Lost Luggage Incidents

Supermodels and politicians charged with air rage, bags going up in plumes of smoke and missing baggage found in dumpsters are but a sample of captivating stories about lost luggage. Although South Africa joins the rest of the aviation world in respect to lost luggage statistics, we are not fairing as poorly as some of our decidedly first world counterparts.

Gone astray - over a million pieces of baggage in three months
Shock figures released by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics in the USA revealed that well over a million pieces of baggage had been damaged, delayed or ‘misappropriated’ in only 3 months (May – July 2007), the worst period for mishandled baggage in over two decades.

According to Forbes magazine, America’s leading business publication, over 150 000 passengers were affected by their kit mysteriously disappearing or arriving late between March 2008 and February 2009, a formidable percentage of disgruntled customers in anyone’s book!

South Africa, on the other hand appears to be managing the situation slightly better. Statistics released by the primary sector players in 2007 are paltry compared to that of both the USA and UK.

Of the 6 million units handled by the South African national air carrier in 2007, 10 800 or 0.18% were damaged and 6 600 (0.11%) were stolen
A rival airline reported an incidence of 600 bags per 3 million either going missing or ending up damaged
A cheaper, “no-frills” airline paid out R500 000 in lost luggage claims

The Wooden Spoon goes to Heathrow
However, the wooden spoon for the biggest and arguably the most costly lost luggage incident has to go to Britain’s Heathrow Terminal 5 debacle in March 2008.

Over 300 flights were cancelled and between 15 000 and 20 000 bags were left stranded after a technical snag crippled a sophisticated and expensive new baggage system designed to manage 12 000 bags per hour – and that was in a single day!

It has since been estimated that BA had to fork out over £25 million in flight cancellations, compensation payouts and other related costs.

Supermodel arrested for lost luggage rage
One of the victims of terminal luggage problems at terminal 5 was none other than super aggressive supermodel, Naomi Campbell. She allegedly let rip, cussing and spitting at both crew and cops when she was told one of her bags had gone missing. She was arrested and has since been handed down a lifetime ban by British Airways.

Up in smoke
An American airline can claim the prize for one of the more ludicrous lost luggage incidents. While waiting for her flight to Chicago, a woman was approached by a staff member who admitted her bag had gone up in smoke. They had allegedly dumped her bag, containing most of her wardrobe, too close to the exhaust of a belt loader and when someone switched the equipment on, all that was left was a pile of smouldering ‘flam...bag’.

With lost luggage the norm rather than the exception and the recent move by airlines to charge astronomical prices for excess luggage , the simple moral of the story is to recruit the services of a dedicated company specialising in unaccompanied excess baggage shipping. Apart from the obvious peace of mind, it will also mean you can “shop ‘til you drop” in the major urban centres of South Africa without fear of punitive excess baggage charges.

By: Kayla Reid

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Excess Luggage saves you money & time by collecting your extra baggage from any address in Cape Town or Johannesburg, South Africa, and shipping it to your airport of arrival or taking care of customs, clearance and delivering it to your home.