Study finds that UK travellers filed most luggage complaints against Ryanair

People flying on Ryanair might be up for more challenges as a new study has found the airline to be the worst when it comes to luggage complaints.

In a recent study, the financial guidance and price comparison platform Forbes Advisor found that 28 per cent of UK travellers have faced luggage issues with most of them coming from Ryanair.

The Irish-based airline was in hot waters recently as it had to cancel flights to major European hotspots because of strikes.

More luggage complaints against low-cost airlines

The Forbes Advisor analysed luggage complaints received by airlines between the 2018 and 2022 third quarter. In this period nearly 1,000 luggage complaints were raised by UK travellers against the Irish-based low-cost airline Ryanair.

While the survey commissioned by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) primarily featured low-cost airlines as worst performers, some major players in the UK airline industry like British Airways also made it to the top 10. With 844 luggage complaints in the last five years, British Airways comes in second position. Some other low-cost airlines like Ryanair were also seen in the list including Norwegian, Wizz Air and EasyJet.

According to the study, most UK travellers raised luggage complaints against Ryanair (954) followed by British Airways (844) and EasyJet (565). Luggage complaints constitute four per cent of all the complaints received by Ryanair and six per cent of all the complaints received by British Airways in these five years.

Key findings regarding luggage complaints handling by airlines

Forbes Advisor asked 2000 UK travellers about their experience in flying with Ryanair and other airlines. Three out of 10 UK travellers (28%) said they had raised complaints against the luggage hold including delay, damage and loss of luggage in the last five years. Around 90 per cent of those who filed a complaint cited luggage mishandling issues. While men (94%) are more prone to raise a complaint than women (86%), youngsters (96%) complained more than older Brits (81%).

The study went on to shed light on the efficiency of airlines in addressing luggage complaints. Around 26 per cent of UK travellers said that the airlines didn't resolve the issue when they lodged a complaint. One out of five UK travellers didn't receive any compensation from the airlines. That's 19 per cent of people without any compensation for their lost luggage. Around 60 per cent of people surveyed said their problems were resolved by the airlines.

Delving deeper, the study unlocked the average monetary loss of UK travellers in case of lost or damaged luggage in the last five years which was found to be £308 annually. While men lost £331 on an average for women the loss was £276. Younger travellers between 18 to 34 years of age are at the receiving end of it as they lose £363 whereas people above 35 years of age lose £253 annually.

For people older Brits (above 55 years of age), the loss was 60 per cent less at £219. This comes at a time when UK travellers are already reeling under the cost-of-living crisis, especially old and limited-income people. The study also found that UK travellers from Liverpool faced the most monetary loss (£814) while people travelling from Plymouth had the lowest loss (£91).

Furthermore, UK travellers from London had the most luggage loss (22%) complaints while Birmingham had the most damaged luggage (15%) complaints. People from Edinburgh got their luggage recovered (15%) the most while travellers from Glasgow had the lowest luggage recovery rate (6%).

The way out for UK travellers

Based on the findings of the study Forbes Advisor has suggested the following tips for UK travellers and others:

• Travellers are advised to take pictures of their luggage before and after boarding a flight. This is crucial for tallying the luggage and also makes it easier to file a complaint if something goes missing.
• It's necessary that travellers remain vigilant of their luggage and check that the airline workers are using the correct luggage tags for their luggage. People should check that the destination airport code on the luggage tags and the boarding pass are the same.

• Travellers are instructed to remove old airline tags so that the luggage handlers don't get confused when dealing with the luggage hold. Previous flight tags often confuse airline workers when they try to route the luggage.
• All kinds of devices and valuables especially those that have the travellers' personal information like tablets and laptops should be kept in the hand luggage.
• Lastly, it's advisable to opt for a travel insurance policy that covers luggage claims including lost, delayed and damaged luggage. Travellers should read the terms and conditions thoroughly to make sure that luggage issues are covered in the insurance policy.

Speaking about the study, the Travel Insurance expert of Forbes Advisor, Kevin Pratt, stressed the necessity of quick action by the airlines.

Pratt underlined how a loss of luggage causes great inconvenience for the travellers, so much so that they raise complaints to the Civil Aviation Authority. Pratt acknowledged that the complaints are relatively small in number compared to the huge number of flights that operate yet it needs to be addressed.

Pratt also highlighted that the results were from the time of the COVID-19 pandemic when the world was shut down and most flights were grounded.

The travel insurance expert asked people to be vigilant and ensure that the labels and tags are correctly placed on their luggage before they proceed to check-in. He further suggested that people carry their valuables close to themselves in their hand luggage, especially if it has information that can be used against them.