Bmi and British Airways Fight Government Plans to Increase Lost Baggage Compensation

Apparently both Bmi and British Airways are doing all they can to fight off the government’s plans to increase the compensations that will be given to passengers if their baggage is lost. These two airlines, which are among the worst in Europe at losing baggage, are lobbying against these plans with all of their might.

Right now both carriers have urged the government to oppose plans for a 13.1 percent rise in the amount of compensation that will be given to passengers whose bags are lost by the airline. The plans for the increase were drawn up by the United Nations’ International Civil Aviation Organization. Under these plans, the amount passengers are allowed to claim would actually increase from £972.46 to £1,099.85 next year. This is something that many airlines do not want to have to deal with.

British Airways, which at one point was actually losing some 13 cases on every Boeing 747 flight, said that the economic crisis meant the proposed increase was inappropriate. They believe that the current economic situation is a very valid reason to postpone any kind of increase until a feature date.

The Air Transport Users Council, the passenger watchdog, has of course, backed this proposal from the start. It went on to point out that the increase goes right along with inflation. The Department of Transpiration said that it will be backing the proposed increase.

Overall, this increase comes at a bad time for all airlines, but this goes double for British Airways. Right now this is an airline that has more on its plate than it knows what to do with. The airline is currently focusing on avoiding a strike, which could be taking place this Christmas holiday.