Missing
Posted: Thursday, 12 April 2007 |
Just before the Easter hols, bumped into Ruthodanort & Muness Views in Osla's cafe in Lerwick. Why was I not blogging??? they asked. Well, here I am again. The really busy term is now past.
Consort and I decided we needed a break over the Easter hols, so we decided to go to Tunisia. Staying a couple of night in Manchester on the way, a week in North Africa, then another couple of nights in Manchester on the way back. Simple - we thought. Little did we know about the upcoming great BA Connect/Flybe debacle.
We were originally booked all the way from Sumburgh-Edinburgh-Manchester with British Airways. But then BA sold their BA Connect operation to Flybe. This meant that Flybe would now operate the Edinburgh-Manchester leg.
Schools broke up at lunchtime on Friday 30 March and we checked in at Sumburgh airport at 2.30pm. We were told that we had to check ourselves in at the Flybe desk in Edinburgh but that our 2 bags were checked all the way through to Manchester. That's the last time we saw the bags!!
At Edinburgh we checked in at Flybe and mentioned the 2 bags. That they were checked all the way through but could they check. "Yes, no problem" we were told. If there was anything wrong they would tannoy us. No tannoy message so we assumed that everything was OK.
Arrived at Manchester - no bags!!!! Placed an PIR with the Flybe. Nobody seemed to know where it was, it was not on their system! All we now had was what we were wearing (along with our passport, money, etc) I had vital medication in the bags and spent most of Friday evening, Saturday & Sunday morning sorting medication out, buying 1 or 2 bits and pieces, including having to get an eye test for replacement contact lenses.
Sunday we set out for Tunisia hoping that our bags would catch up with us. Some hope!! All week we had to wear the same clothing, couldn't go swimming etc. But we were determined that it wouldn't get us down.
On returning to the UK, I phoned Flybe's Lost Baggage centre to be told that the bags were flown to Tunisia on 4 April - 4 days before we came home. But we never got them I said. Yes they were definitely flown from your starting point in Lisbon, I was then informed. But I have never been to Lisbon in my life was my reply.
Checking in with Flybe at Manchester on Tuesday, we were then told that our names were not on the flight list, that our bookings had been cancelled!! Fortunately they managed to get us on the flight. When they asked if we wanted to check our bag (a new rucsack I had bought in Manchester), we both said NO!!! We would pick up the bag from the Flybe flight and check it in for the BA one. (We'd earlier that day heard from Muness Views that he had flown from Manchester to Shetland but that his bag hadn't turned up).
Getting home I phoned Flybe again to now be told that our bags were not in Tunisia and that they STILL had no idea where they were. Speaking with some people at Manchester, the first weekend, we were told that Flybe had lost 150 bags in Manchester and that the situation was even worse at Birmingham! They had only 1 person "dealing" with all the bags at Edinburgh.
It seems that Flybe may have bitten off more than they can chew. I for one do not intend to fly Flybe again.
Meanwhile, if anybody sees 2 rather forlorn looking black bags - on with a green ID tag, and the other made by Antler, say Hello to them.
Consort and I decided we needed a break over the Easter hols, so we decided to go to Tunisia. Staying a couple of night in Manchester on the way, a week in North Africa, then another couple of nights in Manchester on the way back. Simple - we thought. Little did we know about the upcoming great BA Connect/Flybe debacle.
We were originally booked all the way from Sumburgh-Edinburgh-Manchester with British Airways. But then BA sold their BA Connect operation to Flybe. This meant that Flybe would now operate the Edinburgh-Manchester leg.
Schools broke up at lunchtime on Friday 30 March and we checked in at Sumburgh airport at 2.30pm. We were told that we had to check ourselves in at the Flybe desk in Edinburgh but that our 2 bags were checked all the way through to Manchester. That's the last time we saw the bags!!
At Edinburgh we checked in at Flybe and mentioned the 2 bags. That they were checked all the way through but could they check. "Yes, no problem" we were told. If there was anything wrong they would tannoy us. No tannoy message so we assumed that everything was OK.
Arrived at Manchester - no bags!!!! Placed an PIR with the Flybe. Nobody seemed to know where it was, it was not on their system! All we now had was what we were wearing (along with our passport, money, etc) I had vital medication in the bags and spent most of Friday evening, Saturday & Sunday morning sorting medication out, buying 1 or 2 bits and pieces, including having to get an eye test for replacement contact lenses.
Sunday we set out for Tunisia hoping that our bags would catch up with us. Some hope!! All week we had to wear the same clothing, couldn't go swimming etc. But we were determined that it wouldn't get us down.
On returning to the UK, I phoned Flybe's Lost Baggage centre to be told that the bags were flown to Tunisia on 4 April - 4 days before we came home. But we never got them I said. Yes they were definitely flown from your starting point in Lisbon, I was then informed. But I have never been to Lisbon in my life was my reply.
Checking in with Flybe at Manchester on Tuesday, we were then told that our names were not on the flight list, that our bookings had been cancelled!! Fortunately they managed to get us on the flight. When they asked if we wanted to check our bag (a new rucsack I had bought in Manchester), we both said NO!!! We would pick up the bag from the Flybe flight and check it in for the BA one. (We'd earlier that day heard from Muness Views that he had flown from Manchester to Shetland but that his bag hadn't turned up).
Getting home I phoned Flybe again to now be told that our bags were not in Tunisia and that they STILL had no idea where they were. Speaking with some people at Manchester, the first weekend, we were told that Flybe had lost 150 bags in Manchester and that the situation was even worse at Birmingham! They had only 1 person "dealing" with all the bags at Edinburgh.
It seems that Flybe may have bitten off more than they can chew. I for one do not intend to fly Flybe again.
Meanwhile, if anybody sees 2 rather forlorn looking black bags - on with a green ID tag, and the other made by Antler, say Hello to them.
Posted on soljey at 12:37
Missing - Update
Posted: Tuesday, 17 April 2007 |
Update on missing bags! Bags apparently arrived at Manchester airport and were planned to be sent to Tunisia but they have......er......gone missing. Muness Views will be devastated to know that my Just Knackered t-shirt was in the missing baggage.
Perhaps he knows where I can get another. Also sad is that a t-shirt with a design by my grand-daughter is also somewhere over the rainbow.
Perhaps he knows where I can get another. Also sad is that a t-shirt with a design by my grand-daughter is also somewhere over the rainbow.
Posted on soljey at 11:57
Lost in France - or Tunisia - or Burkina Faso - or Tajikistan - or.....
Posted: Thursday, 26 April 2007 |
Well, the missing bags saga continues. They are now no longer delayed....but officially lost! Ah, that's a consolation. We can now claim for them - expecting to be offered some pitiful sum in return.
Speaking to a Servisair baggage handler in Edinburgh, it seems that Flybe and their baggage handing agents have been a bit of a shambles to say the least.
On the phone to Flybe's so-called "baggage tracing facility", I was having to tell them whether or not they flew to Tunisia. (They don't by the way). At Manchester, one employee admitted to me that they had started their expanded operations without all the necessary IT equipment being in place.
Apparently, any unclaimed luggage is kept for 3 months and then auctioned off. It's an airport for goodness sake!! Many people passing through are not from that area. For example, how on earth can people go from Shetland to Manchester or Edinburgh, to check if their bags are there?
Meanwhile Consort and I are over 拢1,600 out of pocket.
Wait a minute, maybe that's how airlines are going to pay for off-setting carbon emissions. "Lose" 1,000s of bags then sell off the contacts. Great idea! Add this to the confiscating such "dangerous" items as toothpaste, make-up, etc at security - so forcing passengers to use the expensive airport shops beyond security. Airlines/airports are raking it in without even having to put an aircraft in the sky!
Speaking to a Servisair baggage handler in Edinburgh, it seems that Flybe and their baggage handing agents have been a bit of a shambles to say the least.
On the phone to Flybe's so-called "baggage tracing facility", I was having to tell them whether or not they flew to Tunisia. (They don't by the way). At Manchester, one employee admitted to me that they had started their expanded operations without all the necessary IT equipment being in place.
Apparently, any unclaimed luggage is kept for 3 months and then auctioned off. It's an airport for goodness sake!! Many people passing through are not from that area. For example, how on earth can people go from Shetland to Manchester or Edinburgh, to check if their bags are there?
Meanwhile Consort and I are over 拢1,600 out of pocket.
Wait a minute, maybe that's how airlines are going to pay for off-setting carbon emissions. "Lose" 1,000s of bags then sell off the contacts. Great idea! Add this to the confiscating such "dangerous" items as toothpaste, make-up, etc at security - so forcing passengers to use the expensive airport shops beyond security. Airlines/airports are raking it in without even having to put an aircraft in the sky!
Posted on soljey at 11:54
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