The Washington Post is running a story on a family who lost their luggage on the way to Florence. British Air was no help. The bags included some family heirlooms. Obviously, heirlooms should never be in checked bags but what is done is done. The dad went to Florence for the weekend in order to find the bags. He did. The article includes photos of Florence's "lost luggage hanger".
https://wapo.st/3EMpc6O (It's gifted).
Posted by
Arlington TX
606 posts
Always interesting to read the reply to a major news organization as opposed to what the customer receives. The picture of the huge array of lost luggage is sobering. I know that most checked luggage is never lost but……..
Posted by
Edmonds, WA 🌨 ☂
11946 posts
Lost luggage is a problem that I strongly suspect the airlines have done a 'cost-benefit' analysis on and have determined that a certain level of manpower/time is worthwhile but there is a point where it is cheaper to pay for lost luggage than to spend the time to find and re-unite every bag to the owner.
In the case at hand the bag contained irreplaceable items, which made the extraordinary measures the owner took, not unreasonable.
Hopefully the 'do not put irreplaceable stuff' in a checked bag message is heeded by all
Posted by
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, USA
14818 posts
First, thank you for gifting the article.
Second....I almost stopped reading when I got to this "Carolina had planned elaborate outfits, including one built around an ocean-blue, ruffled ball gown to wear with hopes of impressing her celebrity crush, Tom Cruise, who she heard might be present at a gala in Rome."
Trying not to be judgemental as people travel their own trips but yikes, it sounds driven by Instagram....anyway....
I DID get to the meat of the story and thank heavens the lady in Colorado emailed him AND that he found the other bag she was looking for. That is amazing. The photo of the lost luggage area is disheartening. It does not look like anyone is trying to move any of that luggage out of there.
SO...also good to know that your email address should be on your name tag so that someone else might find it for you!
Posted by
Southeast US
4049 posts
That was actually a far better story than I was expecting. One moral of the story is to tell your traveling teens not to put irreplaceable things in their checked luggage! Also... tell them Tom Cruise will never return their love.
Posted by
Virginia
897 posts
Second....I almost stopped reading when I got to this "Carolina had planned elaborate outfits, including one built around an ocean-blue, ruffled ball gown to wear with hopes of impressing her celebrity crush, Tom Cruise, who she heard might be present at a gala in Rome."
Trying not to be judgemental as people travel their own trips but yikes, it sounds driven by Instagram....anyway....
Really? Sounds like a 14 year old kid excited for a trip maybe even with a 14yo crush.
Posted by
Duluth 🛶
8157 posts
One thing it reinforces for me is to never book a flight with British Airways. I have read so many horror stories lately of their terrible customer service.
Posted by
Myrtle Beach, USA
12315 posts
I've seen a similar story about lost luggage at one of the Rome airports. The photo of the lost luggage made this look tiny (and organized). The point of that story was if you lose luggage, expecting it recovered is a pipe dream. It may be BA's fault, but the common denominator seems to be Italy.
The lesson I learned a long time ago, for a number of reasons, is pack light and keep your (one) bag with you.