Lost air luggage: EU considers overhauling rules

The European Union executive is considering overhauling European rules on luggage lost by airlines, EU Transport Commissioner Antonio Tajani said today.

"Almost 90,000 bags are lost every day in the world and in Europe this represents 10,000 mislaid bags per day," Tajani told reporters. "The figures are incredibly serious."

"It's not just something extremely unpleasant for the passengers, but also represents a considerable cost for the airlines," he said.

Passengers who are affected often struggle to be reimbursed up to the maximum of about 1,100 euros, the European Commission said in a statement.

The Commission will study the problem further and present plans in 2010 on how to deal with it. Its action will depend on its findings.

Tajani cited figures from the Association of European Airlines indicating that losses last winter were 13 pieces of luggage per 1,000 passengers, lower than the preceding winter's figure of 15.5 per 1,000 passengers.

In the first nine months of 2008 4.6 million bags were delayed at airports in the 27-nation EU.

"There is crime involved, but it is probably not the main element," he added. "There is no one single cause. There can be a lack of diligence."