https://www.vueling.com/en
The curious case of the suitcase that went on a European holiday without me
By Steven Smith
There was great excitement when, as a late birthday gift, my nephew took me to Marbella for five days.
We flew out with British Airways, and I came back on a codeshare flight operated by a Spanish airline called Vueling. Now, I have no complaints about the flight itself. Everything went perfectly well.
The same, unfortunately, cannot be said for my luggage.
There are certain things you expect to bring home from a holiday: photographs, memories, perhaps a few extra pounds around the waist and a vague promise that next time you’ll pack less.
What you don’t expect is for your suitcase to continue its European travels without you.
My luggage has now been missing since Saturday, and what began as an inconvenience has turned into a bizarre international mystery involving airports, telephone calls, automated updates and a suitcase that appears to have had a far more adventurous journey than I did.
The reference number, which I now know almost as well as my own telephone number, is LGWVY28092.
The bag was particularly important because I had been sharing it with my nephew, Matthew, who was due to fly to the United States shortly after we returned. His clothes were inside, along with mine. So this wasn’t simply a case of waiting patiently for a delayed pair of socks to turn up.
Then came the updates.
At one point, my luggage appeared to be in Paris Charles de Gaulle. Why Paris? Your guess is as good as mine. From there, I was told it was being sent to Barcelona before eventually — hopefully — making its way back to me in London.
Paris to Barcelona to London. My suitcase was practically Interrailing.
What has made the whole experience considerably worse, however, is the extraordinary difficulty in getting a clear answer from anyone.
I have telephoned. I have messaged. I have chased. I have watched the online tracking system with the dedication of an air traffic controller. I would love to be in Paris ,
Eventually, the status changed to the rather exciting announcement:
“Your piece of baggage has been located.”
Wonderful!
Except there was one small problem.
Where exactly had it been located?
Being told something has been “located” is not particularly reassuring when nobody can confirm where it physically is, whether it actually arrived in Barcelona, when it will be placed on a flight to London, or when it might finally arrive at my front door.
Each telephone call seems to produce another version of: “We are waiting for information.”
Meanwhile, my suitcase continues to exist somewhere in the mysterious world of international baggage handling.
There is, of course, a funny side. I have visions of it sitting beside a swimming pool in Barcelona, sipping sangria while I sit in London trying desperately to discover its whereabouts.
But underneath the humour is a serious point.
When airlines lose passengers’ belongings, communication matters enormously. People may have medication, work clothes, sentimental possessions or valuable items inside their cases. A computer-generated message saying a bag has been “located” simply isn’t enough after days of uncertainty.
Passengers deserve to know what is happening to their property.
So, as I write this, the great suitcase saga continues.
Somewhere between London, Paris and Barcelona is one extremely well-travelled piece of luggage that belongs to me.
If anyone sees it, could you possibly tell it that its holiday is over?
Steven would quite like his clothes back.
P.S. The latest piece of “help” from Vueling Airlines was the suggestion that I call Barcelona Airport myself and see if I can find my luggage.
You really couldn’t make it up.
2Shades Magazine 