On the 8/7-2010 I and my spouse entered KLM Royal Dutch Airlines flight KL1106 from Arlanda, Stockholm, Sweden to Schiphol, NL and there we changed flight to KL0597 to Cape Town, South Africa. We both checked in one suitcase per person at Arlanda airport, Stockholm, SWEDEN with destination Cape Town.

At arrival in the evening the same day none of our suitcases were there. We claimed them of course. The woman at the desk told us that the suitcases were at Schiphol and should arrive on the 9th (the day after) with a flight via Heathrow, UK. Great we thought, they were at least not lost, but we should come to change our mind later on. No suitcases came on the 9th. We followed everything (= the PIR report procedures) on the KLM website, as advised. My suitcase arrived after 49 hours after arrival time in Cape Town. My common-law spouse got hers on the 31st of July but to our home address in Sweden. In fact three weeks after the departure date. To be correct, she got a phone call from security dept at Heathrow, UK on Monday the 26th of July 2010. They asked her if she was missing a suitcase. We sorted out everything and the suitcase was sent back home. The suitcase arrived at Arlanda, Stockholm at the 27th of July, but we were on holiday and couldn’t let them deliver it until Saturday the 31st of July.

The remarkable thing is that they (= security dept Heathrow, UK) said none has claimed the suitcase and they meant any airline company. During our whole stay in South Africa my common-law apouse didn’t get her suitcase. During the period of her missing suitcase none from KLM was in touch with her according her suitcase. She was instructed to reclaim the luggage and specify all items etc after three days without the suitcase. She did so via the internet and got an immediate respond that someone shall be in touch within 48 hours. Of course, this didn’t happen. In fact none from KLM has been in touch with her ever. This is more than bad. KLM has had her phone number and email address since the 8th of July, but they haven’t had the guts or motivation to call.

This was mine and my common-law spouse first trip with KLM ever and the memory of their absent customer service will last long. I travel rather frequently and have had delayed luggage before but have never been handled by them as we have been by KLM. Our plans on site for our trip to South Africa had to be dramatically changed. We weren’t able to do what we had expected to do. Our insurance covered some necessary purchasing but that can’t be compared to a situation when we have had our suitcases.

However, everyone can make mistakes, but not even feel responsible, not make excuses, not try get in touch and not compensating for the personal problems and the damage such things create are terrible. It’s in fact a catastrophe of bad behaviour.

We were just going to make a fraud claim at the Swedish police when we got the phone call from Heathrow, London, UK according my common-law spouse´s suitcase. We wrote finally a written letter by ordinary mail on the 26th of August 2010 and until this day (6th of Oct-2010) there is still no contact taken from KLM. I wonder how they are allowed to call themselves “Royal”. However, we do still hope for an excuse.