Why I will do (almost) anything to not check in my bag...

British Airways 2489 Barcelona - Gatwick 2914 Gatwick - Manchester
25 September 2008

I only travelled this route over Gatwick because I desperately want to avoid Heathrow. On the Monday, my colleague Miss W travelled Edinburgh – Heathrow – Barcelona with British Air. When she arrived in Barcelona, her suitcase did not. BA assured her, that it would be delivered to her hotel that same evening. That didn’t happen. Not Tuesday either, and Wednesday she was travelling to Manchester (again over Heathrow) and called the airline to inform, that she would pick it up at Barcelona airport herself.

When she arrived at the airport, the airline had not bothered to go through the trouble of identifying her back, but send her to a big warehouse to find it herself. She did, slightly damaged, but it was there. She then went to the counter to check it in for the flight to Manchester, and had to hand over her suitcase again. Arriving in Manchester, the suitcase was missing, presumably in Heathrow.

Statistically I don’t think that is even a remote possibility! Also, what kind of airline does not plaster a suitcase that has been lost for 3 days with orange PRIORITY stickers and make sure it isn’t lost again? Well British Air sure didn’t seem to care…

Watch this space for an update on Miss W’s misadventures in reimbursement…

PS: Just for the record: I have never lost my bag, and that is because I never check it in...