As winter looms and temperatures cool around the country, many Aussies are preparing to extend their summer by jetting off to the Northern Hemisphere.
One mum did just that earlier this month, embarking on a month-long adventure across Europe having saved for over two years for the trip of a lifetime. But just days into the trip, she has been left living every traveller’s worst nightmare — her luggage has gone missing.
Millie Alder, from Queensland’s Gold Coast arrived in Marseille, France, from London on British Airways flight 370 on May 10, but soon discovered that her distinctive purple suitcase had never made it onto the plane.
With a wedding to attend in the south of France the next day, she was left frantically trying to track down the missing suitcase, which had all of her and her two-year-old daughter’s clothes inside. With no idea where in the world her suitcase is, the mum was left making a desperate plea to the public to help her track it down.
“We waited for all the bags to come out and my husbands came out first and then the conveyor belt just stopped and I thought ‘where is my bag?’” she told Yahoo News Australia. “It’s been so awful.”
Passenger in ‘utter shock’ after suitcase goes missing
An airport employee soon approached her to explain that her purple suitcase never made the flight.
“I was in utter shock,” she told Yahoo. “I had an outfit in [the suitcase] which I bought well over six months ago and had it perfectly altered to my body and all of my baby’s clothes and medication.”
The mum, who says she usually puts an Apple AirTag in her luggage to use as a tracking device, was distracted with her child and forgot.
The mum was forced to borrow a dress for the black tie wedding from another guest at the hotel where she was staying and shoes from the bride. Seven days on, she is yet to be reunited with the bag – and says that she has “no idea” where it is and claims the airline “can’t tell me”.
She now says she’s over $1,000 out of pocket for items she’s had to replace on clothes and makeup and toiletries. While she has travel insurance, she’s been unable to make contact with them yet.
Alder said that the missing suitcase has put a dampener on the month-long family holiday. “I’ve been saving up for this trip for 2 years and I’m so so sad,” she told Yahoo.
British Airways did not respond to Yahoo’s request for comment on the matter.
Mum’s desperate plea to track down bag
Posting to social media, Alder made a desperate plea to the public to help track down her distinctive purple suitcase. “I am begging anyone with the kindness of their heart to do anything they can to help me find it,” she said.
Countless followers tagged British Airways in the comments of her post in a bid to help her track down the suitcase, which is still missing.
“So devastated for you,” said one.
“You would think a brightly coloured suitcase would be easy enough to spot,” added another viewer.
“Good luck, I know the feeling,” said another.
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