Trevor Laffan: I checked in holiday luggage, but they made a real bags of it

Hauling holiday luggage around the world by air isn’t always straightforward.

I travel back and forth to Cyprus with a small backpack, just big enough for my laptop and a few bits and pieces, so dealing with a suitcase is a little unusual for me.

On a recent trip to Australia, I learned that technology is playing a big part in handling luggage these days in international airports. It’s a case of helping yourself. But, like technology everywhere, it’s great when it works - but it can break your heart when it doesn’t.

There was a group of us heading home from Brisbane Airport in March and we had a fair bit of luggage.

After locating a computer terminal, each of us had to enter our details, print a tag, and stick it on the case. Once it was tagged, we had to weigh it and then put it on a conveyer belt for loading.

When the tag’s barcode was scanned by a machine, the case was sent on its way.

It sounds straightforward, and it was too, except for two bags. The first one stubbornly refused to pass the scanner and, when it wouldn’t budge, we had to get assistance. Despite the best efforts of the airline official, the case stayed where it was.

Eventually, we discovered that an old tag that was still attached to the case had a bar code that was confusing the machine. When that old tag was removed, the problem was solved.

The second suitcase had to be brought elsewhere to be dealt with by a human after the technology couldn’t cope and threw in the towel.

Eventually, all the luggage went into the hold, but even with the bags safely stowed away, there’s always a worry in the back of the mind: Where will it all end up, and what condition will it be in when it gets there?

There was a report online about an incident on a flight that had landed at London Gatwick Airport.

A worker was filmed throwing cases out of the cargo hold. In a video recorded by a passenger on another plane, suitcases are seen flying out of the plane’s cargo hatch and landing with a crash on the conveyor belt.

The baggage handler was later suspended for mishandling luggage, but it makes you wonder how common is that kind of behaviour? The internet has plenty of videos showing bags getting the rough treatment, and it’s no fun when you’re on the receiving end, as I found out recently.

We travelled from Cyprus to Rhodes in May and there were two legs to the journey. Larnaca to Athens was the first leg. After a short layover in Athens and a change of planes, it was off to Rhodes for the second leg.

When we got to the boarding gate in Larnaca, the nice lady there suggested we could put the wheelie and the backpack into the hold and send them straight through to Rhodes. That would save us having to bring them through security again in Athens for the next leg.

We were a little concerned about parting with the bags, but she assured us there wouldn’t be any problem. Fair enough - but she was wrong.

We arrived in Rhodes at around 9pm, which was fine, and we had a taxi pre-ordered to take us to the hotel in Faliraki. The driver sent a text message to let us know he was waiting outside. We just had to collect the bags from the carousel, and we’d be with him.

But, when everyone else had collected their luggage and left, there was still no sign of ours.

When the carousel stopped moving, and we were standing there all alone, we realised we had a problem.

Off with us to the lost-and-found office where a few others were already forming a queue.

By the time we got talking to the staff, the taxi driver had left for another job, but promised to return.

Fortunately, I still had the baggage receipts we got in Larnaca, so I was able to produce them to the staff member, and she eventually located the bags… back in Athens.

They never made the connecting flight, but we were assured they would arrive during the night or early the following morning, and they would be delivered to us at the hotel by taxi. Not an ideal situation, but what can you do?

We eventually met our taxi driver outside the airport after standing around for half an hour while he went on yet another job.

When we reached the hotel, I told the night porter to call me when the bags arrived, regardless of the time. As it happened, I was called at 3am and had to go to reception to sign for them.

It wasn’t until later that morning, when I went to open the hard-shell wheelie, that I noticed it was cracked. It was dented in the corner as if it had been dropped from a height and was split open.

I contacted the airline immediately by email and they gave me two options. I could either have a refund for the cost of the wheelie or I could collect a replacement at the airport.

On our way home a few days later, I contacted a representative for the airline in the airport, and we swapped bags. I wasn’t expecting it to go as smoothly as it did, so I was pleasantly surprised.

So, I learned a couple of things from those experiences.

Firstly, remove all previous tags from your luggage, they’ll only confuse the technology.

Secondly, always keep your essentials with you, such as medication, etc - and hold onto your luggage tag receipts.

Thirdly, be prepared for the worst, because when it comes to travel, there’s always a chance something will go wrong.