Imagine finally landing after a long flight – then waiting FOUR HOURS for your luggage at baggage claim…
… only to end up being told to “go home” and file a “missing baggage report.”
This nightmare was a reality for travelers at London-Heathrow Airport and you won’t believe how British Airways (BA) responded to the crisis.
Remember when airlines were quick to lay people off?
Well, the consequences continue to roll in as airlines are so short-staffed they’ve resorted to asking pilots to “volunteer” to serve food and clean loyalty lounges during their downtime.
You just can’t make this stuff up.
But of course, instead of admitting their mismanagement of employees – the airlines are quick to blame every issue they encounter on “the weather” in hopes of keeping the heat off their failed policies.
And at Heathrow Airport, British Airways acted no differently when a massive staffing issue caused passengers to be without their luggage.
Weary travelers waited hours for their checked bags – only to realize the system had completely shut down – leaving their bags unavailable to claim.
Furious passengers reported British Airways staff were “hiding out” to avoid facing customers and answering questions.
Frustrated and fed-up, Adam Simon blasted British Airways on Twitter calling it a “disgrace” on how they handled the situation.
@British_Airways your baggage handing at Heathrow airport T5 is a disgrace. Hiding your customer service staff when being asked for updates and mountains of undelivered/unclaimed bags. Blaming the wind when the reality is you’re short staffed. Embarrassing pic.twitter.com/TS29151Ek0
— Adam (@adzsimon) February 20, 2022
Instead of working to get passengers their missing luggage – British Airways essentially told them to go home… without their luggage.
Paddle Your Own Kanoo reported:
“We’re sorry for the inconvenience we know this may have caused. Please rest assured we’ll do everything we can to help and we have volunteers from across the airline arriving at Heathrow to offer their support.”
Rather than waiting at the airport to collect luggage, BA suggests customers simply head home and wait for their bags to be couried to them.
“If you are still at the airport, we would recommend heading home or to your destination and we will courier your baggage to you at the earliest opportunity,” the statement continued.”
Yikes.
What an absolute nightmare.
And just ANOTHER reminder why we at Proud American Traveler advise you to never check a bag – so you won’t ever have to be in this situation.
It’s true that things have calmed down (somewhat) in the travel world – but there’s still a wild unpredictability as airlines continue to adjust their policies (and staffing issues) in trying to keep up with the latest heavy-handed mandate.
So save yourself the hassle on your next trip and pack a carry-on bag – you’ll avoid having to waste hours of your precious time waiting for luggage that never comes.
Do you check luggage when you travel?
How would you respond if airline staff told you to “abandon” your bags and just go home?
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