They still haven’t found it yet! :(

Below is the letter I wrote to the Airline Company that lost my luggage. 

Sorry for the long post!  

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To Whom It May Concern:

I’m writing this letter to explain to you the incident of losing my luggage and express my deep regret for the matter.

Visiting London had always been a dream to me.  My aunt, uncle, and cousins all live there, it is a magnificent and great country, and the shopping is exceptional.  I am a bride to be and being so I had a lot of bridal shopping to be done, so I began planning my New Year’s shopping trip to London since I got engaged in July 2010.  The first week of January was an ideal time since there would be international holidays, stores would have some discounts and promotions, and I’d have enough time to save the money for the ticket and shopping expenses.

Considering the fact that I have been working for less than a year, I wasn’t able to take any paid time off from my annual leave, so I was obliged to take the time off for the trip on my own expense.  It didn’t matter to me, I was too eager to travel to worry about my salary deductions.

I bought my ticket on the 4^th of November 2010, about two month prior to my flight, just to make sure that no last minute mishaps would get in my way.  According to the ticket, my flight was scheduled for departure from Beirut International Airport on the 1^st of January to London Heathrow Airport, and return to Beirut on the 6^th of January.  From the above listed dates, you can infer that my trip was only five days long and for the purpose of bridal shopping.  Also stated on the ticket was that I had one piece of baggage allowed on the flight, both to and from London.

I can’t but say that I truly had the best five days of my life.  From the moment I landed in London, till the moment I left, my family went out of their way to make my trip worth while.  They took my to the best tourist destinations and the best malls and shops available.  They really made sure that I make the most of my short stay, so we ended up leaving the house early in the morning and not returning before all the shops where closed.  On the last day, and in between the sad good byes, they helped me pack my big bag with everything I had bought, took me to the airport, and waited for me as I checked in and handed over my luggage.

  

I honestly was tearful with joy when I finally got on the plane heading to Beirut.  After landing in Beirut and finishing all the necessary paper work, I went to the luggage conveyer to claim my bag.  Here is where my nightmare began.

After waiting patiently for my bag to appear, I was disappointed not to find it.  Luckily, I had kept my wedding dress with me on board the flight.  I directly went to the Luggage Service Desk for some assistance.  I reported my missing bag and got a slip with a file reference number, my bags tag number, and other flight details.  At the same time, I contacted my relatives back in London and told them about the incident, hoping that they could get some information on what exactly happened.  According to the information I received from your office in London, my bag wasn’t boarded on the same flight as I was on, and that it was found and would be sent on the MEA flight to Beirut the very next day. 

On the next day, the 7^th of January, I went back to Beirut International Airport at the same time the flight from London would arrive, hoping to find my bag waiting for me.  Again I was let down.  On the next day, the 8^th of January, I went back to the airport at the time of the London flights scheduled landing, and again found nothing.  I was advised by one of the supervisors to fill out an inventory form, describing in details the contents on the bag in addition to my passport, flight, and contact information; hoping that these details would help identify my bag among others in case the tag had fallen off.  After that, I made it my chore to call the airport every day in order to be updated on any news about my bag.  During that time, my relatives in London had also been using all available resources to find my bag.  Now, eighteen days later, there is still no sign of it.

This ordeal has truly been a huge inconvenience and distress to me.  I had placed so much hope, time, and money on the trip, the shopping, and now, on finding my lost property.  In addition to the unpaid leave I took from work and the trip expenses I had paid, I spent a lot of time and money on international calls, local calls, contacts, and trips to and from the airport just looking for my bag.  My relatives also spent their share of time and money helping me.  On the emotional level, I was, and still am, completely devastated, hurt, and bitter.

I would really appreciate it if you would give special consideration to my situation.  I understand that this is not a rare incident at airports, but it is to me.  I expect to be granted the maximum compensation for such cases, and also request to keep my case open for my future reference at any time.