Flair passenger receives photo of missing bag from stranger after airline deems it lost

A Canadian Flair Airlines customer is calling for higher penalties for airlines after a stranger sent him a photo of his missing golf bag sitting in an airport while the airline deemed it lost.

“I was going to Mexico. It was a golfing vacation,” Mark Majewski explained to CityNews. “They lost the bag the day that I arrived down there. It never arrived.”

The GTA resident said he immediately filled out all the paperwork and made follow-up calls during his vacation but went the whole trip without his bag and with few updates from Flair.

Three weeks later, he received a text from a stranger who happened to see his business card.

“A lovely lady named Stephanie from Barrie, Ont. sent me a photo of my bag,” he recalled.

“She was standing at the airport in Cancun, Mexico, saw my tag, texted me a picture of my bag saying ‘it’s right here.'”

Ontario man criticizes Flair for delayed action

Stephanie offered Majewski to help return it to him, but he declined, not wanting to involve her in the ordeal. In keeping with Canadian air passenger protection rules around compensation, Flair considered the bag lost because it had not been returned within 21 days.

Majewski then e-mailed the photo Stephanie had sent him to Flair.

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“I sent them something to say, ‘You’re telling me my bag is lost. Here’s a photo of it under the sign at the airport. How much effort does it take to walk over and get this?'”

One week later, the golf clubs were delivered to his home, but he had yet to get the compensation that he was entitled to for the inconvenience or the refund for the baggage fee.

He claimed the airline employed delay tactics that kept him waiting for updates on his file without indicating when he might receive what he was owed.

Only after CityNews asked Flair Airline questions about Majewski’s case did the airline fully process his claim. Majewski said it took two months of relentless badgering to get it done. He wants to see steeper fines for airlines that abuse passenger rights.

“Right now, they’re being paid not to do anything,” Majewski said.

“The whole thing is not to be rewarded for delaying. Each month or two that they don’t take any action, there should be a 20 per cent increase in the fine. Make them pay more when they don’t take action.”

Airline declines to comment after baggage debacle

CityNews had additional questions for Flair regarding the claims process and how they addressed what appeared to be a backlog, but a spokesperson declined to comment.

Last month, the Liberals tabled legislation that would tighten the rules around air passenger rights.

Under the proposed changes, the maximum fine for airline violations would increase tenfold to$250,000, but it won’t take effect until September 2023.

In the meantime, as many prepare for summer travel concerned that their checked bags may become lost or delayed, one expert suggested that travellers be as prepared as possible and get to the airport early.

“A lot of times when bags get lost, it’s because people come to the airport last minute, and then the bag gets caught for the security check or whatever it may be,” said Wayne Smith, professor of hospitality and tourism at Ted Rogers School of Management.

Smith also advised not locking luggage and removing anything that could get caught in conveyor belts. He said items like Air Tags can be helpful but unreliable.

Most importantly, he urged travellers to keep key documents, medications and about two days’ worth of clothing in their carry-on.