My elderly parents flew with Ryanair from Budapest last December to visit me. They paid extra for cabin baggage to avoid checking it in.
As my mother has impaired mobility, they were the last to board. A flight attendant told them there was no room for their cases and he would take them to the hold.
My mother asked for an identification tag, but was told there was no need. That was the last time they saw their luggage.
When their bags failed to arrive with them, they were directed to a help desk that was unstaffed. They don’t have smartphones so couldn’t submit a report online.
The lost cases contained my mother’s medication for high blood pressure and Christmas presents for us, so the loss caused great worry and distress.
I’ve filed many complaints to Ryanair, but all my parents received is an email requesting receipts for a compensation claim. We don’t want compensation. We want the bags.
CK, Dundee
Last year was dubbed the “year of lost luggage”, with incidents doubling to 7.6 bags per 1,000 passengers. The impact can be incalculable, but the airlines’ attitude is often cavalier and their liability surprisingly limited. Compensation levels are governed by an international agreement known as the Montreal Convention and the maximum award is £1,000.
To achieve anything like that, you must submit a list of every lost item and its value, although you won’t get the full cost of renewing them.
Ryanair declared that, in the absence of receipts, it would calculate compensation according to the estimated weight of each item, which means a diamond ring would be valued at less than a pair of slippers.
Your parents, both with limited English, were wrong-footed by airline staff from the start. Passengers are advised to keep valuables and important medication which can’t be refunded in their cabin baggage, which your parents did, but had it taken off them.
They were not given a tag for their bags, which is required when a claim is made. Time is of the essence when reporting lost luggage, but they were not able to do so at the airport. And who keeps receipts for their wardrobe?
Ryanair tells me that “extensive searches” have failed to locate the bags and that it has “reached out” to your parents to assist with the claim. By that, it means the single email asking for receipts.
Your parents should make the claim and complain to the dispute resolution service Aviation ADR if it is refused. Next time, urge them to buy travel insurance, which usually offers better compensation for lost luggage.
AF of East Sussex has also been tussling with Ryanair following an abortive flight to Spain. After three hours sitting in the plane on the tarmac, passengers were decanted back into the airport where, she says, they were given no further information. She therefore abandoned the trip, and caught the last train home.
Ryanair has refused to pay compensation under aviation regulations for a delay of more than two hours. It tells me AF is not entitled to it because she decided not to travel.
I wanted to find out if this added up. To my surprise it does, according to Coby Benson of specialist aviation solicitors Bott & Co, although passengers can claim a refund of the ticket if the delay exceeds five hours.
“The law says passengers are entitled to compensation when their flight is cancelled or delayed, and they arrive at their final destination more than two hours late,” he explains. “Here, the flight was not cancelled, and since they chose to abandon the flight, they never ‘arrived more than two hours late’ and, as such, Ryanair is entitled to use this loophole.” Worth knowing, since short-haul passengers whose flight arrives more than two hours late are entitled to £220 each: often a lot more than the original fare.
And a big shout-out for the decent firms
Some companies, however, can, through basic decency, turn a problem into a PR triumph:
Can you give a big shout-out to the Rab repair centre? The stitching on the shoulder strap of my favourite Lowe Alpine rucksack came away. I emailed Lowe Alpine and was given a job number for Rab. The rucksack has come back repaired free of charge! It holds memories as well as kit and I’m so pleased.
HP, Orkney
Twice in the last year I’ve had to contact Shark UK about broken parts to my vacuum. I’ve been sent free replacements with no quibble, and free delivery. Some companies do their best for their customers.
MC, London
My Rohan waterproof jacket developed a fault, and 72 hours after taking it to the Bath store, I was contacted at home, and am being sent a free replacement immediately. I am most impressed.
AC, Bath
Email your.problems@observer.co.uk. Include an address and phone number. Submission and publication are subject to our terms and conditions.
