When Susanne (38) from Alkmaar wanted to buy the same cuddly toy again upon returning home, it turned out that the cuddly monkey, which normally costs 4 euros, was sold out. “In the end we had to buy a new one for 40 euros via Marktplaats. At least now he can sleep again.”
Nintendo Switch with 16 games
Susanne went on holiday to Mallorca on 3 June with her husband and two sons for 10 days. “When we checked in, they asked if we also wanted to check in the trolley we had as hand luggage. That included the stuffed animal and a sleeping bag for my youngest, but also other toys, my make-up bag and the Nintendo Switch with 16 games from my oldest son.”
On arrival in Mallorca it turned out that the trolley had not arrived. “We arrived at the baggage claim, which had already stopped. We found all our luggage, except for one trolley. We immediately went to a counter to report it, and actually thought that the suitcase would still arrive within a few days.”
–
–
But nothing happened. “It limits you enormously. Every day I went to the tour guide to ask whether the suitcase had already been found. It was very annoying, especially for the children. The eldest was of course disappointed that he could not play games and the youngest did not understand where his cuddly toy was. In the suitcase were all the toys for the children, and therefore also the sleeping bag for the youngest. In the end we were able to get some toys from other Dutch people who were also there, and we could borrow a sleeping bag. In addition, we have a number of things having to buy again, such as makeup.”
–
–
Missing for over a month
Susanne held out hope that the suitcase would arrive later in the holiday, but now we are a month and ten days later, and she is still empty-handed.
“We have received 120 euros in compensation from the travel organization, but that does not cover the load. They have referred us to our own insurance company, who now have to handle it. We have kept the receipts, we will see. And I will go myself next weekend one more time personally to Schiphol, to see if I can find the suitcase. Maybe it’s still somewhere among all that lost luggage.”
–
–
Gulay also got into trouble because her daughter’s suitcase did not arrive at her holiday destination in Turkey. “Everything was there: from slippers to underwear,” she says. Her daughter received 50 euros a day from the travel organization to buy new things. “But what do you buy for that these days? Moreover, my daughter is a bit fuller, so she can’t find anything here. Then it’s really a nightmare, you can’t go anywhere.”
‘It’s a mess’
Gulay began an in-depth investigation into the location of the suitcase, right down to the director of the baggage handler. “It’s a mess, I’m sorry to say. I had to call the whole world, was always sent from pillar to post.”
–
–
In the end, the suitcase turned out to be still at Schiphol, and it was brought to Gulay after all – ten days after the start of the holiday. “The suitcase is back, but I will still file a claim with the travel organization. I am also concerned about the return flight. We are going to try to fly back via Brussels.”
–
–
Lost thousands of suitcases
Susanne and Gulay aren’t the only ones with missing luggage. The NOS reported last week that there was such a 16,000 missing suitcases roam around Schiphol. This number is not correct, says a Schiphol spokesperson. “It was then about several thousand suitcases.”
“At the moment there are around 1500 lost suitcases at Schiphol. That is extremely annoying for those travelers who miss their suitcase.” According to Schiphol, the problems are caused by the ‘hugely increased’ demand for travel, and the labor market that is ‘extremely tight’.
Schiphol will take measures in the near future. “For the summer period, we have set a maximum number of travelers per day, so that the number of travelers corresponds to what the number of employees can handle that day. We expect this to lead to improvements in all areas – from security check to baggage handling.”
In addition, they advise travelers to take essential luggage (such as medicines or baby food) in their hand luggage.
–
–
Note down address details
Another advice is to clearly write down your address details on a label on your suitcase. This may have ensured that the missing suitcase of Annet’s son ended up after all.
“My son went to visit his girlfriend in Mexico, but when he got home he didn’t find his suitcase on the baggage claim. Then you wonder: what went wrong? Is the suitcase still in Mexico? Or has someone else taken his suitcase? “
–
–
Annet and her husband discuss wisdom with their son and decide to make a few more attempts to find the suitcase. “But after three hours we realized: this makes no sense. Then we went home. It was very annoying. It contained a lot of personal items, souvenirs and also an expensive suit that he had bought for a wedding there. “
‘We hadn’t counted on this’
Once home, Annet and her family started e-mailing. “To Schiphol, to the airline, to the airport in Mexico. We chased it all week. But we actually thought: we will never see that suitcase again.”
But that fear turned out to be unjustified: last Saturday the suitcase was returned to them. He was in a hidden corner of the yard. “How it came to us? No idea. Maybe by the airline or by someone who took it by accident. Everything was still there. Really a surprise, we hadn’t counted on this anymore.”
–
–
