easyJet passengers discovered their luggage had been flown to the wrong airport after they landed back in England from Gibraltar. Luggage bound for London Gatwick and Manchester airports were accidentally swapped at Gibraltar International Airport.
The mishap meant that over 150 bags were flown to the wrong location leaving passengers angry and upset after being told that it could take up to three days for luggage to be returned.
A passenger speaking to the GBC News expressed concern for her daughter, whose medication for a rare condition was packed in a suitcase that has now ended up approximately 225 miles away in Manchester.
Gibraltar airport is investigating the incident – according to the Independent an easyJet spokesperson responded to the incident saying: “We are investigating the error with our baggage handlers and we would like to apologise to passengers for the inconvenience caused. We have been working to reunite passengers with their bags today.”
Travel insurance will only cover luggage-delay on your out-bound journey – provided your checked-in luggage was delayed for more than 12-hours of your arrival. That being said, you must always report lost-luggage to your transport provider and fill out a Property Irregularity Report (PIR) – if you fail to notify your lost or stolen luggage the travel company may not take responsibility and you will not be able to submit a claim to your travel insurance provider.
If, on your out-bound journey, your luggage has not been returned to you within 24 hours, easyJet will reimburse you for essential toiletries up to a total of £75 over the course of three days. In order to make a claim you must keep all of your receipts and submit them online within 21 days of your flight. You will only be eligible if the incident occurs on your out-bound journey – however, travel insurance will not provide cover for these items on your in-bound journey.
In some airports, easyJet provides a service that allows passengers to make a claim online – as long as they can provide details within 30 minutes and 24 hours after arrival – alternatively, you can log the claim online yourself through easyJet’s Delayed Baggage website. Your baggage will then be returned to at your chosen date, time and address once it has been recovered.
