A Saskatchewan girl launched into fairly the journey — together with driving greater than six hours to a different province — to seek out the suitcase she believed was misplaced by the airline.
Michelle Linklater left Saskatoon for Calgary within the early hours of Monday after she mentioned she could not pay money for anybody from WestJet regardless of making an attempt for greater than a month.
“You possibly can’t get by. You possibly can’t electronic mail them,” she mentioned. “I have been lacking my baggage for 40 days.”
After arriving at YYC Calgary Worldwide Airport along with her daughter simply earlier than midday, Linklater started wanting round and ultimately approached WestJet employees for assist.
“I got here right here to get solutions. I am not so certain my baggage is right here.”
Saskatchewan girl drives hours to Calgary looking for misplaced baggage.
World Calgary
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Linklater’s issues started when she was scheduled to fly from Saskatoon to Cancun on December 21, however was diverted to a different flight. When she arrived in Calgary, she mentioned she was informed no baggage have been being unloaded from the airplane because of employees shortages.
“There was baggage in all places,” she informed World Information. “There was baggage in all places within the again. There was no safety that I might see.”
She mentioned WestJet informed her the luggage would arrive in Cancun quickly, however solely one among two ended up making it. She added that she went her total trip with none baggage, which contained Christmas presents, medication and different vital objects.
On her return to Calgary on December 30, she appeared once more for her bag, however it was nowhere to be discovered. She mentioned there was additionally an issue along with her bag’s identification tag, and that it had already been assigned to a different pilot, regardless that her declare had not been settled.
Once more, regardless that she requested for assist, she mentioned her issues have been ignored.
“They (WestJet) say all the purchasers have been reunited with their baggage. I disagree,” she identified. “I am a buyer and I am not reunited.”
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World Information reached out to the Calgary-based airline, which informed us it skilled a backlog of delays and cancellations because of extreme climate in December. That backlog, it mentioned, “had a major influence on our bags dealing with all through our total operation.”
Officers added that whereas the overwhelming majority of delayed baggage has now been delivered to house owners, there are some distinctive circumstances the place this has not been the case.
The spokesperson admitted the system might use some enchancment.
“We’re presently enterprise a strategic assessment to enhance our bags providers and are dedicated to working with our third celebration service companions to implement adjustments throughout our operations to make sure we enhance on this space.”
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On Monday evening, Linklater up to date World Information on the state of affairs, telling us that WestJet welcomed her to the corporate’s headquarters to speak in regards to the issues with its baggage system.
She additionally obtained quite a few apologies, assurances and was promised the complete quantity of potential compensation.
WestJet additionally informed us it’s “working diligently to find Ms. Linklater’s lacking bag.”
“It solely takes driving 10.5 hours and asking the media to convey gentle to this horrible state of affairs,” Linklater identified.
Linklater added that her work is not executed but, saying she will not wrap it up till adjustments are applied. As for her subsequent journey, she says it’s going to go all the way in which.
“I’ll by no means examine a bag once more!”
The Canadian Transportation Company (CTA) receives a whole bunch of luggage complaints a 12 months in opposition to varied airways.
© 2023 World Information, a division of Corus Leisure Inc.
