Bags trailed on British Air

When my wife and I did our planning for our visit to Edinburgh for the 2007 International Festival as well as the Fringe Festival, I elected to fly British Airways (B.A.) for two reasons: the cabin service has always been excellent and they provide connecting flights to Edinburgh from Heathrow.

When we heard about travelers’ problems vis-à-vis luggage, we crossed our fingers and were certain it wouldn’t happen to us. Since I wasn’t sure what terminals we would land at and transfer to, I made certain that for our Aug. 12, 2007, flight we had what should be sufficient layover: three-plus hours. As it turned out, both flights used Terminal 1.

Upon our arrival at Edinburgh we patiently waited, and when the last piece of luggage appeared and we still did not have ours we went to the B.A. lost-luggage counter. There was a line.

We were at first informed that our luggage was still at Los Angeles International (LAX), but after a few keystrokes and some minutes of waiting it was determined that the bags were at Heathrow. We gave B.A. the address and phone number of the B&B where we were staying and were advised that the bags would be delivered the next day.

The next day only two of the three bags were delivered. When we queried B.A. as to why we weren’t delivered the third bag, we were informed that it wasn’t in their warehouse. We described the bag and a search disclosed that they had it, after all. It was delivered the next day, or two days after we had landed in Edinburgh.

We had mixed emotions about our return flight on Aug. 30. I’m not sure whether I should say we weren’t disappointed or it was déjà vu all over again.

Arriving at Los Angeles, again no bags! We found the B.A. lost-luggage counter (somewhat hard to locate at the LAX Bradley terminal) and they not only had our names on a form but knew the B.A. flight the bags would be loaded on; they were almost airborne as we spoke.

All three bags were delivered to our door almost 24 hours after we arrived home.

It would seem wise, if you are connecting at Heathrow, to not check your bags to your final destination but to pick them up after each leg and do the transfer yourself. You can do this if you have control of the planning; however, if you are part of a tour, then cross your fingers or make an offering to the great luggage god hiding in the nether regions of Heathrow.

DONALD B. THOMPSON

Garden Grove, CA

ITN sent a copy of the above letter to British Airways and received the following reply.

I completely sympathize with Mr. Thompson’s feelings regarding his missing bags. Nothing is more frustrating than arriving at a destination without one’s much-needed clothing, medicines and other items of a personal nature.

The same happened to me last week when traveling to London from Manchester; my wife’s suitcase went missing. It was returned to our hotel 12 hours later, but the emotional anguish was difficult.

When Terminal 5 at Heathrow opens on March 27, 2008, it will alleviate 99% of the British Airports Authority infrastructure problems at Heathrow.

By end of April 2008, 80% of British Airways flights will be operating through the new terminal, which I toured last Friday. It is huge, with many new innovations for customer convenience, not the least of which is that most connections baggage — B.A. to B.A. — will be moving in the same building and not across the airport. Time will be saved, connection time reduced and the chance of missing bags greatly reduced.

I am happy that Mr. Thompson received his bags at L.A. within 24 hours, and we hope that this situation remains well in the past.

JOHN LAMPL, Customer Service Executive, British Airways, 75-20 Astoria Blvd., Jackson Heights, NY 11370-1190

In a follow-up, Mr. Thompson told ITN that he received a check for $250 from British Airways “to cover all of your expenses and to recognize the other problems you had.” The accompanying note from B.A. Customer Service Executive David Weeks also said, “British Airways’ liability for loss, delay or damage to baggage is limited under the Montreal Convention. If the payment does not cover the total cost of your expenses or your belongings, then you may have further rights against us under the Montreal Convention (see www.ba.com for details) or against your travel insurance.” Mr. Thompson felt the amount was “sufficient monetary compensation.”