[Skylane]

We are on vacation in Italy for 17 days. We arrived in Rome on Sep 2, 2011, only to find out BA has lost my wife's luggage. We have planned this trip for several months, my wife spent a great deal of money on new clothes, shoes etc. Now after 4 days we are in Naples and still no luggage. We filed the paperwork in Rome for lost luggage. BA has made no communication whatsoever as to the whereabouts of her luggage. We have made several phone calls and get the same response, haven't located luggage yet. We are at wits end as to what to do. Today she is contacting all of the news media in Denver, hoping one will start a story. Will keep you updated on this.

[jimworcs]

You can get an update on your baggage at www.ba.com, you need to put in your Reference Number in. This is the quickest way to get an updste, because the information is "live". You should also keep receipts if any reasonable items you needed to buy..such as clothing and underwear, toiletries, etc. BA had a terrible problem with baggage handling last year, but the forums seemed to be showing they were getting their act together. Make sure, even if you have given them the information by phone, that you inout on the website where you are and a contact number.

[Skylane]

It has now been 12 days and still have not seen luggage. bA has sent a automated message asking for more info, but everything they asked was already in world tracer. We really don't know if there is anything we can do. BA 's customer service is non existent. They won't answer e-mail or phone calls.
We will continue to update.

[jimworcs]

Unfortunately, there are very limited rights relating to lost luggage.

The Montreal Convention deals with lost or delayed luggage.*Under this Convention, the maximum liability of the airline in the event of lost or delayed luggage*is limited to 1,000 Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) per passenger.*The value of a SDR will vary each day and is linked to exchange rates. To give an idea of its value, 1 euro equals approximately 0.85 SDR.

This limit of 1,000 SDRs was confirmed in a decision of the Court of Justice of the EU on 6th May 2010, Walz v Clickair SA, in which the Court declared that this limit of 1,000SDRs (1134.71 euros) must be interpreted as including both material and non-material damage.

If your luggage is delayed for less than twenty-one days, it is important to be aware that there are no set regulations stating the compensation payments for delayed luggage. Most airlines take the view that once your bag has turned up you will have future use of the contents and refuse to make any compensation payments.

Some airlines offer immediate one-off cash payments at a set amount to cover emergency purchases until the delayed bag is delivered. Others will pay a set amount per day, up to a maximum number of days.

Other airlines do not make immediate cash payments, but prefer to reimburse a passenger’s expenditure on essential purchases and will often therefore insist on seeing receipts.

If your bag has still not been returned to you more than 21 days after your flight, the airline should treat it as lost and settle your claim on that basis.

BA has treated you badly. You might want to start posting on websites. If they have a facebook page post it there. they don't like their reputation being publicly trashed. Perhaps then they will acknowledge the sheer inconveniece and how much they can spoil a holiday.

Good luck

[lesizmore]

Skylane,
We feel your identical pain. My wife and I had BOTH of our bags were missing in Italy for 19 and 20 days by BA. We left DCA (Washington) to FCO (Rome) departing Sept 1 on AA. After AA missed our connections and we flew standby re-routed through LHR (London) with BA. Imagine our pain traveling with friends and family through Rome, Capri and Positano withOUT any luggage. “Livid then frustrating” come to mind. Hours short of the 21-day claim deadline my bag is suppose to arrive today (Sept 20). My wife’s luggage arrived back in the US yesterday. We’ve documented and photographed the small provisions we purchased (at Capri prices!). BA issued a Claim Number upon arrival to FCO. I was emailed a contact person w Ref # once back in US. Not once did BA initiate any communication. I had hotels calling X2 daily. I completed all forms and updates and finally detailed claim forms. BA better make fair restitution because our once-in-a lifetime trip to Italy was ruined – much like yours. Agreed: BA customer service is nonexistent.