A British Airways passenger whose luggage went missing almost a week ago says her husband was advised to take his bag on board by airline staff because of chaotic delays in the system.
Margaret Brennan travelled to London City from Edinburgh airport last Friday with her husband but her checked-in case did not arrive on the carousel leaving her with no option but to buy new clothes and toiletries for the short break.
Six days on, she is still waiting for her missing luggage, which contained a designer watch and jewellery that was a gift from her late father.
Ms Brennen, who lives in Callander, said she was aware of others - on different airlines - who have been waiting up to three weeks for their luggage.
Industry-wide staff shortages have caused huge disruption for travellers and holidaymakers causing flights across Europe to be delayed or cancelled.
Passengers told of "total chaos" at Heathrow yesterday, after the airport asked airlines to remove 30 flights from Thursday's schedule.
READ MORE: 'Total chaos' at Heathrow Airport as British Airways issues apology to passengers
The UK's largest airport asked airlines to cut the flights because it was expecting more passenger numbers than it can currently cope with.
Meanwhile, budget carrier Ryanair has cancelled dozens of flights in Spain, Portugal and Belgium as staff prepare to stage further strike action over the next two days in a dispute over pay and conditions.
Ms Brennan, who works for the Care Inspectorate, said she has made countless calls to British Airways and criticised the lack of customer information.
Airports generallly hold not responsibility for luggage unless the issue is related to a problem with its own carousels. Airlines themselves and baggage handling agents are responsible and in this case, Menzies Aviation is the operating agent of British Airways.
Another handling agent said that while the current peak travel period was "good news" , it was exacerbating staff shortages across the recovering aviation industry.
Swissport, which is the agent for TUI, said the knock-on effects of delays stemming from one part of he passenger journey, such as airport technical issues or security queues can lead to disruption in others.
READ MORE: The Scottish school where lunches are being delivered by drones
Ms Brennan said: "When I arrived to check in last Friday BA was a mess. "There were huge queues and only three people on the check-in desk.
"When I checked in the lady told my husband to keep a hold of his bag and said she hoped that my bag would be okay.
"When I arrived in London there was no bag for myself and there other people.
"I was down for events and my case had new clothes and jewellery etc as I did not perceive any risks in flying on a domestic flight."
She said she was told by an airport call handler yesterday that her bag was still in Edinburgh, "with thousands of other bags".
She said: "After looking at various Facebook posts and knowing people personally who are in the same situation it is becoming a serious issue.
"I am away again next week and I need my bag. I have spent hours on calls to BA.
"There is surely also a security issue if there are piles of bags lying somewhere."
Citizens Advice say passengers have a legal right to claim compensation from an airline if checked-in luggage is delayed, lost or damaged.
Travellers only have the right to claim for a problem with cabin baggage if it’s the airline’s fault.
It said travel insurance or home contents insurance that covers luggage may result in a higher payout.
A spokeswoman for British Airways said: "We're doing everything we can to reunite our customer with their baggage as soon as possible. We apologise for the delay and inconvenience caused."
A spokeswoman for Menzies Aviation said it was looking into Ms Brennan's case.
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