UKtravelbear

Ok had a BA booking ex-CPH to JFK today. BA flights on all legs except AA for the LHR - JFK sector - wanted to give them a try.

Flight from CPH on time at lhr. I turn phone on to get an alert that the AA had been cancelled. Also 3 emails from AA which say to contact them yet they don't include any phone numbers!!! . As waiting to get off plan was chatting to an American family who thought AA went from T4 - more of them later.

As AA operating the flight I thought best to go to AA in T3. Turns out pilot is sick.

Staffer calls up details and is puzzled why I haven't already been rebooked. I Ask about being moved to a later BA flight but all full. Not looking good until someone on their side mentions VS.

The American family then rock up - they are in same position. Looks like we are the only people not to have been rebooked.

I get offered VS UC on the 4pm flight so I accept and I ask about luggage and they say yes BA will transfer it - as they would have to do anyway to T3 - and AA will divert it in the system to VS. Hear them say the same to the US family.

I leave it at that but ask at VS gate anyway who say they can't see it yet but all bags not loaded yet so still possible.

Arrive JFK and as waiting at the belt announcement made for me and the other family. Bags didn't make it. VS helpful and say will arrive tomorrow and will be on first flight arriving at noon so bags should get to me a couple of hours later - I express a lack of confidence in the timescale. He smiles. Forgot to ask why they didn't put them on the later VS flight the American wife said she'd been offered that flight by AA but they needed to maintain a connection to an internal. I wasn't offered the later flight might have taken it as would have meant more club house time!

So who do I send the snotty email to? BA because they had my bags off the CPH flight in time or AA for not getting it to VS

I just want to express my general dissatisfaction about how the situation was handled. I know bags go astray. I appreciate pilots get sick. I know EU261 doesn't apply. I know I'll get reimbursed for essentials. I confirmed with BA that my return has been protected (remember the stories on here about that going wrong) and I can apply for ORC for the TPs(again FT gene kicking in!) If they bung me some avios that's fine.

But above all who do I contact ?

guv1976

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry: BlackBerry8530/5.0.0.1030 Profile/MIDP-2.1 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/417)

You don't send a snotty E-mail to anyone. Your AA flight was canceled and -- for some reason -- your bags did not make it onto your VS flight. Maybe BA screwed up; maybe AA did; maybe VS did. That's life.

Why doesn't EC261 apply?

orbitmic

For luggage matters you always have to deal with the airline carrying your bag on the final segment so in that case, VS.

rossmacd

No one. You were re-routed on VS due to a cancellation, which was a good move and I assume you were not significantly delayed into JFK.

Your bags did not make it, for whatever reason. This is air travel and I have resigned myself to this. Sometimes you just need to chalk it up to experience. I had 3 separate trips with delayed baggage on BA in 2015, so I'm getting used to it!

mlafqtv

Agree!!
Be grateful you were not travelling domestically in the US last week, especially if involved connecting throught CHI or DFW

Often1

Blame is irrelevant. It is the responsibility of the last delivering carrier to locate and deliver your bags. That makes sense, you have made arrangements for the delivery and one should presume that the bags will arrive.

If for some reason the bags are lost or stolen, it will be for VS to compensate you under the Montreal Convention (maximum of approx. GBP 1,100). That will be true even if it turns out that BA never moved the bags out of its possession.

Snotty email? Seems way, way, over the top and out of line. If you feel that you must send one, send it to any or all as none of them deserve it.

gcuk

Threads that start with the word 'Ok' never seem to pan out well for the OP

bafan

Wait to see if you actually get your bags as promised...

If not, then I'd send a snotty email....

HIDDY

Oh what the hell....just blame BA!!

Most people on here do even like in your case it has nothing to do with them.

FlyingB1975

Complain with whatever airline you have status. Only that will give you a few avios compensation.

Kgmm77

From what you said the VS agent took care not to actually say that your bags would travel with you, only that they would be "diverted".

If you feel others on the AA flight got earlier cancellation notice than you, then perhaps complain to them (AA), but can't imagine you'll get anywhere though.

SebSykes

A bit unfair on OP, some of the responses are far too harsh. Good luck getting this sorted.

mec72

I would just go shopping, submit receipts to VS and get over it

hiima

I say not harsh enough. Why a snooty email? It's not like the airline specifically marked that bag to be left behind. It's not like they said, "Oh, that guy? Ya we better leave his bag behind, just out of spite." Now if bags aren't received within a couple days or a week, release all hell.

lorcancoyle

To be fair to OP they had specifically asked AA the question about bags at LHR and been assured that there wasn't an issue. You mightn't be p'd off by being given an assurance that isn't backed up, but others might be. I don't know how long the wait by the carousel was before the realisation about the bags came, but if I was being inconvenienced once by missing bags and again by wasting time at carousel I'd be sending a snotty (not "snooty", big difference ) email too.

(Lack of phone numbers, VS bag delivery issues and not being offered a later VS flight wouldn't move me though, unless the bag took 48 hours or more to reach me)