Qantas luggage lost: passengers in limbo

[Ryan N]

http://www.smh.com.au/news/travel/qantas-bags-lost-passengers-in-limbo/2008/12/22/1229794296474.html

Qantas luggage lost: passengers in limbo
Georgina Robinson
December 22, 2008 - 1:12PM

Countless Qantas passengers have been plunged into pre-Christmas limbo after 750 pieces of luggage were reportedly lost between Los Angeles, London, Sydney and Melbourne over the weekend.

Airline staff are working around the clock to reunite travellers with about 750 suitcases, bags and backpacks that have piled up at international terminals in Sydney and Melbourne, one affected family said.

The airline did not confirm the number of lost bags.

However, a spokeswoman said a technical issue in the cargo hold of a Boeing 747-400 flying from Los Angeles to Melbourne led to all baggage being loaded on to the next available flights.

But other passengers flying with Qantas from London also arrived in Sydney to find crucial bags missing.

The Quinns were told a suitcase full of Christmas gifts for their two young children had gone missing between London and Sydney when they arrived on Saturday night.

Sue Quinn said airline staff told her on Sunday that theirs was one of about 250 items without owners.

And when she called again this morning the tally had risen to 750. A fault with the baggage handling system in Los Angeles was partly to blame, Mrs Quinn was told.

"Santa had hid his pressies in my bag and I don't know whether to go shopping and start again or wait for them to tell us if we'll get our bags back this side of Christmas," she said.

Luckily, the missing suitcase turned up this morning, just as she was heading in to town.

But it took 36 hours of nervous waiting to find out whether she needed to start from scratch on Santa sacks for Ruby, 7, and Ben, 4.

"There are about a dozen presents, a couple of MP3 players and CDs plus stuff that can't be replaced because the kids have made things for their grandparents," she said.

"Half the luggage on a number of flights out of LA to Sydney has been left behind," Mrs Quinn said.

[Peter D]

"Half the luggage on a number of flights out of LA to Sydney has been left behind," Mrs Quinn said


If Qantas can't even manage their passengers luggage on the SYD-LA route then how are they going to manage the competition that VA and Delta Airlines will bring?

[James K]

"Half the luggage on a number of flights out of LA to Sydney has been left behind," Mrs Quinn said


If Qantas can't even manage their passengers luggage on the SYD-LA route then how are they going to manage the competition that VA and Delta Airlines will bring?

Oh please. Like Virgin and Delta have never lost a bag. I think a little perspective is required

[Matt Southwell]

It's obviously reported because it's Qantas. Other than it being Qantas I'm really not sure why this has even been reported on. Airlines lose bags everyday, and airlines have baggage system mistakes all the time, why isn't every incident with every airline reported, who cares, what a waste of time smh.

[Dave Powell]

, who cares, .


Guess I'd care if it was my bags:rolleyes:

but point taken Matt - IMHO the obsession in some quarters with highlighting the smallest glitch at QF at the moment is all getting a bit silly . As has been previously pointed out in this and other threads most of the occurrences are common events in the day to day running of a large airline

cheers

Dave

[Marty H]

Thats going to be one hell of a courier bill:eek:

[Greg F]

Well I suppose with all the intense screening of bags Post 9/11 and stuff it wouldnt be hard for a few bags to be left behind, but half is a lot!!

But these things happen, There are far worse things happening in the world other than passengers bags being left behind... boo hoo
Ive had bags left behind several times, they just deliver to u when its arrived, pain in the but i know... but really life goes on...... :p

[Montague S]

It's obviously reported because it's Qantas. Other than it being Qantas I'm really not sure why this has even been reported on. Airlines lose bags everyday, and airlines have baggage system mistakes all the time, why isn't every incident with every airline reported, who cares, what a waste of time smh.

nonsense, its reported because its Christmas and its a lot of bags, the carrier counts for squat in this case.

[Jamie D]

With regards to the 744 that had baggage issues over the weekend, i have a feeling it may have been wunala as it was ops the 93 yesterday and was 4 hours late as engineers had to fly in a part from sydney to fix something in the cargo hold my brother told me as he was working yesterday

[Anthony T]

........and the aircraft to replace Wunala was delayed getting to the gate due to the tug catching fire whilst towing the aircraft from the Golf standoff bays to the intl terminal ,requiring the attendence of the smokie's, who at the time were busy playing with the remains of the F28 near the Sunbury road.

Just don't tell the media :p

[NickN]

Christmas is considered the "silly season", I don't think journalists are excepted.

[Owen H]

I always wonder what the media expect the airline to do.

If an aircraft can't take any cargo due to a last minute unservicability, do you...

1) Ground the aircraft, and delay hundreds of passengers on the flight in question, and the next flights, or

2) Take the aircraft and passengers with no baggage, then pop all the bags on the next flight out, and courier them to their homes when they arrive.

"Luckily, the missing suitcase turned up this morning, just as she was heading in to town." So, no story then really!

It is clearly a slow news season, and the reporters in question should be banned from writing for the newspapers, just like the ones that intentionally distorted the truth on some of the other Qantas matters to sell papers.

[Sarah C]

Well said Owen. I am sure all of us have lost bags and it is not fun. However, the Air Canada flight yesterday was cancelled. I am sure there were hundreds of people affected by that. If you are trying to get somewhere, I know I would rather get to the destination without the bag than not get there at all.

Airlines are in a no-win situation really. If they delayed a couple of flights, passengers are unhappy.

[Montague S]

I always wonder what the media expect the airline to do.

If an aircraft can't take any cargo due to a last minute unservicability, do you...

1) Ground the aircraft, and delay hundreds of passengers on the flight in question, and the next flights, or

2) Take the aircraft and passengers with no baggage, then pop all the bags on the next flight out, and courier them to their homes when they arrive.

"Luckily, the missing suitcase turned up this morning, just as she was heading in to town." So, no story then really!

It is clearly a slow news season, and the reporters in question should be banned from writing for the newspapers, just like the ones that intentionally distorted the truth on some of the other Qantas matters to sell papers.

another one having a crack at the media..do you think the media magically found out about this lost luggage? I mean for goodness sake, use some logic, it was the passengers who complained and that's why its a story...because near on 1000 items of luggage didn't show up at the busiest time of the year.

:eek:

I am sure all of us have lost bags and it is not fun.

never..and I wouldn't want one lost at Christmas time.

[Robert Zweck]

What is so newsworthy about lost baggage?

Airlines around the world do it every day.

[James Smith]

My advice to international passengers. Pack a change of underwear and a toothbrush in your hand luggage for times just like this.

If there is room, I'd also tend to put the electronic gifts in my hand luggage in case they get "lost" forever!

[Adrian B]

What is so newsworthy about lost baggage?

Airlines around the world do it every day.

True, but not half a flights

[Robert Zweck]

I'm surprised no-one has posted that old joke.....



Checking-in pax says, " I'd like this bag sent to Melbourne, this one to Sydney and this other one to Brisbane "


" I'm sorry that won't be possible, Sir "


" Well, you managed to do it the last time I flew with you "

[Stephen B]

Not ragging on Qantas here at all, but I just don't understand how ANY airline can loose luggage at all these days. And how could anyone possibly see it as just another risk of travel?

With the technology available today, how can you possibly have a misdirected bag? Yes I can understand a bag falling under a conveyor might be missed, (have someone walk the floor to look for this!) but surely a simple barcode scanner would eliminate any possibility of a bag being loaded onto the wrong flight.

And it makes a total mockery of the concept of a bag not being allowed to fly without its owner. People will make the cry of "Its only human error", but that's total BS. That means either the operator is not doing their job right, or there aren't enough operators to do the job right. Profit before performance?

I understand in the case at the start of this thread there was a mechanical issue preventing the loading of luggage, but to make a radical claim here, ANY airline with this issue should then get the luggage on the very next available aircraft going to the same destination regardless of company, OR lay on a special flight to get the luggage there immediately. Extra cost to the airline, Boo Hoo. Get it right the first time and there won't be a problem.

Near enough is not good enough any more.

[Stuart Trevena]

Hi All,

I have one question - How does a Baggage error in LA affect London to Sydney Passengers, as quoted in the opening topic?

The media can't get it right.

Stuart

[Owen H]

Montague S,

Yes, I am one who will "bash" the media. I believe that the Media has a very cruicial role to play in society, and when I see the so called "journalistic standards" being destroyed by sensationalist reporting, and frequent intentional mis-reporting of facts, in a manner that could quite easily destroy a cruicial Australian institution for no reason whatsoever, then I believe that people need to start seriously questioning what is accepted.

Currently the media seem to have free reign to report whatever they want, with no right of reply or clarification. The journalists claim that they are the last check on how things are running in the country, and can expose bad situations. This is true, and why they are essential. But no-one is checking them. In the past, other media organisations would also act as a check on each other, ensuring some level of accuracy. With the reduction in different owners/operators this has disappeared, and now no-one is able to effectively monitor the media's activities.

The report could quite easily have been
"Hundreds of passengers had their bags left behind in Los Angeles last night due to a loading malfuction on the aircraft. Qantas put the bags on the next flight out of Los Angeles, and then sent a courier to their house with the bag as soon as it arrived, in order to minimise the disruption caused to the passengers", but that wouldn't sell newspapers.

Stephen B,

Usually, the airline hasn't lost the baggage at all, its just what people say has happened when their bag hasn't arrived. Bags very very rarely end up in a city that they aren't supposed to be in! In most situations, the bag location is known, its just not where it needs to be! (ie it never left the departure, or had to be loaded on a different aircraft). Unfortunately bags are often at the mercy of the local baggage handling system (especially bad internationally), which is handling millions of bags. When departure time is approaching, if they can't find your bag, then the flight is leaving without it. It has nothing to do with the airline... if you want to blame someone, blame the airport operators.

I'm not sure that an airline should put on a special flight just for your bags. Seems somewhat excessive... they are just bags. And yes, they will put them on a different carrier if its faster.