Lisa and Dave Parsons had been in Jamaica for his or her son’s vacation spot marriage ceremony, a week-long dream trip that was image excellent — till they unpacked their luggage.
Travelling with 40 marriage ceremony visitors from Ocho Rios, Jamaica, to Lindsay, Ont., on Monday, the couple says that almost half the group had costly devices, fragrances and clothes stolen from their suitcases, and that the liner of their baggage was left in tatters.
“We usually would go away our valuables at house, nevertheless it was a marriage, so we had been dressing up,” Lisa informed CBC Information in an interview.
The whole journey was booked via Sunwing Airways, a reduction provider headquartered in Toronto and owned by WestJet. Now, the couple — and their visitors — need the airline to take duty.
“It was not in regards to the cash,” Lisa mentioned. “It’s extra about the truth that now there’s this darkish cloud after we all had been on a excessive notice.”
A bunch of Sunwing passengers allege hundreds of {dollars} value of electronics, watches and perfumes had been stolen from their checked baggage in Jamaica and so they need the airline to take duty.
On the ultimate day of their journey, the group gathered within the foyer of the Lodge Riu Ocho Rios, loaded their luggage onto a bus and drove two hours to Sangster Worldwide Airport in Montego Bay. As soon as they arrived, they stood with their baggage within the Sunwing line for some time earlier than they checked it, nonetheless with three and a half hours till takeoff.
They went via safety, boarded their flight and flew again to Toronto, the place they had been bused to the primary terminal with out incident. They grabbed their baggage on the carousel and arrived house at about 11 p.m.
However a few of the travellers had a nasty shock ready for them the following morning: A textual content from a member of the group who discovered a number of watches lacking from his bag as he unpacked.
The remainder of the group shortly took stock.
“We’ve a giant group chat that we had going whereas we had been on the journey,” mentioned Bryan Williams, an in depth good friend of the groom who had a $200 cologne bottle, some costume shirts and pants stolen. “And everyone was like, yeah, I’m lacking this, lacking that. We realized that there was greater than only one or two of us had been lacking some issues.”
The Parsons had been lacking a $550 Belova watch, two units of $300 airpods, and one twine for a Mac laptop computer valued at $120. Others had been lacking costly fragrance, cologne and clothes, and about half of the group had their baggage tampered with — the liner shredded and the locks lower.
Whose duty is it?
The Parsons had been in a position to verify that the theft hadn’t occurred at Toronto Pearson Airport after utilizing their telephones to trace the placement of their stolen airbuds.
“We had been all brainstorming on what had gone on and realized that we had been all compromised on the [Montego Bay] airport, as a result of that’s the one time our baggage was unattended,” mentioned Lisa.
Whereas Dave’s airpods had been discovered on one other a part of the island, “mine are on Windfall Avenue in Montego Bay,” Lisa defined. “It reveals you precisely the place it’s, and it’s 2,861 miles away. In order that they’re in Jamaica.”
A spokesperson for the Montego Bay Airport Authority informed CBC Information that the airline is accountable for stolen baggage gadgets or lacking baggage, and that theft doesn’t happen regularly on the airport. The assertion additionally famous that the bags handlers at Sangster Worldwide Airport are employed by particular person airways.
“Sunwing is who we paid our cash to, so I really feel they’re those that have to step as much as the plate,” mentioned Lisa. The group filed a grievance with the airline, however didn’t hear again for a number of days.
CBC Information reached out to a consultant for Sunwing, who confirmed their receipt of the inquiry however didn’t present a response.
One of many travellers later acquired a name from the Sunwing Company workplace. A consultant mentioned that the Montego Bay police had launched an investigation into the thefts. CBC Information reached out to native regulation enforcement in Jamaica and didn’t obtain a response.
Baggage ‘on the mercy’ of whoever desires to entry them
Dave Parsons mentioned the group is ready to see to what extent they’ll be compensated by Sunwing earlier than submitting a declare with their insurance coverage firm. The couple is sharing their expertise as a warning to different travellers.
“Just remember to maintain your valuables near you,” he mentioned. “And your luggage, your primary luggage are on the mercy of whoever desires to, I suppose, entry them.”
Kristine D’Arbelles, senior director of public affairs with CAA Nationwide, mentioned the principles are fairly clear about who’s accountable for stolen baggage or valuables.
“When you hand that bag over to the airline, it’s within the airline’s care, so it wants to return again to you in a single piece with every little thing in it,” she informed CBC Information. “So if it does come again broken with gadgets misplaced or stolen, [then] you make a declare with the airline.”
She mentioned that travellers who’ve had gadgets stolen are protected by the Air Passenger Safety Rules (APPR) in two methods.
These passengers can declare as much as $2,300 in compensation for delayed or broken baggage, or they’ll declare gadgets that had been stolen from their baggage. Travellers must make a declare straight via the airline.
“This isn’t the primary time that somebody is reporting on a misplaced or stolen or broken bag,” D’Arbelles mentioned. However there’s little public obtainable information to point how usually it occurs, she added.
Solely the Canadian Transportation Company retains monitor of complaints it receives, however lots of these claims are a final resort. They’re usually filed after travellers have exhausted earlier choices and weren’t proud of the end result.
Columnists from CBC Radio3:48Airways are entering into the bag monitoring sport
There’s a motive so many individuals now attempt to carry every little thing in a carry-on once they fly. There are charges for checked luggage, but additionally issues {that a} bag may get misplaced. Airways are actually making an attempt to offer folks extra peace of thoughts on that entrance. CBC’s Jason Osler explores whether or not new baggage monitoring options will assist.
Whereas travellers ought to keep away from checking something of worth, that may’t at all times be averted, D’Arbelles mentioned. In that case, you might be ready in different methods: Make an inventory of things you’re travelling with, take pictures of your valuables and maintain all receipts — out of your baggage tag to your boarding go.
“We’re nonetheless within the early days of those rules. So not lots of people know that it’s there,” she mentioned of the APPR.
“And clearly, when this stuff occur, stress is excessive. You’re apprehensive. Typically we don’t cease to suppose, ‘is there really one thing that’s defending me?’”
This text is from from cbc.ca (CBC NEWS CANADA)