Air New Zealand chief operating officer Alex Marren says the scale of mishandled baggage is a significant global issue. Photo: 123RF
Travellers at Auckland Airport are continuing to experience up to three-hour-long queues to locate lost luggage and an Air New Zealand spokesperson says it will continue in the coming months.
Passenger Seth Scott says he took his third trip to the Air New Zealand lost baggage counter today and has waited a total of at least six hours.
"We've recovered one of three bags in the last week. On arrival, we were told to fill out a form and that the luggage would be delivered to our house."
Scott says despite filling out these forms, he has received no updates from Auckland Airport or Air New Zealand regarding his luggage.
"The luggage desk sends no emails, no phone calls to update lost luggage. No one answers the phone. The only option is to physically wait at the counter. We've been waiting a week."
Scott claims he was told by employees that there are thousands of lost bags, and they don't have a system to locate them, for example by flight or last name.
"The computer only tells them if the luggage has arrived . . . one employee told us. It takes anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes per bag to locate with just one or two employees looking," he claimed.
Passengers are not allowed to search for their own baggage due to security and Customs concerns.
Airlines are still recovering from Covid, they say. Photo: RNZ / Finn Blackwell
Air New Zealand chief operating officer Alex Marren says the scale of mishandled baggage is a significant global issue that unfortunately isn't going away any time soon.
"It has been made more difficult with complex international connections into New Zealand, severe weather in North America, busy airports and Covid sickness.
"It's worth putting in context that the travel industry is still recovering from a standstill during Covid and this summer is one of the busiest ever. As we've seen globally, issues like lost baggage arise during peak travel times and are compounded by a 30 per cent workforce gap. We simply can't get enough people to fill roles," Marren says.
Marren says that finding a solution is a priority for Air New Zealand.
"We totally understand how frustrating it is to have luggage misplaced, especially during the summer holidays. Rest assured we're doing all we can to reunite customers with lost or misplaced luggage as soon as possible.
"Finding a solution is a priority for us. It's a tall order to ask customers waiting for their bags to be more patient than they already are, but we're doing all we can to solve this. That's why we're working closely with border agencies, airport companies, other airlines and ground handlers on a system-wide solution."
Marren says he knows the problems will continue for several months but the airline is taking "immediate action."
He says Air New Zealand is currently taking the following steps.
- Bringing on more people to answer queries and handle lost bags - including seconding Air New Zealand staff from other departments and deploying volunteers
- Rolling out new technology to assist customers with logging and locating mishandled bags
- Seeking CAA approval for Apple Airtags
- Working with other airlines to simplify baggage tracking.
Scott says two women in the queue were waiting for luggage that had arrived on December 16 and another was waiting for baggage containing bridesmaid dresses for an imminent wedding.
"Many have Christmas presents already a week late. One couple has been in NZ for a week and hope to find their luggage before their flight in two hours. That won't happen."
Auckland Airport empathised with travellers and said they were both aware and concerned about the increased number of mishandled bags.
"It's an issue Auckland Airport continues to be concerned about," says a spokesperson, who added mishandled bags were arriving to the airport daily.
"While the number can fluctuate, there are currently larger than usual volumes."
Photo: Auckland Airport
When a bag does go missing, they urged passengers to contact the responsible party, which is the airline.
"Airports are ecosystems, and it's always the responsibility of airlines to take care of customers' bags and ensure they reach the right destination," the spokesperson says.
"When bags go missing, airlines work with their ground handlers to find lost baggage and return it to customers. Since airlines hold passenger information such as contact details, flight details and baggage numbers, they are in the best position to locate and reunite bags with their owners."
* This story originally appeared in the New Zealand Herald.