The arrival of summer has triggered one of the great problems that passengers face: lost luggage. In accordance with Bloombergthe Spanish insurer Mapfre reported a 30% increase in lost luggage, compared to pre-pandemic figures. The crisis is so serious that at major airports – such as Heathrow or Schiphol – it has become common to see thousands of packages stacked in the terminal.
Baggage loss skyrocketed because airports are understaffed to meet the growing demand for flights. The suitcases are lost during connections, since they do not manage to transport themselves to the second plane and never reach their destination. In the worst case, the lump stays in the terminal of origin or is stolen on the way.
The Heathrow case is so serious that Delta had to send an empty plane to collect thousands of suitcases that are in the terminal. Travelers passing through the area reported that some smell very bad after being stranded for more than 10 days at the airport londoner Some of them expressed on social networks that “it stinks like a dump” or “smells like poop or dead animals.”
Passengers complain that airlines don’t do enough to return your bags. In more serious cases, some cannot access their medications because they are found in lost luggage. Although others anticipated the crisis and included AirTag to locate themthey cannot get them because the staff does not respond or simply the packages are stranded in another country.
The airport crisis is causing cancellations, delays and loss of luggage
The air transport sector faces one of its greatest challenges after overcoming the pandemic crisis. After stopping its activity completely in 2020, the industry reels in the face of growing demand for flights in summer. Experts assured that 2022 would be the year of recovery for the sector, despite the strikes and the lack of personnel affect airports in Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain and France.
Eternal lines, discomfort due to delays or canceled flights They became common in recent weeks. The airports of Frankfurt, Madrid, Amsterdam and Paris registered crowds due to the lack of security personnel. In the long run, this caused the loss of connections and the bags of tens of thousands of passengers.
Some airlines hope to recover the workforce to operate efficiently, as was the case before the pandemic. However, this is not something that will happen in the short term and it will take a few months to achieve it. Nicolás Pereira, union representative of the General Confederation of Labor in Orly, commented that airport activity reached 95% of pre-COVID levelhowever, they have 20 thousand fewer employees, so working conditions deteriorated drastically.
Lost luggage is a global problem
The baggage crisis not only affects European airports. According to the United States Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the number of travelers is close to pre-pandemic levels. This caused a 135% increase in lost bags compared to the previous year. The figure includes lost, damaged, delayed or stolen luggage during the journey. Complaints against airlines for this problem increased by 619% compared to 2021.
Although the number of lost suitcases is only a fraction of the total luggage that is transported, it is still a problem. The claim process is a viacrucis for those affected, who has to present claims in writing and wait up to 21 days (in the case of Spain).
With the current crisis, it will be better to take precautions and not check luggage, or carry extra clothing in the carry-on bag in case of an emergency.