Missing bag

I wanted to share my experience when flying with Air Arabia.

I flew from Sharjah to Dhaka, Bangladesh, on June 20 in an Air Arabia flight with one checked-in bag.

Upon arrival in Dhaka, I was told by Air Arabia ground staff as well as concerned airport officials that my luggage did not arrive from Sharjah. The same happened with at least 20 or more passengers in the same flight. Our details and phone numbers were taken and we were told that our luggage would arrive in one day and we would be contacted to collect the same.

During my two-day stay in Dhaka, I was never contacted by Air Arabia. Repeated attempts to contact the phone number provided to me by Air Arabia staff remained unanswered. On the last day however, someone picked up the phone and informed me that the luggage had still not arrived from Sharjah. I requested them to keep the luggage in Sharjah airport and said I would collect it from there, since I was flying back to Sharjah on the same day.

Upon returning to Sharjah on June 22, I checked at the airport and was told that the luggage was already sent to Dhaka one day earlier. I told them that officials in Dhaka had informed me otherwise. I asked them to bring the luggage back to Sharjah for collection. I was told that they would do so within a maximum of two days and that I would be contacted.

Since then, a series of phone calls and emails followed. After repeated follow-ups with Air Arabia, I am getting a response with the same fruitless reply — that the luggage has still not been found. Apparently, neither Dhaka nor Sharjah officials of Air Arabia report having received the luggage.

My bad experience with Air Arabia was further exacerbated due to the following reasons:

Firstly, the Air Arabia staff in Dhaka offered a hilarious reason for not being able to bring the luggage from Sharjah in the same flight along with the passenger. They informed me that their luggage hold is small and cannot accommodate all the luggage, so there is regular misplacement of luggage. I believe Airbus manufactures their aircraft, with enough luggage space to accommodate all passenger needs!

Secondly, the complaint logging system is very archaic. An Air Arabia official took down the complaints of all passengers who did not receive their luggage on a piece of paper, gave us a phone number to contact (which anyone hardly anyone picks up) and did not issue any formal report or acknowledgement of the complaint to any of the passengers.

In the past three years, I have personally experienced misplaced luggage on two other Air Arabia flights to Dhaka, which they eventually managed to hand over only after three to four days.

I hope this reputed airline company pays serious attention to this gross mismanagement of affairs and that this matter is raised to the appropriate management team.

From Mr Sarwar Hasnat

Dubai

 

The management of Air Arabia responds:

The Air Arabia customer relations team is in contact with Mr Hasnat and we are in the process of closing the issue.

 

Mr Hasnat updates:

Please be informed that I have received compensation from Air Arabia for the lost luggage. Thank you.

 

(Process initiation: July 16. Response from organisation: July 24. Reader confirmation: August 2.)

 

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