Lost Bags

Tuesday, 1 January 2008

For the second time in six months I arrived and my bag didn’t. Last June it was an Air Canada flight into Vancouver. I was there several hours before the flight’s departure, but perhaps Air Canada can be exonerated. I was on standby and only found I could get on the flight a few minutes before boarding. On the other hand it then took Air Canada from late morning one day until the early hours of the morning next day (and at least three or four missed flights) to convey the bag the short distance from Portland, Oregon.

Our bags (the black and the orange ones on the bottom) on their way back to Nadi, Fiji from Savusavu. 

 

 

 

 

Fiji’s Pacific Sun have no such excuses. After an overnight flight from Australia it was just a short hop from Nadi to Savusavu in a Twin Otter. The sort of flight where they weigh you as well as your bags before boarding. They simply decided they’d take the passengers and leave all the bags behind. Without telling any of us. So instead of going for a swim as soon as we arrived we sat around for eight hours waiting for our swimsuits to turn up.

Lesson: even on flights where there’s no possibility of losing your bag assume the airline (particularly Pacific Sun) will manage it. Bring your toothbrush, your swimsuit and a change of underwear in your carry on.