One traveler is trolling Aer Lingus with a PowerPoint presentation on how to find his lost luggage, containing valuable items from his recent wedding, after it was delivered to the wrong address.
When Elliot Sharod returned from South Africa, having been newly married, he was unlucky to find that his luggage had been lost by Aer Lingus. After flying back from their wedding, where Sharod used to live, to their home in the UK, he and his wife Helen expected a smooth transition back into life.
Their expectations were shattered at baggage reclaim.
The incident that led to Sharod trolling the airline with a PowerPoint presentation really began in Dublin, when the suitcases didn’t show up.
After a rescheduled wedding from 2020, Helen and Elliot were finally getting married in South Africa. They checked in three bags for their complex trip home: Johannesburg to Abu Dhabi; Abu Dhabi to Frankfurt; and Frankfurt to Dublin. The booking was with Etihad, which had run a direct Abu Dhabi to Dublin route when they’d originally booked; but had canceled it during the pandemic.
The airline switched them on to an Etihad route to Germany, and then a codeshare with Aer Lingus to Dublin.
Predicting that the robust and long journey home could invite problems, Sharod bought three Airtags. The Apple products, which emit tracking alerts via Bluetooth, were hidden— one in each suitcase.
Relieved at this precaution when the luggage did not arrive in Dublin, there was no real cause for alarm, at this point. The newlyweds trusted that the luggage would be put on a plane and safely with them in no time. And they were right, almost.
The luggage was eventually delivered, but only 2 out of the 3 made it to the Sharod’s home in Surrey, U.K.
Helen’s suitcase, containing wedding cards, handwritten notes from the lodge they’d stayed at, the order of service and itineraries they’d made for the guests was in central London— Pimlico to be precise.
Obviously distraught by the process, several emails, calls and DMs were sent in order to sort the problem out. The courier service, Eagle Aviation, which delivered 2 out of 3 of the suitcases to their home in Surrey, were largely unresponsive.
It was only after a response from Aer Lingus CEO Lynne Embleton’s office, that he decided to take to social media with videos and a PowerPoint presentation.
In a recent statement to CNN, Sharod said that “it’s the only way I can get their attention, by naming and shaming them.”
Within four days of the suitcase being delivered to the wrong address, it has moved twice and remains in its second location. The couple now believes it has been stolen, and have also reported it to the police.