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Air Canada Passenger Says Luggage Has Been Missing For Weeks

"I still have no idea where it is after two weeks."
Toronto passenger Emanuela Orsini says her luggage has been missing for two weeks after flying from Italy with Air Canada.
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Toronto passenger Emanuela Orsini says her luggage has been missing for two weeks after flying from Italy with Air Canada.

A traveler whose luggage has been missing for two weeks wants Air Canada to do better.

Emanuela Orsini, a 27-year-old producer, returned to Toronto from Ancona, Italy after a visit with family. When she landed in Toronto on July 5, her luggage didn't arrive with her, she told HuffPost Canada in an interview.

She filled out a delayed baggage claim in the airport and was told her luggage would be returned to her in the next 48 hours.

After two weeks, there haven't been any updates on her belongings Orsini said.

In multiple conversations, Air Canada staff has given conflicting and unclear information about where her bags are and when she'll get them back, she said.

Emanuela Orsini's luggage has been missing since July 5.
Emanuela Orsini
Emanuela Orsini's luggage has been missing since July 5.

When she pushed Air Canada's English customer service line for information, she says she was told she would hear from the company's delayed baggage centre in Montreal in four to six weeks.

"It's just been a headache... I pushed him... and basically he told me he thinks that the luggage is now in Montreal," she said.

Frustrated, she called the French line and was told something completely different.

"He said it's not in Montreal, the last time it was scanned it was in Rome," she said. Orsini had stopped there for a layover. "I still have no idea where it is after two weeks."

The French line also told her she'd hear back in four or five days, not weeks.

Orsini has taken to social media to express her frustration and get advice about what to do next.

She posted on Twitter using the hashtag #DaysWithNoBag, which was popularized by Henrique Alves de Assis earlier this year when Air Canada lost his bag for a month.

She also asked for advice in the Facebook group Air Passenger Rights (Canada), which was co-founded by airline passenger rights advocate, Gabor Lukacs, according to CBC News.

Facebook

After five days, Orsini was forced to fill out a baggage declaration form identifying everything in her bags and their value. She says the clothes, jewelry and other valuables in her missing luggage are worth over $6,000. The cap on potential compensation is about $2,000.

"I just want my stuff back, I don't want money," Orsini said, saying that many of her things have sentimental value.

Emanuela Orsini was visiting family in Italy.
Emanuela Orsini
Emanuela Orsini was visiting family in Italy.

Air Canada is aware of Orsini's complaint and apologizes for the delay, a spokesperson told HuffPost Canada by email. The company will get back to Orsini with updates and look into why she was given conflicting information.

"I definitely won't fly with Air Canada ever again after this experience because they really haven't been helpful," Orsini said.

She says she would like Air Canada to improve its communication with passengers. "I'm not getting any clear information on... what they're doing exactly to make the situation better. Tell me what exactly they're doing and how long it'll take."

She also said she's learned a lesson for her next vacation.

"I'll always put my name tag and address on my luggage which I did not do this time and I'll definitely never put any valuables in my luggage ever again."

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