Originally Posted by
corporate-wage-slave
... The suitcase is interesting - there was a post about this on FT some time ago where BA did refuse to pay for a new suitcase in similar circumstances, though it turned out that the item was very expensive and at least some of us thought the OP there was pushing their luck. If your brother gets an unbranded container - basically spending the minimum he can as if he had to pay it themselves anyway and then perhaps dispose of it - then I would expect BA would pay it since at that point it is an essential ...
I have only once claimed from BA, and that was for a delayed bag on a business trip around the USA. It was a 10 day trip and I was in a different state each night of the journey. Following an IRROP leaving MAN my bag wasn't loaded on to my LHR-IAD and it continued to miss me at every stage of my trip, it was supposed to catch me in Vegas but the flight it was booked on went tech and I'd left Vegas by the time the flight was due to arrive. In the end we decided it was best to have the bag sent to my home in England.
BA were great in dealing with it, and many attempts to join the two of us up were frustrated by other events. At the end of the trip I had spent $2600 on essentials. The claim was approved in full (the first £1000 or so by BA and the balance by Amex). Everything I purchased was necessary for my trip and included a suit, business shirts, shoes, casual wear, two ties, socks, personal items and a suitcase. My suitcase cost just $80.
The moral of the story is simple, provided the items purchased are
essential and people are not trying to maximise their fortune, BA will cover a
reasonable claim up to a maximum liability provided under the Montreal Convention (just over £1000 at current exchange rates).