A woman who searched a warehouse at Dublin Airport for her lost luggage last July was reunited with it before Christmas – over 140 days later.
Mum-of-three Ann-Marie Toolen, 51, arrived home last July 19 on a Lufthansa flight from Dublin, but her two bags did not. Amidst a chaotic summer when thousands of travellers’ luggage disappeared across Europe, Lufthansa said her bags arrived into Dublin on July 22 and 24.
By September, Ann-Marie had spent 40 hours searching a warehouse on the grounds of Dublin Airport for her lost blue and black suitcases. She yesterday told Dublin Live: “On the fourth visit on August 22, I found the blue case after weeks of searching for it.
Read more: Dublin Airport set to scrap 100ml liquid rule for passengers
“We received the black suitcase back on December 11 - only 145 days late. Not a word of apology, not a word of acknowledgment. Crazy.
“I received a customs form but I wasn’t actually sure if it was a scam or not. It just said please fill in this form ASAP. I decided that I had nothing to lose, so I sent it back, and then the case was delivered to my house.”
Ann-Marie added: “Somewhere in my head, I feel like I should be completely outraged. But, no, I’m just delighted.” She made repeated phone calls, sent texts and emails, launched appeals on social media, and even asked for help from champion golfer Shane Lowry, 35.
Both he and golfer Leona Maguire, 27, recovered their luggage last summer after tweeting for help. Health coach Ann-Marie, who runs My Innate Vitality Health and Wellness in Dublin, said: “It was exhausting and time consuming and frustrating.
“There have been thousands of people in the same boat. On some visits to the warehouse, I spent over an hour just searching through rows of suitcases. With holding for phone calls to airlines, travelling to the airport, and searching through thousands of suitcases, I literally spent days, not just hours, searching.
“It needed way too much time and effort. It was tough to keep being positive and keep going up there, time and again.” Ann-Marie, who is originally from Australia, feared her bags would end up in bins, similar to those shown in online photos to have been dumped.
Read more: Woman 'devastated' as luggage worth €2,000 missing for weeks at Dublin Airport
She said: “I had to buy new clothes and underwear, but I didn’t want to fill in a form for compensation; I just wanted our bag back. I brought back Australian biscuits in the luggage for my children. They cried as they feared our suitcases would get binned or destroyed like the others.”
She told Dublin Live yesterday: “A couple of things in the black suitcase didn’t survive. But the most galling thing is that there hasn’t been an acknowledgment or an apology. I am trying to get compensation. An airline offered us €100. As far as I am aware under European Law, we are entitled to €600. I am waiting until the new year to contact the various citizens’ advice bureaus.”
She added: “I am truly delighted, but I am just very cross that no one has held up their hand and just said, ‘We screwed up and we are sorry’. No-one has acknowledged that they actually lost one bag for five weeks and the only reason we got that one back was because I kept plugging away and found it myself.
“The other bag was missing for 145 days. There are so many people out there still waiting." Dublin Airport Authority is not responsible for the warehouse or lost luggage.
But it did everything it could to help passengers to recover their luggage by advising them to contact the correct airline or ground handling company. DAA urged: “Dublin Airport advises you to contact your airline or handling agent directly regarding left/ lost luggage queries and their luggage reclaim procedure.”
Read next:
Amazing footage shows moment Pele played in Dublin as football legend dies at 82
Dublin Bus staff go above and beyond to bring extra special Christmas surprise to young boy
Top tips for claiming tax back from Revenue as chance of hundreds of euro ends in days
Winter storm forecast to New Year's as wet and windy conditions to remain
To get the latest news to your inbox, sign up to the Dublin Live Newsletter.
