Some vacationers have still not seen their belongings since the beginning of the summer. “There are still around a thousand pieces of luggage” lost on July 1 at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport (CDG) which could not be returned to their owner, acknowledged this Friday the CEO of Groupe ADP Augustin de Romanet , who reiterated his apologies.
That day, the start of the big vacation departures, a strike by ADP employees had caused several hours of downtime on the baggage sorters for which the group was responsible. There are seventeen sorters who process 220,000 suitcases every day at Roissy. To this social movement was also added, on the same day, a breakdown of the registration system common to several companies.
According to the French Minister Delegate for Transport, Clément Beaune, a total of 35,000 pieces of luggage were then “lost” during these events which had created a phenomenon of congestion in the following days.
Still “700 to 800” overdue baggage at Air France
Of this number, there would therefore still be a thousand pieces of luggage lost this weekend. “These are luggage whose labels have been lost, so it’s almost an archaeologist’s job for the airlines, which are responsible for finding them,” added the boss of Paris airports on BFM Business.
Mathematically, the most impacted company was Air France, the largest at Roissy airport. While the vast majority of baggage was processed within a fortnight – “30,000 between July 1 and 15”, an Air France spokesperson told Le Parisien – there are still “700 to 800” still outstanding at this day. “The most complex cases”, we specify.
And these are two types. Baggage without a label therefore which, in order to be returned, requires a detailed inventory of its contents which must then be compared to the customer’s description. “A complex and long process”, emphasizes the company.
There is, however, another scenario: luggage which has its label but which corresponds to files not opened by the customers, their owners having not reported their loss. “We then have to investigate and find the contacts. An approach that is also difficult because the reservation files are sometimes incomplete, ”explains Air France.
After 90 days, searches stop
For people who are still waiting for their luggage, compensation is possible. Thus, according to the application of the Montreal Convention, after 21 days, the customer who requested it can be compensated. The company, however, continuing the research after this period. However be careful, after 90 days, the research stops.
According to Augustin de Romanet, this episode of lost luggage is “the only thorn in the summer”. At the beginning of July, the CEO had described the episode as “catastrophic” for the image of the airport, while undertaking that all baggage would be returned to their holders in mid-July.
Apart from this hitch, “our airports have been fluid despite traffic which has been extremely heavy”, he underlined, assuring that compared to other major European hubs (London, Frankfurt, Amsterdam), Paris had rather well pulled out of the game with 2019 traffic found at Orly, 80% at Roissy.
Not so simple, according to Fabien Michaud, CGT-Transport delegate. “The lack of personnel has not been filled since the July strikes. Staffing is still not up to par. Our demands are therefore still relevant,” says the trade unionist.
For him, the tensions are always particularly strong at the level of the screening inspection posts. “If this is not the case, why did the companies ask their passengers to arrive much earlier before their flight? He asks. We come back to the lack of personnel, especially with a very sustained activity. The subject arises of finding candidates but also of the attractiveness of professions, in particular salaries”.