A Vacation Nightmare: Family Watches as their Suitcase is Left Behind on Edelweiss Flight

A Vacation Nightmare: Family Watches as their Suitcase is Left Behind on Edelweiss Flight

A Rainy Start to a Family Vacation

In an unfortunate mishap, a family embarked on their eagerly awaited vacation from Zurich to Rhodes on an Edelweiss flight, only to witness their suitcase being left behind at the tarmac in the pouring rain. Despite repeated attempts to alert the cabin crew about the luggage blunder, their efforts proved futile as the plane took off without their suitcase.

The incident, which occurred on a Friday morning, was first noticed by the family’s 11-year-old son. The cargo hold was still open, and the conveyor belt was in motion when he spotted their suitcase enduring the rain. His father, 48, immediately informed the cabin crew about the situation, but the suitcase remained untouched.

False Hope Mid-Flight

Mid-flight, the Maître de Cabine reassured the family that there were no reports of left-behind luggage, providing a glimmer of hope. However, upon arrival in Rhodes, their suitcase was missing, dashing all hopes.

Since the incident, the family has been trying to locate their luggage with no success. The airline’s hotline simply directed them to fill out a customer service form and no response has been received yet. The father expressed his frustration, stating, “We feel abandoned.”

Emotional Impact on Children

The situation has had a significant emotional impact on the two children of the family. They are eagerly waiting for their vacation clothes, which were packed in the missing suitcase. Until the suitcase is retrieved, the family has resorted to hand-washing the children’s travel clothes daily.

The airline’s hotline did offer to reimburse the family for the purchase of “essential” clothes for the children. However, this offer was met with unease as the airline did not specify a reimbursement amount and the nearest city with clothing stores is a 120 kilometers round trip away.

Suitcase Finally Arrives, But the Damage is Done

In a twist of events, the family’s suitcase did finally arrive at their hotel in Rhodes on Sunday afternoon. However, the contents of the suitcase, including the clothes, were damp from the rain. The family has yet to receive any feedback from Edelweiss about the incident.

Lessons from a Vacation Nightmare

This incident highlights potential issues with luggage handling on Edelweiss flights. The family’s frustration was exacerbated by the airline’s lack of response and support following the incident. While the suitcase was eventually delivered, the family had already had to go through significant inconvenience and stress due to the mishap.