Lisa and Dave Parsons were in Jamaica for their son’s destination wedding. It was a picture-perfect week-long dream vacation until I unpacked my bags.
The couple was traveling with 40 wedding guests from Ocho Rios, Jamaica, to Lindsay, Ont., on Monday, when nearly half of the group had expensive tools, perfume and clothing stolen from their suitcases, and the lining of their luggage was stolen. He said it was in tatters. .
“Normally I would leave my valuables at home, but since it was a wedding, I was all dressed up,” Lisa said in an interview with CBC News.
The entire trip was booked through Sunwing Airlines, a low-cost airline headquartered in Toronto and owned by WestJet. Now the couple and their guests want the airline to take responsibility.
“It wasn’t about money,” Lisa says. “It’s more about the fact that just when we were all elated, dark clouds were gathering.”
A group of Sunwing passengers is demanding the airline be held accountable after thousands of dollars worth of electronics, watches and perfume were stolen from their checked baggage in Jamaica.
On the final day of the trip, the group met in the lobby of the Hotel Riu Ocho Rios, loaded their bags onto a bus, and drove two hours to Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay. After arriving, they waited in Sunwing line for a while to check their luggage, but they still had three and a half hours until takeoff.
They cleared security, boarded a plane and headed back to Toronto, where they arrived safely by bus to the main terminal. They picked up their luggage at the merry-go-round and arrived home around 11 p.m.
However, for some travelers, a nasty surprise awaited them the next morning. It was a text message from a member of the group who noticed several watches missing from their bags when they unpacked their luggage.
The rest of the group quickly took inventory.
“We were in a big group chat during the trip,” said Brian Williams, a close friend of the groom, who said a $200 bottle of cologne, several dress shirts and a pair of pants were stolen. “And everyone was like, oh, we’re missing this, we’re missing that. We realized we were missing something, not just one or two people.”
The Parsons were missing a $550 Belova watch, two sets of $300 AirPods, and a Mac laptop cord valued at $120. Others had lost expensive perfume, cologne and clothing, and about half of the group had their luggage tampered with, the lining shredded and the locks cut.
Who is responsible for that?
By tracking the location of the stolen Air Buds using their cell phones, the Parsons were able to confirm that the theft did not occur at Toronto Pearson Airport.
“We were all brainstorming what happened and realized we were all under attack. [Montego Bay] “That was the only time my luggage was left unattended at the airport,” Lisa said.
Although Dave’s airpods were found elsewhere on the island, “mine are on Providence Street in Montego Bay,” Lisa explained. “It shows you their exact location. It’s 4,561 miles away. So they’re in Jamaica.”
A spokesperson for the Montego Bay Airport Authority told CBC News that airlines are responsible for stolen or lost baggage items and that thefts are not a frequent occurrence at the airport. The statement also said baggage handlers at Sangster International Airport are employed by individual airlines.
“Sunwing is the person we paid our money to, so we feel like they need to play a role,” Lisa said. The group filed a complaint with the airline, but received no response for several days.
CBC News reached out to a representative for Sunwing, who confirmed they had received an inquiry but did not receive a response.
One of the travelers then received a phone call from the Sunwing office. The representative said Montego Bay police have launched an investigation into the theft. CBC News contacted local police in Jamaica but did not receive a response.
The bag is at the mercy of the person who wants to access it.
Dave Parsons said the group is waiting to see how much compensation it can receive from Sunwing before filing a claim with its insurance company. The couple is sharing their experience as a warning to other travelers.
“Make sure to keep your valuables nearby,” he said. “And I think your bag, your main bag, is at the mercy of whoever wants to access it.”
CAA National Public Affairs Senior Director Kristin Derbels said the rules are very clear regarding who is responsible for stolen luggage and valuables.
“Once you hand over that bag to the airline, it’s under the control of the airline and you have to return it with all its contents intact,” she told CBC News. “So if an item is lost or stolen and comes back damaged; [then] Please file a claim with the airline. ”
She said travelers who have their property stolen are protected by the Air Passenger Protection Regulations (APPR) in two ways.
These passengers can claim up to $2,300 in compensation for delayed or damaged luggage, as well as items stolen from their luggage. Travelers must claim directly through the airline.
“This is not the first time someone has reported a bag lost, stolen or damaged,” Darvell said. But there is little public data showing how often that happens, she added.
Only Transport Canada tracks the complaints it receives, and many of those complaints are a last resort. It is typically filed after a traveler has exhausted previous options and is not satisfied with the results.
CBC radio columnist3:48Airlines are getting into the baggage tracking game
There’s a reason why many people now try to pack everything in their carry-on when they fly. There are fees for checked baggage, but you also have to worry about losing your baggage. Airlines are now trying to provide people with more peace of mind on this front. CBC’s Jason Osler investigates whether the new baggage tracking feature could help.
Travelers should avoid checking their valuables, but it’s not always possible to do so, Darvell said. In that case, you can prepare it in a different way. Make a list of what you’ll bring on your trip, take photos of valuables, and save receipts for everything from luggage tags to boarding passes.
“We are still in the early stages of these regulations, so not many people know this regulation exists,” she said of the APPR.
“And obviously when these things happen, it increases stress. It makes you worry. Sometimes we don’t stop and think, ‘Is something really protecting me?’ ”
