[ainmolenberghs]

When we booked our flights for the world cup in south africa we were pretty desperate for available flights. Ended up booking business class with Ethiopian airlines as a last resort.

Not only did we miss the first day of the tournament (had tickets for opening game and ceremony) and had to make an unscheduled overnight stay in Addis Ababa (ie the middle of nowhere) due to flight delays, on the way home our luggage was lost and didnt get to us on time to make our connection to our final destination.

2 out of 3 bags have since turned up. The 3rd one, is completely lost but the airline refuses to accept responsibility making it impossible for me to claim from my insurance.

Souvenirs for family and friends, clothes, important documents..all lost.. and Ethiopian airlines have just decided to ignore my calls and emails for help. I really only needed from them a confirmation that they lost my luggage so I can claim from my travel insurance but now I am fed up and want compensation from the airline too.

Anyone out there with some advice? How can I make them respond to my claims and accept responsibility? Ethiopian airlines is just completely ignoring any requests for help.

I have full travel insurance but they wont do anything unless they have a statement from the airline saying the luggage is lost...

One word of advice to anyone considering flying Ethiopian Airlines..you are better off taking a boat, train, hitch hiking or even walking than flying with them!!!

[The_Judge]

If you have your three luggage receipts but only have two bags and also have a luggage report showing three pieces and if you have a receipt showing two were later received, that is plenty of evidence that you checked in three pieces and received two. See if your insurance company will accept that. If not, see if they'll get on a conference call with you and the airline and just listen to you ask them about your missing bag. If they hear the airline say they don't have it yet, that is obvious admission that it is lost.

[ainmolenberghs]

Hi Judge,

Thank you for taking time to respond to me. I tried the tactic with the receipts but my insurance company is adamant they need a letter headed document from the airline stating the bag is lost.

I did copy and paste the link to this forum to the public relations and customer service department of the airline and finally (within a day of posting after 35 days of ignoring me) one of their managers responded to my complaint saying they will look into it.

I dont know if I should consider that as progress but I am hopeful that this may come to a conclusion somehow.

I will be persuing some form of compensation from them for the way they have treated us. There is no excuse to treat a paying customer so badly. I think a refund of our flight cost is fair.

[ainmolenberghs]

As imagined, the manager's email was just that, an email, and I have been fobbed off again. They were supposed to follow up with me on Friday but surprise, surprise..nothing. I am so fed up with this. Still no acknowledgement of losing the bag and no end in sight regarding compensation. Does anyone know of a governing body out there that can enforce the airline to take action and give me the documentation I need for my insurance?

[jimworcs]

Where are you located? You may be able to file a claim in small claims court, but you would need first to tell us which country to are in....

[ainmolenberghs]

Hi Jim, thanks for your reply. I live in the States but the flight was South Africa to Dubai. I know they have operations in the States (offices in Washington), do you think I could get a lawyer involved even though the flight was not into or out of the States?

[ainmolenberghs]

Ethiopian Airlines finally got back to me and acknowledged they lost my suitcase. They are offering $100 in compensation.
My empty suitcase cost more than that. Not forgetting the money lost missing the first day of the World cup - the game tickets and opening ceremony. I spent $300 just trying to track the suitcase down calling Ethiopia. It has clothes and stuff in it, and generally the totally rubbish service when trying to get them to accept that they lost it!! I am lost for words..how shocking can an airline customer service be? Dont ever fly with Ethiopian Airlines. They are just terrible.

[jimworcs]

The amount you are entitled to is covered by the Montreal Convention. I believe the limit is 1,000 SDR.. which you can convert to dollars via the IMF website. The link to convert SDR's to your home currency is here...

http://coinmill.com/SDR_calculator.html#SDR=1000

The burden is on you to prove that the contents were worth more than $100, upto a maximum of 1,000 SDR, which I think is about $1,500 but you need to check this.

Refuse the offer and demand the full SDR, but back it up with evidence (receipts or credit card statements showing the value of the contents).

[arsants]

I have not had my bag since April 8th. I flew from Mozambique on April 7th arriving Washington Dulles on April 8th.

I've been in contact with their offfice in Washington Dulles airport, but he seems to be too overwhelmed to deal with my case, or not have the power to process it further. After realizing that the luggadge description I gave them was wrong (yes! How are they supposed to find my stuff if the information on is not accurate!!?) and a inumerous attemps to help them doing their job by giving precise information about my bag and its contents and after TWO weeks without my stuff... notting happended!! Later I realized that they never updated the information i gave them. What a waste of time!!!

It as been a MONTH and 2 weeks (!!!!!) ever since ETHIOPIAN AIRLINES lost my luggadge!!! This situation should be a priority to any professional airline but cleary Ethiopian do not care with their costumers at all! I filled the paper work TWICE and despite that and all my effords to try to give them all information nedded to find it, I am still waiting to be contacted and reimbursed!


Fly Ethiopian airlines will not be an option anymore. I travel a lot and by far this has been the WORST (worst than many low cost airlines I flew with).