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AC passengers stranded in India without luggage (March 2019)

AC passengers stranded in India without luggage (March 2019)

Old Mar 19, 2019, 1:53 am
  #31  
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"What we don’t understand is why didn’t they tell us before we left Vancouver that your bags aren’t going to be there with you? Because no one would have come"

Yes, that would have worked out so well.
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Old Mar 19, 2019, 3:53 am
  #32  
 
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I am so glad after reading this, that I dont check bags..
I am in BOM at least 6 times a year, yes if my luggage was delayed, I would know where to go, but that is only because I know the city
Passengers without local knowledge would be in some trouble.. yes and all big cities now in India do have malls that are clean and have a large variety of stores to shop
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Old Mar 19, 2019, 5:03 am
  #33  
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Last edited by skybluesea; Dec 24, 2020 at 5:35 pm
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Old Mar 19, 2019, 6:11 am
  #34  
 
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There have been good points made here but in the end, there are many reasons why one might be delayed on arrival before one has the chance to proceed onward to one's final destination. Luggage delay is not the only possible headache, one might be delayed oneself. I am not saying AC doesn't owe compensation, but the point is, one must be prepared to bridge- finance more than just a flight ticket when one travels these days.

Example: People who book cruises or tours should not expect to fly in on the day of cruise/tour departure. At the very least, they need to arrive the night before for a hotel stay.

The point about the confusion of Delhi is well taken, but the fact remains that if one is due at a wedding in a busy, congested country, one must expect the unexpected. Extra time for the commute from airport to destination needs to be allowed no matter what. Bus could break down, drivers strike, you name it.

I have welcomed the ability to make my own travel arrangements, it has brought down the cost, but acting as one's own travel agent brings its own responsibilities.
Again, not talking about compensation, which is a separate issue, but about preparation.

By the way I can see plenty of reasons why AC isn't going to advertise where luggage is going to be headed. Expensive wedding gifts and clothing? Might not want to advertise exactly when and where that stuff will be arriving in advance.
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Old Mar 19, 2019, 7:17 am
  #35  
 
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I don't think the airline would know how much to offload until all the passenger bags have been checked in, say, an hour before departure. The final weights would then need to be calculated with the cargo and fuel. By then, everyone would have gotten their boarding passes, so there is no way they can backtrack at that point to ask if they can be offloaded. The logistics of doing this, then retrieving their bags, would be atrocious, unless the airline starts denying random people boarding at the gate. That would also be a PR disaster.

Asking passengers at check-in whether they are willing to fly without their bags would also not be ideal. It is not a secret that flying a longer route would mean pulling some bags off, and this route was susceptible of this due to the known air restrictions. Terrorists may take advantage by sneaking in an explosive device or two knowing their checked bag may end up on some random plane other than their own. While this may be a far-fetched scenario as bombings tend to be specifically-targeted, I don't think it is in the interest of all the airlines involved when the passenger is fully informed before boarding that their bags won't fly with them, just in case they had bad intentions in mind.
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Old Mar 19, 2019, 7:33 am
  #36  
 
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Originally Posted by hkskyline
I don't think the airline would know how much to offload until all the passenger bags have been checked in, say, an hour before departure. The final weights would then need to be calculated with the cargo and fuel. By then, everyone would have gotten their boarding passes, so there is no way they can backtrack at that point to ask if they can be offloaded. The logistics of doing this, then retrieving their bags, would be atrocious, unless the airline starts denying random people boarding at the gate. That would also be a PR disaster.

Asking passengers at check-in whether they are willing to fly without their bags would also not be ideal. It is not a secret that flying a longer route would mean pulling some bags off, and this route was susceptible of this due to the known air restrictions. Terrorists may take advantage by sneaking in an explosive device or two knowing their checked bag may end up on some random plane other than their own. While this may be a far-fetched scenario as bombings tend to be specifically-targeted, I don't think it is in the interest of all the airlines involved when the passenger is fully informed before boarding that their bags won't fly with them, just in case they had bad intentions in mind.
You nailed it. Not in the way you intended but... “Not in true interest” of AC to tell customers ahead of time that their bag likely will not travel with them? Tough luck for AC. It is the right thing to do. Period. Full Stop. The approach they are taking is atrocious and reprehensible.
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Old Mar 19, 2019, 7:52 am
  #37  
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If someone knows in advance that there's a good chance that checked bags won't arrive for at least several days, they might be able to better plan what to bring in their carry on bag.
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Old Mar 19, 2019, 8:43 am
  #38  
 
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Originally Posted by MSPeconomist
If someone knows in advance that there's a good chance that checked bags won't arrive for at least several days, they might be able to better plan what to bring in their carry on bag.
They know in advance that they are flying to a country in a near state of war with a neighbouring country. That calls for being prepared for just about anything.
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Old Mar 19, 2019, 8:47 am
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Originally Posted by MSPeconomist
If someone knows in advance that there's a good chance that checked bags won't arrive for at least several days, they might be able to better plan what to bring in their carry on bag.
You make an excellent point.
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Old Mar 19, 2019, 8:54 am
  #40  
 
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Originally Posted by simpleflyer
They know in advance that they are flying to a country in a near state of war with a neighbouring country. That calls for being prepared for just about anything.
Give me a break. I was in India last month, and the impact on travellers is zero compared to earlier this year or last year - except for the flight rerouting around Pakistani airspace, which Air Canada knows about ahead of time. In Mumbai or Delhi you would have no idea anything was going on, unless you happened to watch one of the ridiculous Indian 24h news channels.

That is like saying you should be prepared for AC to lose your bag when flying to TLV since the are in a "near state of war with a neighbouring country" which is completely irrelevant. And Tel Aviv is a hell of a lot closer to Gaza than Delhi (never mind Mumbai...) is to Kashmir.

Now personally I never check a bag, but you have many many pax on the flights to DEL who are going to visit family or who are coming home from visiting family and are checking bags, or are going on extended trips in the country and are checking bags. It isn't unreasonable to expect them to show up, and if they can't load them then it isn't unreasonable for them to show up the next day or whatever. This is something that AC could be prepared for but sounds like they simply are not.
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Old Feb 9, 2021, 9:59 am
  #41  
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I saw a notice on the AC Travel Alerts' page and it reminded me of this thread and my reply.





Good idea for AC to now post such notices. It may not be missing bags, but it does allow pax to make decisions about what they can check, given the limitations listed.



https://www.aircanada.com/ca/en/aco/.../covid-19.html
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