[Henry Domzalski]

On the gangway, boarding my connecting Ethiopian Airlines flight from Addis Ababa to Lilongwe, Malawi, the staff insisted that my hand luggage be checked into the hold. The same bag had been allowed on the incoming ETHIAD flight.

I removed my laptop, it being the most valuable item, but upon arrival in Malawi, in addition to the non-arrival of my three checked bags, the hand bag was found to have been opened (the zipper was in an unusual position) and a $400 camera was missing. I reported the theft at the airport, but the baggage claims staff said they only dealt with missing bags, not thefts.

I wrote to Ethiopian Airlines and they noted how their baggage liability is limited to $20/kg. I replied noting that my hand luggage hadn't been weighed, so there was no way to determine the difference between the departure weight and the arrival weight. Ethiopian Airlines also said that a $20 recovery was somehow insignificant, implying that it would be more trouble than it was worth (for both the airline and me).

I cannot tolerate thievery or thieves - and in this case that is the label I have to apply to Ethiopian Airlines.