Lost luggage showing signs of recovery after hitting 10-year high

Baggage mishandling rates past twelvemonth deed the highest successful a decennary globally arsenic the hose manufacture scrambled to retrieve aft the pandemic, a study shows.

Some 26 cardinal pieces of luggage were lost, delayed oregon damaged successful 2022 - astir 8 bags successful each 1,000.

But caller information seen by the BBC indicates the concern is improving arsenic rider numbers instrumentality to pre-pandemic levels.

This was down to much airdrome unit and automation technology, said Sita, which handles IT systems for 90% of airlines.

But that is nary consolation to Chloe, whose container got mislaid erstwhile she flew from the UK to Italy for a friend's wedding.

Instead of sightseeing, the 27-year-old from Croydon said she spent the archetypal hours of her vacation frantically moving astir the shops successful hunt of exigency toiletries and clothes.

"It was a batch of accent I didn't peculiarly privation connected my archetypal vacation since 2014," she said. "It besides tainted the acquisition of seeing my person get married... which is simply a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

Chloe flew from Gatwick to Pisa with EasyJet connected 1 August but her suitcase did not get connected the baggage carousel. She filled successful paperwork astatine the airdrome but past had to leap connected a bid to Florence wherever her person was getting married.

Chloe said she was thankful she had packed her outfit for the wedding successful her manus luggage.

"But determination was the remainder of my vacation and events astir the wedding similar a barbecue and a excavation enactment wherever I didn't truly consciousness comfy having photos taken with maine successful the aforesaid outfit each the time," she said.

EasyJet has apologised to Chloe and said it volition support looking for her container for 45 days earlier changing its presumption from delayed to lost.

"That means I'm successful limbo due to the fact that I can't enactment a assertion successful for compensation from EasyJet oregon my question security until they accidental it's lost," she said.

Chloe said the full worth of her lawsuit and its contents was astir £1,000. "Some of it I've already had to bargain again due to the fact that determination are things I request connected a day-to-day ground truthful I'm already retired of pocket," she said.

"You bash get £25 per idiosyncratic per time for up to 3 days from EasyJet for toiletries and basal clothing. But that doesn't spell precise far."

The UK watchdog, the Civil Aviation Authority, said the maximum astir airlines wage retired is astir £1,000 but added: "It would beryllium precise uncommon for you to person this much."

It besides warned that airlines justice the worth of an point connected its property erstwhile lost, not however overmuch it costs to bargain new, truthful it mightiness beryllium amended to assertion via question insurance.

Airlines indispensable way each portion of luggage astatine assorted points during its travel utilizing the barcode connected the luggage tag, according to Sita.

Last twelvemonth was the archetypal summertime that holidaymakers returned successful droves aft Covid question restrictions were eased.

But galore airports and airlines that had made cuts during the pandemic struggled to enlistee unit including baggage handlers rapidly enough.

This was the highest complaint since 2012 erstwhile the wide fig was 26.3 cardinal - astir 9 pieces mishandled per 1,000 passengers. The fig earlier the pandemic successful 2019 was astir six pieces per 1,000 passengers.

The study recovered the summation successful 2022 was down to issues during transfers from formation to flight, which accounted for 42% of lost, damaged oregon delayed baggage.

Nicole Hogg, Sita's caput of baggage said: "Post-pandemic we've seen unit shortages astatine the aforesaid clip arsenic a surge successful rider traffic.

"People are truly anxious astir travelling with baggage, we've seen that with the baggage mountains. I deliberation what we privation to bash is enactment assurance backmost into passengers to question with bags."

Sita has shared its provisional 2023 information with the BBC though it cannot enactment retired the complaint until it has rider information for the full of this year.

The International Air Transport Association (Iata) said determination were 4.5 cardinal aerial passengers successful 2019 and estimates this twelvemonth volition spot 4.4 billion.

In the archetypal fractional of 2023, the fig of mishandled pieces of luggage was 5.7 million, down from 5.8 cardinal successful the archetypal fractional of 2019.

"The inclination started to sharply amended from May to the extremity of July 2023, with less bags being misplaced contempt beardown maturation successful rider numbers going into the summer," Sita said.

Ms Hogg said airlines were utilizing automation to forestall baggage mishandling and reunite radical with mislaid luggage.

"The strategy is rather clever. There's an algorithm that fundamentally works retired what's the adjacent champion disposable flight, and that container is past sent straight connected that formation without immoderate quality intervention."

She said it was precise uncommon that a container that went missing was not recovered and sent backmost to its owner.

"I deliberation a container that is mislaid oregon ne'er reunited with the rider is due to the fact that the tag had travel disconnected and determination was nary sanction oregon telephone fig connected it. But it's little than a 1% accidental - bags that are mishandled are ever much than apt reunited with passengers," she said.

A connection from EasyJet said "incidents of mislaid luggage are highly low" and that it "has 1 of the champion performances successful the industry".

For present Chloe tin lone hold successful anticipation that she is either reunited with her container oregon capable to assertion capable to regenerate it.

What should I bash if my luggage is delayed, mislaid oregon damaged?

Source: UK Civil Aviation Authority