pomkiwi

Certainly happens in Russian provincial airports and in central Asia: no tag - no bag....

LTN Phobia

It's really for ranting purposes, and to put things in writing 'on record' so to speak, rather than getting any practical improvements.

nufnuf77

I agree with mario here. If BA breached their own CoC with you, you might be able to claim breach of contract through section 75 of the CCA (Consumer Credit Act) and ask your credit card issuer to reverse the charges based on your tickets and contract with BA.

To Eat.To Drink

I would start by calling Gold customer services and trying to establish the basis for the rejection of your claim. Is it because the bag was no longer technically in their care? Was it because you got the bag back and the theft happened outside of their care? Do you need to show proof the jacket was in there ( a purchase receipt at least)? Then try to go from there.

UKtravelbear

Anyone know what BA's liability in cash terms for loss due to theft?

origin

Well I was a little surprised, that in LHR at the very least, a bag was left unattended for any amount of time. Especially as it has been suggested that the bag was lost for a number of days. I appreciate that the OP hasn't left the bag behind.

Now we can say the bag was in staff quarters. Which means that LHR will know who was near the bag.

SO my suggestion was to have another chat with the Police. There are cameras in LHR everywhere and people all times of the day and night.

If the bag was in a toilet and the cleaner didn't raise the issues then there is another problem.

Ldnn1

I can see where mario is coming from re the CoC but I think they're open to interpretation. It seems the intention of the clause at least from BA's perspective is to give BA the right not to release your baggage unless you have the tag, rather than an obligation not to do so, but as I say this is open to interpretation.

In any event I think in practice OP will be hard pushed to get anywhere with BA on this, but by all means let us know if you do...

bricksoft

There isn't always someone responsible for when something bad happens. As an example. If your house is burgled while you are away who is responsible? (in addition to the thief)

The best answer for the OP is to contact the insurance ( assuming he had insurance ). The insurance will pay out on a valid claim and then chase the group they think is responsible ( BA, HAL, border control ) An insurance company has a much better chance of successfully holding one of these groups responsible than an individual. If he has no insurance he can try to get compensation from BA, HAL etc but I don't think he has much chance of success.


As for the maximum claim for a single item. If you are travelling with high value items ensure you have a insurance with a large enough cover.

Talk of insurance may well be too late for the OP, but insurance is something that should not be avoided. There are many legal limitations on an airlines financial liability for lost, damaged or stolen baggage.

Land-of-Miles

Surely whilst the bags are in BA's care there is an obligation for BA to take reasonable care of them and to take reasonable steps to ensure security at the baggage carousel?

MSPeconomist

As BA Gold, didn't you get an invitation to use Fast Track at LHR?

TabTraveller

This could easily be automated using exit gates for those with bags. Scan the bag tag and scan your receipt. The doors open. No receipt, no exit. Traffic isn't generally so bad leaving the airport that this would cause delays. It isn't entirely foolproof as a cabin sized bag that has been checked could have the tag pulled off prior to exit but it would improve the situation significantly.

I only travel with checked bags when skiing and I would be mightily pissed off if my bags went walkabout because BA couldn't be bothered to take reasonable steps to ensure they delivered the bag to its rightful owner. As stated above, I would be looking to my insurers for insured losses and BA for the rest.

Often1

Problem is that tags are generated worldwide using a uniform system as the carrier or contractor handling check-in may not be BA, a BA contractor or even using BA hardware or software.

The technology is relatively simple. Have a baggage tag and a baggage claim tag with the same bar code, but with one identified as the claim tag. Passenger must insert both for each bag.

It's a lovely idea but would mean building barriers at all baggage claims, installing the readers, having staff handy to help out and delays as people line up to exit.

Again, I refer you to the LGA system which is randomly used at random baggage claims. A low-level contractor simply matches tags. Although this is for customer protection, the level of invective these people endure and the assault this is seen on the time of travelers is astounding. On a very bad day it might take 30 seconds.

This would be perceived as a lose-lose for the carriers and passengers alike.

mario

Lddn1, I am not a law expert, but if this was the case shouldn't BA have worded it differently? Along the lines of

"We may request you to produce your baggage identification tag to allow you to collect your baggage"... or something like that.

dylanks

I notice everyone is quick to mention travel insurance, but in my experience, travel insurance is a much more reasonable thing to purchase in the UK than for someone from the US.

Most policies I've looked at in the US will mostly cover medical coverage, and some travel interruption. And many of the policies offered by BA are limited to UK or Europe residents. For example, if you buy an ex-EU ticket as an American, the fine print of the policy says you are not covered. And services like Amex that include travel insurance with their UK cards do not include the same level of coverage with their US issued cards.

So, any recommendations on an actually good annual travel insurance policy from the US? I've not seen much in my limited searches.

dylanks

Lol, lately the fast track is staffed by two agents, and when you get up there they suggest you register for the trusted traveler scheme. The slow track is often faster for immigration.