bag tick, organise its rerouting to original destination or alternative destination agreed, tick, receive the bag at the airport, tick, register the bag tick, organise courier to requested address, tick, deliver bag, final tick. Each time, there will also be some quality control in that if one step is not conducted when expected it will be queried to see if it was forgotten or if information was not properly provided.

For all the people involved in the process, your precious bag is one of very many that they need to handle, and part of many other jobs that they are supposed to do. As a result, each of those steps may take a little bit or even a lot of time depending on how overstretch they are and many problems they have to deal with. In this case, while the OP was perfectly right to do what he did, from the point of view of "the system", he merely disrupted the routine by intervening at the time when the bag had been received in NCE but either not yet registered, or already registered but with courier not yet organised, or with courier organised but not yet dispatched. The local team will have found the bag when asked and obviously given it to him, but that is probably where the "routine tracking" was lost until someone enquired about why the next steps were not taken to be answered that the pax had picket it up himself.

I'm not saying that to defend BA, just to explain what most likely occurred in terms of that message. In all likelihood, had the OP not gone to the airport, he would not have received his back two days later but merely a few hours after he did and without needing to take a taxi.

The taxi bill is one of those administrative absurdities of all system. I suspect that CS agents have a grid of what they can or cannot reimburse as compensation for delayed luggage and that will include a certain amount for given items (clothes, basic toiletries) depending on time of delay, place of delay, class of travel, status of claimant, etc. It probably does not list taxi as there is technically no need in the normal procedure since bags are delivered at chosen address anyway. Now, a common sense agent will know that of course, if passenger anticipated delivery and went to pick up bag, it should be no problem whatsoever to reimburse reasonable cost of transport, they will proceed to do so, and put in whatever explanatory note is needed on the file for their supervisors to understand that it was a common sense response. Sadly, OP probably was handled by a bureaucratic agent who merely looked at the rules, did not see "taxi" on the list of eligible compensation and therefore refused. I second cws's excellent suggestion to call CS and explain again what the taxi cost corresponded too and I am reasonably confident that they will likely sort this out.

Tim1975

IMHO it isn't the software but the fact that LHR closes its baggage handling unit overnight. This means that most of the time the "loss" bag is sitting in the "lost bag" area of LHR's basement, but if T5 has closed by the time the bag is reported lost, it doesn't get looked for until the following day by which time it may have missed the following day's flight out to you.

BlackBerryAddict

Maybe I am alone in this, but when I check a bag, it is for the precise reason that I don't want to be carrying my stuff around airports. So, I will not normally put 4-5 days worth of clothing into my carry on - it would kind of defeat the purpose of checking in the bag in the first place.

There are exceptions to this (weddings and the like) or certain flights/airports that have a very high incidence of lost bags, but if I just go on hols somewhere and check a bag I simply put all my stuff in the checked bag.

Bakpapier

BA Does seem to be quite bad at delivering bags to ones destination. I flew them once only and they managed t lose 1 of my 2 checked bags. Luckily it was lost at LHR and I am in AMS so it arrived the next day and they even delivered it right to my house. But i fear that if it were lost in some more remote location that would have been a problem.


If I wouldn't have had my baggage slip, by the way, I would have lost it. NEVER lose the baggage slip.

eefor jfp

I think that generally BA lose bags more often and their service recovery is underwhelming. Maybe I'm cynical but over the last 16 years or so of transatlantic travel (3-4 times a year) I have been with all three major alliances for roughly an equal period of time. If I recall correctly, AF lost my bag once in five years, LH twice in seven years and BA has lost a bag roughly every third trip (5-6 times in four years despite more than adequate connection times). If you have patience (i.e. if they lose the bags on your trip back home) the system will work and you'll get it eventually. But if you try to get information or if you need your bag quickly because you are on vacation, then it can be pretty frustrating. I don't pretend to know what the answer is but I do think BA need to address this. Several people have mentioned that airport staff have many other duties. Maybe they need a dedicated department or dedicated personnel for this, someone whose primary job is to reunite lost bags with their owners and to proactively communicate updates.

corporate-wage-slave

I would suggest 2 days of clothing and some basic toiletries is a good idea anyway, and need not take much space if you choose and pack carefully. It's not just delayed baggage, think about diversions, strikes, delays, held by customs, equipment malfunction, airport evacuation alarm, bags getting chewed up by the belt, even a heavy downpour at the airport drenching all checked baggage. Having some basics to hand means you have 48 hours grace before you have to do something else. For me that is a very basic precaution.

simons1

Fully agree. I prefer to carry as little as possible through airports etc and check it all in. It always sounds a bit of a cop out when people suggest I carry 2/3 days clothing as if it in some way excuses the inability of the airline to do the job properly and is my fault in the event of the airline screwing up. Of course you accept that occasionally things do go wrong, tight connections etc but that really should be the exception.

As a data point I have done 76 sectors with EK over the last 24 months, mostly involving connections into Africa and GCC and in some cases with a further connection onto SAA. My bags have arrived every time.

Andriyko

Fully agree. I hate having anything more than a small bag for documents, phone, ipad and money. I check my luggage as it makes it so much easier.


To the OP: It is, of course, your right to not give your business to BA, however, I am afraid you'll struggle with finding your perfect airline. AA lost our bags the last time we flew with them, and no one had any idea where the bags were (their tracking thing proved to be useless). We were reuniting with the them 5 days after arrival. And we also had to take a taxi to the airport to pick the bags up (the idea of claiming the expense did not even cross my mind). What I learnt though was the advice often given on FT - do not stress over it (although it is easier said than done) and just wait for the bags as calling the airline won't expedite the process at all. By the way, the world tracer site updated on the 2nd or 3rd days after we picked up our bags. So, it is not just BA. That's how the system works.

BlackBerryAddict

With all those things going wrong I wouldn't dare to travel at all

I guess though I have a different risk assessment. On short trips I'll normally only take hand luggage - no problem.

But on longer trips, if I do check luggage i don't normally take spares in my hand luggage, unless there is something specific. That could be a major event, or things like getting a shower at an intermediate airport. If the bags get lost I will buy what I need.

Airlines have lost my bags over the years - but touch wood they've always come back to me eventually. Only twice did it go almost wrong, and both of those occasions involved arriving in Mexico City, and separate onward tickets. Bags weren't checked through, but failed to arrive in MEX both times. Fortunately the first time we did have the clothes to attend a wedding in our hand luggage, and the second time my bag did catch up with me in Santiago just in time for business meetings.

One other tip though: when travelling with more than one suitcase, don't have a dedicated suitcase for each person, but spread your belongings over different cases, just in case some bags arrive you'll still have something.

Oh, and if I ever go to MEX again, I will make sure I have at least a week's supply of clothes in my hand luggage

Bakpapier

I only ever check luggage when flying long haul, as my intra-europe trips are never longer than 1 week and I don't need checked luggage for that. Except if I happen to fly mainline short haul that includes checked baggage but even then I only check it because I can and not because I have to or anything. This never happens to me in europe (even most mainline carriers dont include free baggage any more), only Domestic flights in Brazil.

I have considered sharing a suitcase with a travel partner though but honestly, hardly necessary for 1 week trips.

rapidex

BA is no better or worse than most airlines.At one point I managed to have 1 bag missing with BA and 2 missing with Lufthansa,at the same time.Amex insurance sent me on a shopping trip of epic proportions.

AZ Travels the World

I know some of you keep saying this, and there may well be statistics to support it, but my personal experience is exactly the opposite.

I've flown millions of miles, across many airlines. BA has mishandled my bags more than all the other airlines combined. They do it with shocking regularity.

At face value, that's bad enough. But it's the pathetic service BA and their handling agents provide once it does happen that makes it all so frustrating and unacceptable.

Every single one of my long-haul flights over these years with BA was in First or Club World. Call me crazy, but when I pay that fare to fly on BA's plane, I expect their commitment to premium cabin service to extend past the moment I step off their aircraft.

At this, BA consistently fails. And I have (unfortunately) enough experience to know that many international airlines are far better at it. It's an attitude -- and a commitment to quality service. In this area BA very clearly just doesn't care. Or they would fix it.

Behindthecurtain

Lufthansa seem to lose my luggage the most. BA never have done, but saying that I may have jinxed myself.

From experience none of the European airlines are that good at service recovery, although when I worked for a company that used LH as main supplier, lost luggage on first flight got me senator Though I must say, the blasted Senator Status kicked in before the bags got found!!

It's a fact of life, it happens, hence why I use Amex on all tickets so when it goes belly up, I just call and get a budget to buy what I need.

If you travel regularly, get an insurance deal that replaces what you need, not worth ranting about the airline, as it is what it is and will not change

stu2

I am through bitter experience with the “a watched kettle never boils” crowd on this issue make sure they have correct up to date contact details and your travel plans if your doing a short stay or moving location. Don’t sweat it and stress your holiday/work trip depends where you are and purpose I have had it for work where I needed half smart cloths and holiday which just meant I had an excuse to wander around local street market and buy a few cheap tee shirts and shorts.

Airline or any trouble travel insurance will give back any thing reasonable I have got to stage I just claim travel insurance and if they want to fight it out with airline, good luck as long as they sort me out I don’t care they can have there legal departments locked in a bear pit for all I care. Reason with your self I did one time in Bangkok it was a holiday so my credit card was still hurting from paying for it so knew cost and hours on telephone and Emails and time out my well earned holiday of my precious annual leave (never mind my blood pressure and health, and I have a trouble putting an exact sum on my wife rolling her eyes and plugging her earphones in when I said another word about it!! yea shw gave me that look). A pair of trainers, shorts, tee shirt and clean Y fronts did not stack up well against the hourly rate I was wasting never mind the potential physical and or emotional damage my wife was looking like doing to me.

My top tip I learned this in Bangkok never let me down since a member of reception was talking to me about another matter and I had a moan about airline delayed bag, my wife had given up listening so I was desperate for a new audience. Nice girl said you should have told us took me over to the concierge desk and told them no problem sir please bring us your baggage tag numbers of lost. Man just pulled out a folder and checked what airline (not BA) asked my room number said leave it with me.@:-)@:-) Went out for the day got back to find a message flashing on room phone bag was waiting please come down and identify it was correct bag, a few notes to concierge with my thanks all sorted used same trick in Hong Kong, Dubai, Paris and I don’t stay in off the scale hotels. Asked concierge how all said same happens all the time and they deal with that stuff every week. As all good concierge they have there little “black book” of contacts they deal with it so much they have all the numbers to hand and speak the local language so call the local ground people and the couriers they deal with them so they make sure they have local numbers to use. They are not speaking to a call centre other side of the world like us or struggling with non naive English speakers. A few Bhat, Dhirim, Euro as thanks for a good job sorted.^

Geordie405

I have to say that stu2 hits the nail on the head when he talks about using the hotel concierge as a resource. I had an issue a good few years ago when my bags didn't make it to DXB. After filling in the necessary forms at the airport I went to the hotel desk as I had a car arranged to take me to the Fairmont. The hotel staff at the airport desk asked how my flight had been and when I told them that my bags had gone missing they asked for the details and said they would deal with it.

Sure enough, the next morning there was a voicemail from the hotel to say that my bags would arrive on that evening's flight from LHR and they would be delivered to me in my room the following morning - as indeed they were. Now admittedly I still had to pop to the Mall of the Emirates to buy a few essentials before I could head into the office but a lot of the stress was taken away knowing that someone else was on the case.