Washington travelers take British Airways to court in lost-luggage fight

Fed up after having luggage lost or damaged on British Airways, three U.S. travelers, including two from Washington state, have launched a legal fight against the airline.

A Seattle law firm, Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro, filed the lawsuit today in U.S. District Court in Seattle. The firm, known nationally for high-profile, class-action lawsuits, contends the airline has been knowingly reckless in its baggage handling and that a limit of approximately $1,500 in compensation, set under an international air-travel agreement called the Montreal Convention, should not apply.

Two of the travelers involved, Donald and Joan Smith, are from Tacoma. On a British Airways flight to Italy in June, their luggage went missing for weeks and was eventually found wet and damaged beyond repair, said the law firm. The third traveler, Aydan Kayserili of Milwaukee, Wisc., lost her luggage on a British Airways flight to Madrid.

If the court approves the case as a class-action lawsuit, it could involve thousands of U.S. travelers whose luggage has been lost on British Airways flight and seek greater compensation than the current cap.

British Airways, one of the biggest airlines in the world and the dominant airline at London's Heathrow Airport, currently has the worst record among major European airlines for lost luggage.

According to the Association of European Airlines, British Airways lost approximately 24 bags for each 1,000 passengers in the first quarter of 2007. In comparison, U.S. airlines posted a mishandled baggage rate of 7.93 reports per 1,000 passengers in July, the U.S. Department of Transportation said earlier this week.

Kristin Jackson: kjackson@seattletimes.com