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My connected flight was purchased from Air France from Paris to Vancouver. The first flight (Paris-Toronto) was operated by Air France, the second one (Toronto-Vancouver) was operated by Air Canada. In Paris, Air France told me my baggage would be delivered to Vancouver airport directly. So I have filled out the declaration form to pass customs in Toronto without collecting my baggage. But after I arrived at Vancouver airport, Air Canada told me I should have collected baggage to pass the customs in Toronto and then checked in again. So Air Canada doesn't know where my baggage is right now.

In this situation, what should I do now?

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  • You had to pass customs in Vancouver ? That's odd, usually it's the first stop. Did you contact Air France about your luggage ?
    – blackbird
    Commented Mar 4, 2014 at 22:43
  • No. In Toronto. I have contacted them. They said they are tracking it. But no updates for a whole day.
    – Jack
    Commented Mar 4, 2014 at 23:16
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    this sounds like travel.stackexchange.com/questions/22647/…
    – Kate Gregory
    Commented Mar 5, 2014 at 0:55
  • @KateGregory Yes. But I don't know how did it work out at the end. Sad.
    – Jack
    Commented Mar 5, 2014 at 1:23

2 Answers 2

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That's unfortunate, and when it's all sorted out, I'd suggest a letter to Air Canada / Air France asking for some points as compensation.

In the meanwhile, you can only do a few things:

  • wait. This will take time. All bags are tracked electronically in the system, so it's a case of the right person finding the log for where it has been, and it should show up soon enough.
  • keep in contact with Air Canada. Ask them for updates, and ask them WHEN you can expect a new update, whether the bag is found or not. Don't let it just languish.
  • contact Air France as well, they should know when it left their control / responsibility. If it was in Toronto, then at least you'll know it should be there. And also they'll have a record of whether it actually made it to Toronto, or whether it might even still be in Paris(!).
  • consider calling the airport in Toronto, and asking them to investigate. They might even liaise with Air Canada's and Air France's staff there to see what can happen. There's usually a missing baggage helpline at most major airports. However it does say on their page that lost baggage is the responsibility of the airlines.

Air Canada's page also has a process for you to follow when dealing with what they call 'delayed baggage'. I'd recommend having a look through there and making sure you've done as much as you can.

Good luck, and I hope you're reunited with your stuff soon!

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  • Thank you. I have contacted Air Canada and they gave me a tracking number. But no updates so far.
    – Jack
    Commented Mar 5, 2014 at 0:36
  • @Jack such things take time. Airports are large, lost luggage depots are crammed with stuff awaiting sorting. If you're lucky it takes a few hours, but it can take days.
    – jwenting
    Commented Mar 5, 2014 at 8:32
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I was in a similar situation. I was flying from Melbourne, Australia to Kuala Lumpur by Malaysian Airlines and then KL to Singapore by Singapore Airlines. When I checked in at Melbourne, I was told that I will be able to collect my bags at Singapore directly. Well, this had never happened with me before, so I was a bit hesitant.

At KL airport, my restless mind couldn't control it and I went to the baggage claim area. Obviously, I didn't find my bags there, so I spoke with this officer there and explained the situation to him. He assured me that I will get my bags at Singapore. Lucky for me, he wrote it down on a paper and signed it.

At Singapore, I didn't get my bags. Officials said that it wasn't their responsibility. They can't do anything about it. They asked me to speak with Malaysian Airlines. Malaysian Airlines said that they hold no responsibility as the bags were transferred to Singapore Airlines. So, after all this back and forth, I pulled out the letter and suddenly Singapore Airlines did a U-turn. They checked with Malaysian and confirmed that my bags will be delivered the next day.

So, all I can say is HARASS them. Contact Air France and get confirmation. Contact Air Canada and ask them for updates. This is a pretty sad situation, I know. But, you should get your bags in a day or two. Sometimes, airlines send the bags directly to the final destination. So, I'd say contact Air France first and see on which flight was it sent.

Good luck.

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  • I second that, be insistent. I think it's the airline's responsibility to let you know that you're supposed to collect your bags at the airport before customs
    – blackbird
    Commented Mar 5, 2014 at 0:31
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    Thank you. Air Canada gave me a tracking number for "delayed baggage". But actually I don't think this is a delayed baggage though.
    – Jack
    Commented Mar 5, 2014 at 0:35
  • Singapore Airlines is responsible anyway even though they tried to say they weren't--convention is the last airline to handle them deals with it, if they never got the bags they bark at the airline that should have delivered them.
    – Loren Pechtel
    Commented Oct 23, 2014 at 22:21

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