Saga of lost suitcases: Aéroports de Montreal summons Royal Air Maroc

After our publication reporting Aéroports de Montreal said it called the carrier Royal Air Maroc (RAM) responsible for the crazy situation over the presence of lost suitcases at its liquidation center in Pointe-aux-Trembles, Montreal.

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Dozens of passengers search for their luggage at 13 385 rue Sherbrooke Est in Montreal.

The personal belongings of some of them are in a pitiable condition.

TVA Nouvelles has learned that the liquidation center is not the only place where suitcases belonging to Moroccan airline customers have gone missing.

As contacted by our journalist, Aéroports de Montréal (ADM) explained in a press release that “the operational situation at Mohammed V International Airport in Casablanca has caused significant delays in the routing and delivery of several pieces of luggage from Royal Air Maroc.” The Quebec company noted a “significant accumulation of baggage at its airport facilities.”

ADM tried to resolve the situation with Royal Air Maroc, but to no avail.

“ADM had to store undelivered suitcases for passengers in secure areas on the airport site but outside the terminal to facilitate their customs clearance. “This decision was taken exclusively for health reasons as many suitcases emanated nauseating odors,” the statement explained.

ADM explains that the entire baggage belongs to the passenger and they have no authority to interfere in the management of the ram.

“After clearing the baggage through customs, RAM has taken the decision to remove the baggage from the airport site to the storage location provided at the time of your report. We clearly feel that it is totally deplorable that RAM did not adequately inform its passengers and did not take the necessary steps to deliver their luggage to the passengers,” ADM further lamented in its statement.

Royal Air Maroc did not respond to our interview requests, but confirmed that it had experienced some disruptions in baggage delivery since January 11.

According to the airline, there was an equipment change, which caused the delay.

Remedies for travellers

Many passengers have not received their luggage for three weeks, but compensation has been made available to the passengers.

Air Passenger Protection Regulations and the Montreal Convention have strengthened their rights, according to Jacob Charbonneau, president of volenretard.ca.

“For baggage delay, we have up to 7 days to complete this declaration. For lost baggage, we have up to 21 days. We advise passengers to do so directly when they are there,” he said.

“Then you can contact the carrier directly and make a request or go through specialized agencies.”

In the event of a refusal, passengers can contact government agencies such as the Canadian Transportation Agency, said Mr. Charbonneau added.

TVA News