BA lost luggage - who's responsibility?
 

A few days ago we were flying back from BKK - DOH - FCO (Qatar) and then FCO - LGW - JER (BA on separate ticket).

The Qatar check in agent proactively offered to check our luggage through to our final destination, so we provided our BA booking details and our bags were checked through to JER, which at the time I thought was really impressive

https://image.ibb.co/ck56xQ/IMG_5283.jpg
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When we arrived in JER, the bags didn't arrive. The Qatar bag tracking app, which seems to have more information than BA have, shows that the bag was loaded onto our connecting flight from DOH - FCO, so I presume our luggage is lost in FCO.

In this case, who is responsible for the lost bags? We have a BA bag track reference number, but I have little confidence that BA will do anything. It is a little confusing with 2 airlines involved?

BA. The last airline will deal with it.

BA is responsible at it is the last carrier supposed to handle the luggage.

Make sure your WorldTracer record is up to date with the relevant details, and just wait. Do not call as this is just a way of increasing your blood pressure without actually achieving anything.

I was always under the impression that it is the airline that tagged it is responsible to reunite it with the passenger. So in this case that would be QR.

Isn't this partly the reason why airlines do not want to check through baggage on separate tickets as they increase their liability under the Montreal convention for additional baggage handling over which they have no influence?

No, it is not.

It is the reason why the last airline (in this case BA) do not like it as they get lumbered with the financial liability in the case of mis-handled baggage, but QR and BA have a valid interline agreement so QR are doing a customer friendly act. BA don't like it since it costs them money.

BA told my wife that Qatar should never have checked the bags through to the BA flights, which I think was rather misleading.

they are referencing the oneworld change from last year when airlines stopped checking baggage through on separate tickets. Some airlines have started doing it again as courtesy (BA are not one of those)
some info here http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/briti...e-tickets.html
and here http://www.headforpoints.com/2016/06...rough-checkin/

You are mistaken then. How could QR reunite the passenger and bag when they don't fly to Jersey?

Any airline can chose whether they check through on to separate tickets or not. BA does not, but QR now do so. It isn't BA's position to turn around now and say QR shouldn't have done it.

http://www.qatarairways.com/us/en/on...s-service.page

As others have said, the last airline will always be the passenger's point of contact.

The question of responsibility is different, and BA will liaise with QR to ascribe responsibilities.

Finally, again, people should note that when you get an airline to through check a bag on successive itineraries, you should always approach an agent at the transfer counter of airport where your second itinerary starts to ask them to scan your luggage tag receipt, otherwise your luggage will almost never arrive with you. That is because even though the bag has technically been through checked, the system of the second airline does not know to expect the bag on your flight.

I agree that it will be BA that will probably reunite the bag with the passenger as the last carrier to have handled the bag, but surely QR are responsible (which is what the OP asked) They took responsibility for the bag at check in, and it is their tag on the bag. If the OP has to claim for missing or damaged ppbaggage that surely would be a claim to QR (and QR would be responsible for the claim and either take the claim on the chin, or attempt to claim those costs from BA)...

I am genuinely interested in understanding the right answer. But also hope the OP is reunited with their bags. For BA to turn around and say QR should not have checked through was just plain wrong.

I imagine someone from BA will send QR the bill for having to sort out their mess. I'd add a good few quid on to it if it were me.

nope. Rules are very clear and all claims (if any) should go to ba. How the responsibility will be shared between those two the op (and us) will never know but that will be agreed between then. Ba is the op's sole interlocutor for any and everything relating to this incident.

Sorry, but no.

How BA get recompense from QR is a discussion between them, and of little passenger interest to the passenger.

Yes, I am really interested in who is responsible for our bags, is it Qatar or is it BA? Surely it seems a bit unfair for BA, who have to now find, administer and deliver our bags - and, presumably, if I decide to submit any claims, have to settle the claims too?

As it turns out, my wife's bag has been found, but as of yet, mine has not. We were away on a 4.5 week trip and I literally have very little clothes at home - would it be unreasonable to claim for some basic clothes?