Staff are still searching for a baffled holidaymaker's suitcase which has been missing for NINE days and counting. Rachel Millard's bag did not arrive when she touched down in Milan on a Ryanair flight from Manchester last Saturday, for her first foreign trip with boyfriend Joe Cubbin.
Accountant Rachel, 30, who lives in Didsbury, was forced to go her entire five-day holiday without most of her belongings, including vital medication, as it never followed her to Italy. On the penultimate day of her stay, she was stunned to see her bag in a picture accompanying an M.E.N article about an array of cases that appeared to have been 'abandoned' in the airport's baggage hall.
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But after landing back at Manchester Airport, she was told staff still couldn't locate it and she still has still not been reunited with it, nine days after first checking it in. She has now hit out at her treatment claiming the airline are now 'ghosting' her.
Rachel told the MEN: "It was just horrible. My first trip away with my boyfriend and I had virtually nothing with me.
"I did tell them about my medication but I had no idea about how I might go about getting a prescription over there so just had to go without. I also had no underwear, toiletries, make-up gym stuff."
Rachel, originally from Newton-le-Willows on Merseyside, and boyfriend Joe, also 30, used Ryanair's self-service bag drop where you print and attach your own labels before dropping off luggage, prior to boarding her flight from Manchester to Milan at 6:35am last Saturday.
Yet when they arrived in Milan, only Joe's case arrived on the carousel. She reported it missing to staff in Milan who said they believed it was still in Manchester, and they took her hotel details in the hope of having it forwarded to her.
However, the grey coloured IT branded case, which had important medication Rachel takes for her blood pressure inside, never arrived despite her trying to ring the airline every day.
She added: "I had a few clothes in my hand luggage but had to buy some more. Especially as a waiter spilled Aperol Spritz on my only spare pair of trousers! It meant I just couldn't enjoy it as much as I should have been."
On the fourth day of the trip, Tuesday, April 5, whilst queuing for a drink at a bar, Rachel saw what she believes is her case in a picture showing left luggage strewn across the baggage hall. The image had been taken by a passenger the day before and shared with the M.E.N.
"I couldn't believe it", she said. "I ran straight over to Joe and said 'that's my bag.' Its 100 per cent mine. I zoomed in on the label and even has an 'MXP' tag on it, which is for the Milan airport on it. I did think it hasn't been abandoned it never made it onto my flight. So I was a bit confused at how it ended up there as it looked like it was in baggage reclaim.
"But I was kind of relieved in a way as at first I had no idea where it was, it could have been anywhere. At least then I knew it was in Manchester and we were flying home the next day so I thought I could just grab it then."
However, after landing back in Manchester on Wednesday, April 6, on an Easyjet flight, staff at the Ryanair help desk said they were unable to hand over her bag. She was given a number to call and left the airport empty-handed.
"They just said there was no staff and they couldn't help at the minute. All the worry just came back then" Rachel said. "It was really annoying. I just thought this is ridiculous they say they can't find it but I know it's here and I've even shown them a picture."
The day after she arrived home, Thursday, April 7, Rachel messaged the mobile number she was given sharing a link to the article and the picture and received a reply saying: "I have passed the information to the team searching the bag hall. Once they notify me that it has been located I will contact you' signed 'Swissport Baggage Reclaim.'
Swissport is an aviation firm that provides baggage handling services for a number of airlines flying out of Manchester including Ryanair. She was told there was no time frame. And she has no reply from the number since despite a barrage of messages where she asked every hour if they had an update.
And she has now accused the company of ignoring her after staff manning Ryanair's social media accounts also told her they couldn't help. The online tracking service on the Ryanair website says 'searching for your bag.'
"They are just ghosting me really, that's how I'm describing it. Obviously, baggage issues do happen but for it to be nine days and them just ignore me and tell me they can't help isn't good enough really. Especially seen as I've told them where it is or where I think it is.
"There are no guarantees it is still there now. And I don't even know how to go about rebuilding my stuff. I don't know if I need to replace the stuff now because I'm still without it and don't know how long it's going to be until I get my bag back"
Ryanair have been approached for comment.
Swissport said: "We are sorry to hear of the experience Ms Millard has had with her baggage. We are investigating the issue as a priority and working with our airline partner to ensure the item is returned as soon as possible.”
