News: New figures reveal shocking extent of baggage loss nightmare

Flights > News > # 1403 (02/08/2007)

Record numbers of bags are being lost according to figures compiled by the Association of European Airlines (AEA).
The problem has become so severe that one consumer group is advising travellers to avoid checking in bags altogether and take hand luggage instead.
British Airways was declared the worst performing of all Europe's major airlines and is forecast to lose a record 1.3 million bags this year. One in every 35 passengers on BA flights lost luggage between April and June and a continued baggage crisis at Heathrow is expected to exacerbate the problem throughout the summer peak. No-frills carriers such as Ryanair and Easyjet were not included in the report.
The chairman of the Air Transport Users Council (AUC), Simon Evans, said the baggage situation at Heathrow was unlikely to improve until Terminal 5 opens next March. He said: "Until Terminal 5 opens travellers are advised to take hand luggage where possible, or ensure identification is left within their suitcase. There is no doubt that Heathrow is a big part of the problem.”
The AEA figures for the second quarter this year showed that on every BA Boeing 747 flight carrying 350 passengers, the equivalent of ten would not find their bags on the carousel. Air France and Lufthansa, which both carried three million more passengers than BA during this period, performed significantly better, with one in 62 passengers losing bags. The AEA said that, on average, 85 per cent of the bags that go missing are traced and delivered to passengers within 48 hours.
A BA spokesman admitted the airline's performance was not acceptable. "Our baggage performance has not been good enough. Improving this is a top priority." He said that unlike Amsterdam Schiphol and Charles De Gaulle (the hubs for KLM and Air France), which operate at 80 per cent capacity, Heathrow was performing at its maximum, leaving no leeway should things go wrong.
BA blames some of the problems on the Government imposed restriction of only one piece of hand luggage on flights to and from Britain. Other European carriers still allow two. BA claims the restrictions mean 23,000 bags a day go through a system designed for 18,000.