NoWindowSeat

It's very interesting...the local news here are saying that "this luggage issue is affecting all airlines operating to/from HEL T2.." Just makes me wonder how much worse the weather is at T2 compared to T1...

AY should really admit that this is linked to the shortage (and attitude) of their outsourced luggage staff, period. Blaming the weather makes them look even more incompetent and even stupid..

JNBHEL

Because it's the same with SAS and their luggage handling agent ISS Aviation.

Was in T1 on the 24th to search for my luggage on my own which was pending since my LH flight on the 20th. Forget the tracer, never worked, never updated and the phone lines are on automatic permanently. Poor performance of LH as most of the luggage at the time was theirs (about 200 pieces). Luggage was all neatly labelled with handwritten notes and the three ladies did the best they could under the circumstances.

And weather clearly had nothing to do with it...

HEL was a neat airport until they reorganised themselves into a mess and decided that shops are more important than flying customers.

If you want your luggage go there yourself and charge all related costs back to your airline...

mosburger

The baggage handlers union spokesman has apparently predicted that this chaos will continue until January 6th when they expect to get back to normal.

So it's quite clear this is some sort of continued strike organized by the labour union. To achieve something in particular or just do maximum damage on the airline as revenge for their outsourcing?

NoWindowSeat

Yes, exactly. AY blames the weather but at least someone is more realistic or maybe this union spokesman just has better knowledge about the forecast for next week...

mosburger

If and when the radical communists handling luggage for Finnair at HEL continue violating their existing contracts: Can they be kicked out earlier than the eight months set date agreed previously?

It's not a job where you need long training so follow-ups could be introduced rather quickly if necessary? All other companies at HEL are using outsourced handlers as well, but only the AY related people are making continuous trouble...

coinhunter

Hi,
My bags went missing on the 22nd. BCN HEL RIX. BCN as well as MAD were delayed by 4 hours so I and others mised our connection to Riga. Transfer desk near gate 24 was a nightmare. I waited 3 hours. When it came to my turn the staff member told me she had to go to the Berlin gate flight. Then another staff told me she could not do anything for me. Anyway in the end i was put up in a hote assured that baggage would be put on the flight the next day. Next day no bags. They blamed the snowstorm. I was surprised as i thought that HEl was geared up for that sort of pressure. If it was a sand storm then thats something else. I also wondered why the company had not put on overtime staff including Santa and his crew on bag sorting before Christmas. By reading the past posts now I understand. My bags turned up 4 days later with all contents soaked with water. I have about 250 euro in clothes to claim ( clothes I bought).
I was considering Finnair as a serious option between PVG and RIX. How often does this pattern of weather close and delay flights. How long will baggage problems persist? How can Finnair be gateway to anywhere in winter let alone Asia?? I found the hardware on both my flights to be good. But the software is a problem.

NoWindowSeat

If you take the time and read other posts around this/similar topic here you'll find out that weather plays a very, very minor role here...it's just a nice excuse to tell to customers..

WilcoRoger

Some snippets from the Finnish press regarding this issue

TV news earlier this week

AY spokeperson "the reason is the cramped handling area and bad wheather"

Finaviation (HEL airport) spokeperson "the area is exactly the same size as it was in November when all luggage was delivered on time" and "no, no other airline has this problem"

HS (newspaper)

Union spokesperson "when we were part of Finnair, we worked our asses off in high peak season. Now we work at our normal rate"

TV news yesterday

The luggage issue is solved, all luggage are delivered

katyspcc

I have lost my baggage since 27th Dec 09, still haven't heard ANYTHING from them. I just want to know at least where my baggage is. But nobody could tell me. I kept calling the helpline everyday, wanting to have something happened, but NO. The problem is, I just want to know where my baggage was last scanned or what's the point of the tracing system???! I will not know anything UNTIL the baggage is going to be delivered soon. So between that, I have NO idea about where my baggage is staying at.

Anyone still waiting for their lost baggage? since when? and have you heard anything?

coinhunter

HI,
When I enquired about baggage scanning ( bar codes) with swiss port at BCN they told me the bags are not scanned at BCN if flying to HEL-RIX. So if a bag is lost the airline at first does not know where. When I first enquired at HEL about my bags they said " we dont even have any information that the bags have left Barcelona".

Marco Polo

see the thread below which sums up the total incompetence
I am still awaiting a reply (more than 2 months) from their total lack of Custoimer Service Dept and with a broken laptop motherboard which their dumb hostess dropped on me before they lost my bag in Helsinki transiting AY to AY

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/finna...air-style.html
Finnflopair
________________________________________
it gets worse
On the outbound to Europe flight the Finnflopair flight attendant opened the overhead locker and dropped my computer onto my leg from 1.7 meters up then onto the floor Guess what The battery is broken now
Having been forced to get my bag in Bangkok and go through Immigration etc Guess what - they lost my bloody bag - it was still in Helsinki - so much fo Biz class and they had no IFE - just handed out DVD players
Kak airline
Kak oneworld member

mosburger

Now that you wrote this the third time on this board, or was it the fourth...It made me think. Did you overfill your overhead locker in a dangerous way and place the laptop improperly?

What if the laptop had fallen on the head of the unaware FA with serious consequences? Maybe you would have been arrested after arrival and spent an unspecified time in police custody. Have you conducted this sort of reckless activity before?

Please try to be more aware of safety issues and your fellow passengers and crew members when placing your belongings on future flights.

katyspcc

don't you think that's abit ridiculous? there's no point with the baggage scan system. we can never know this failure if we dont lose our baggages. our baggages are at risk everytime we hand them to the airlines..that's what they make me feel.

so how's urs now? got the bags back? how many days did it take?

katyspcc

so how's ur bag now? got it back? how long did it take?

Teresa Inskip

Well, welcome to our world. December 23 was my flight, still nothing. We fly back to HEL monday and I am debating whether we are going to wait out their 21 days or raise HEL-l on their proverbial hinds.

In case anyone wonders, any current airline lost luggage (lost for good) policy covers you for 250 euro per piece. If you have Samsonite suitcases, like ours were, you have lost half the reimbursement right there in replacing them.

I find it extremely offensive, that they claim that this issue is solved and the luggage delivered. Or blaming it on the weather. I used to enjoy using Finnair because it is the only direct flight Hel-Mad but now I am not sure what to think of them anymore.

For those of you in Helsinki, I went to another thread about this subject and wanted to give you the phone number for Helsinki Finnair luggage, which is not the ripoff 3 euro + your carrier per minute phone number listed on their website. At least this would make you feel better if you are over there, I am told it is a land line:

3589 818 7702