A WestJet passenger says his luggage ended up in Jamaica after the airline mistook it for a domestic flight in Canada. Apple’s Airtag, which was attached to this suitcase, helped to find it.
Lorraine Pedersen He says he was traveling on a WestJet flight from Toronto to Winnipeg on October 23, 2023, but when he arrived in Winnipeg, he realized his luggage was missing. “I was on a business trip and all my clothes were in that suitcase,” Pedersen said.
According to City News report Pedersen said the Airtag he left in his suitcase informed him that the suitcase was in Kingston, Jamaica. He said that when he asked WestJet where his bag was, he was told it was not in Jamaica because there were no flights from Toronto to Kingston that day.
“I just wanted to get my bag back because my AirTag told me exactly where it was, but again WestJet didn’t believe me,” Pedersen added. Later with the international airport, Pedersen said Norman Manley He called in Kingston and found that his luggage had gone on a Swoop flight instead. This company is a subsidiary of WestJet.
Pedersen said his bag was stuck in Jamaica for two weeks and WestJet refused his request to fly it to Toronto, where he lives. “They told me to go and buy enough clothes, but they wouldn’t cover the cost of the clothes I needed,” she continued.
When Pedersen’s suitcase finally reached him, he found that it was broken and some of his belongings were missing. He told CitiNews that the total value of what was stolen and the clothes he bought was about 4,000 Canadian dollars (about 3,000 US dollars). Official information is unable to confirm the value of Pedersen’s missing assets.
“I was very upset to learn that my luggage had been ransacked and my belongings stolen while in Jamaica,” he continued. Speaking to the media, WestJet confirmed that the airline misplaced Pedersen’s luggage.
“Unfortunately, we misplaced this bag and situations like this are extremely rare,” WestJet said in a statement to the media. “We have compensated Mrs. Pedersen’s losses with maximum responsibility.” The report did not say how much Pedersen received in compensation.
Passengers can claim up to $2,350 CAD or $1,712 USD from airlines to replace lost or damaged items, says Transport Canada.
After several other similar incidents by airlines, more passengers are putting AirTags on their luggage. In August, a passenger said that he used AirTag to track his lost bag on his flight to America. In September, a man said he was traveling from Oklahoma to Ireland when he found his missing golf equipment with an Airtag.
