MOUND GROWS
MISSING GEAR IS TRACKED DOWN...TO CHICAGO AIRPORT
find her clubs. When contacted yesterday by The Star, DAA stated that it does not have access to baggage information “as this function is looked after entirely by airlines and their handling partners”. Sky Handling and Aer Lingus were also both contacted yesterday for updates on baggage numbers. Thousands of passengers have suffered problems with bags going missing and Shane is among the latest.
A mountain of 4,200 misplaced bags was counted at Dublin last week.
A source told The Star:
“I was in the baggage area to see how it was after the bank holiday and there were too many to count.
“Staffing levels remain a problem. There is a long way to go.”
The 4,200 misplaced bags are being processed by Dublin Airport baggage handlers, with companies like Sky Handling stating that the luggage came from hubs in Amsterdam, Paris, and Toronto.
Dune
Gerald Kenny of Sky Handling Partners told the Oireachtas Transport Committee that reuniting bags and owners was like “trying to climb a sand dune”.
It was explained by Sky Handling that it was returning 2,897 bags to their owners, but the process was hampered because as 350 misplaced bags were being processed daily, another 270 misplaced bags were arriving each day.
Aer Lingus told the Oireachtas committee it was processing 1,200 misplaced bags at a rate of 700 a day while also dealing with 450 new misplaced bags every day.
As well as suitcase strife, passengers have complained about long queues for security clearance, flight delays and cancellations, and hygiene issues.
Thousands of claims for refunds are currently being processed.
Dublin Airport’s media relations manager Graeme McQueen last night told The Star: “We are not yet there 100 per cent on all issues.
“But things are moving in the right direction. We had a very busy Bank Holiday Monday and waiting times were 21 minutes in T1 and 22 minutes in T1. That is really encouraging.
“Staffing levels are improving, processing is getting better, and passengers are feeling the benefit of it, but we know that we have more to do.”