Sask. flyers in luggage limbo begin getting missing bags in Mexico

Luggage is beginning to arrive in Mexico days after travellers on a direct WestJet flight from Regina to Puerto Vallarta landed.

Many flyers on the flight from Jan. 1 and Jan. 3 felt frustrated and disappointed in the airline when their suitcases did not show up on the baggage carousel.

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Gary Brotzel, president of the Regina Red Sox, told the Greg Morgan Morning Show on Wednesday he took one of the flights that experienced baggage delays.

“We had a suspicion something was up because no one really saw the luggage wagon going to the plane,” he said. “Then we saw bags coming off the plane … that’s never a good sign.”

Listen for the full interview here:

Pat Fiacco, former mayor of Regina, told 980 CJME on Monday said he also watched staff remove the luggage from the plane.

“It was loaded, and then they were taking bags off of the off of the plane,” he said.

Brotzel said the flight experienced delays before it took off because there wasn’t enough fuel.

When the flight with about 160 flyers landed, he said passengers waited for more than an hour at the baggage carousel.

“All of a sudden, the carousel starts off, 15 bags get spit out (and) stops,” he said. “Everybody’s standing around and we’re chuckling.

“Finally, this airport lady comes and screams at the top of her lungs to get everybody’s attention, and says, ‘Your bags aren’t coming, they’re all left in Regina.’”

WestJet said it experienced baggage delivery issues due to “volume of luggage, maximum weight and runway conditions” on Monday.

After waiting for days, Brotzel said most of his luggage has been returned to his family.

“We’re just short one set of golf clubs, which our friends actually dragged off the carousel for us last night,” he said.

Brotzel said he’s been relying on Facebook posts to figure out when people received their luggage, because there has been no communication from WestJet on when it would arrive.

“If I was only coming for a week or two weeks, I’d be (bringing a) carry-on, guaranteed,” he said. “But we’re down for quite a bit longer.”

Air Passenger Rights says WestJet’s actions demonstrate “wilful misconduct.”

If multiple passengers saw staff taking baggage off the plane before its departure, the president of Air Passenger Rights said this shows a clear managerial decision made by WestJet staff.

“We’re not talking about baggage that show up,” said Gabor Lukacs, “This was a deliberate, calculated decision to not put those bags on the flight.”

He suspected the plane may not have been able to travel the correct distance due to an “inadequate equipment choice by WestJet.”

If the plane could not make the range it was supposed to fly, Lukacs said it has to take off weight and add fuel.

“Those runway issues, those weight issues, have been known in advance by the airline,” he said. “If they knew in advance, why did they sell the tickets?”

Lukacs said passengers are entitled to compensation in situations like these.

Passengers have to be reimbursed first for their checked baggage fees, he said, and the airline may also owe travellers up to $3,000 for reimbursements for reasonable expenses incurred for items they needed for the purpose of the trip.

“Given this case, I would argue WestJet’s conduct was reckless and it really sounds like a wilful misconduct type of situation,” he said.