Should airline reimburse couple who waited for lost luggage? Norwegian Air lost and found

In May, Neil and Maureen Ferris set out on a two-week trip of a lifetime to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. They planned to hopscotch across southwestern France and northern Spain, visiting vineyards and sampling local cuisine along the way.

But Neil’s suitcase did not arrive with them at the airport outside Paris, thwarting the couple’s plans to quickly hop on a connecting flight to Bordeaux. Neil Ferris says a Norwegian Air lost and found representative recommended they stay at the airport until their missing luggage was returned to them.

“If you leave, your luggage may never catch up with you,” Ferris said he was told.

By Sean P. Murphy Globe Staff August 07, 2018

In May, Neil and Maureen Ferris set out on a two-week trip of a lifetime to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. They planned to hopscotch across southwestern France and northern Spain, visiting vineyards and sampling local cuisine along the way.

But Neil’s suitcase did not arrive with them at the airport outside Paris, thwarting the couple’s plans to quickly hop on a connecting flight to Bordeaux. Neil Ferris says a Norwegian Air representative recommended they stay at the airport until their missing luggage was returned to them.

“If you leave, your luggage may never catch up with you,” Ferris said he was told.
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The Ferrises wound up losing two days of their vacation while holed up in a hotel at the airport, constantly checking online for updates on their luggage. Once they got their bag back, they quickly hit the road, but there was no way to recoup the days they lost.

The Ferrises did, however, want to be reimbursed for the cost of the hotel they stayed in and other expenses they considered direct consequences of the missing bag.

Neil Ferris tallied the cost at about $1,500, including new and missed hotel reservations, the price of their missed connecting flight, and the car rental they needed to get on with their trip. But Norwegian offered a paltry $54.

“Basically, Norwegian air lost property said, ‘Sorry, we don’t owe you anything,’ ” said Neil Ferris. “I thought, ‘You got to be kidding. That’s outrageous.’ ”

Question: Is Norwegian responsible for paying the expenses the Ferrises incurred while they waited for the luggage?