In reaction to reports of cancelled flights and baggage delays at Heathrow Terminal 5, Peter McCarthy, Senior Lawyer at Which? Legal Service advises all air passengers:

"It can be very frustrating on arriving at the airport to find that your flight has been cancelled or there is a long delay. Air passengers do have rights and it helps to know exactly what these are in case you find yourself in a similar situation.

"If your flight is delayed or cancelled, you are entitled to assistance. This can include free meals and refreshments depending on how long you are waiting. It also includes free hotel accommodation and transfers to the hotel if the re-routed flight means you have an overnight stay at the airport. You are also allowed two free phone calls, faxes or e-mails and you may be entitled to financial compensation if your flight is cancelled, depending on the circumstances."

Which? Legal Service has a guide to flight rights at www.which.co.uk/flightrights


Meanwhile, leading travel insurance company InsureandGo, which has campaigned for a tightening up of baggage handling procedures since last summer, expressed its dismay at the new system's teething troubles. Recent research from InsureandGo revealed that one in 10 (10%) UK adults has had their luggage lost or misplaced when flying from airports in the last two years – which equates to a massive 4.75m people.

Perry Wilson, Managing Director of InsureandGo, commented: "Baggage delays and lost luggage have been a big problem with UK airports in recent times. We were very hopeful about the plans for the new baggage system at Terminal 5 and were delighted that someone in the airline industry was taking notice of our calls to step up the security of luggage as it passes through airports, but our hopes, like those of the airport's passengers, seem to have been a little premature. We have seen a huge rise in lost luggage claims recently, and our research shows it is clearly a major concern for our customers with many people taking extreme measures – such as packing less – to reduce the risks they face.

"Frankly it is outrageous that holidaymakers should feel so worried about the security of their belongings and while we are happy that BAA are taking an active step in the right direction, we again urge the whole airline and airport industry to improve its performance in this area without delay."

The £150,000 scheme being run by the British Airports Authority involves the attachment of radio frequency identification tags to bags, so they can be sorted more effectively and tracked at every stage of their journey.


InsureandGo's most recent research into the problem revealed that the British public were suspicious of baggage handlers at airports. Just over three in 10 (31%) said they distrusted baggage handlers at UK airports1 and an incredible 3% of those with lost or misplaced luggage, equating to 125,000 people across the UK, believed their luggage was actually stolen by baggage handlers, within the last two years.

Londoners seem to be the biggest luggage-losers, with 17% of them reporting a loss over the last two years, closely followed by those in the North West with 14%. Those

from East Anglia have been the luckiest at keeping hold of their bags, but one in 20 still said they had lost luggage from an airport during that period.

Lost Luggage by Region

Region Percentage of people who have had luggage lost or misplaced at an airport in the past two years
London 17%
North West 14%
North East 12%
Yorkshire & Humberside 10%
Scotland 10%
South East 9%
South West 9%
West Midlands 8%
East Midlands 6%
Eastern 5%


The research also found that holidaymakers are getting so worried about having their luggage lost or stolen that just over three in 10 of them (31%) say they have on occasion packed less, so that they can keep their luggage with them throughout the flight in order to reduce the chance of loss or theft.

Last year, figures from the Association of European Airlines (AEA) stated that British Airways lost more luggage than any other major European airline in 2006, and BAA was attacked by business leaders and politicians for overcrowding and lost baggage problems, leading to claims that it was damaging the UK's reputation abroad.