Lisa and Dave Parsons were in Jamaica for their son’s destination wedding, a week-long dream vacation that was picture perfect — until they unpacked their bags.
Travelling with 40 wedding guests from Ocho Rios, Jamaica to Lindsay, Ont., on Monday, the couple says that nearly half the group had expensive gadgets, fragrances and clothing stolen from their suitcases, and that the lining of their baggage was left in tatters.
“We normally would leave our valuables at home, but it was a wedding, so we were dressing up,” Lisa told CBC News in an interview.
The entire trip was booked through Sunwing Airlines, a discount carrier headquartered in Toronto and owned by WestJet. Now, the couple — and their guests — want the airline to take responsibility.
“It was not about the money,” Lisa said. “It’s more about the fact that now there’s this dark cloud when we all were on a high note.”
WATCH | How these Sunwing passengers tracked down stolen valuables:
Sunwing passengers say valuables were stolen from checked bags
20 hours ago
Duration 2:02
A group of Sunwing passengers allege thousands of dollars worth of electronics, watches and perfumes were stolen from their checked baggage in Jamaica and they want the airline to take responsibility.
On the final day of their trip, the group gathered in the lobby of the Hotel Riu Ocho Rios, loaded their bags onto a bus and drove two hours to Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay. Once they arrived, they stood with their baggage in the Sunwing line for a while before they checked it, still with three and a half hours until takeoff.
They went through security, boarded their flight and flew back to Toronto, where they were bused to the main terminal without incident. They grabbed their luggage at the carousel and arrived home at about 11 p.m.
But some of the travellers had a nasty surprise waiting for them the next morning: A text from a member of the group who found several watches missing from his bag as he unpacked.
The rest of the group quickly took inventory.
“We have a big group chat that we had going while we were on the trip,” said Bryan Williams, a close friend of the groom who had a $200 cologne bottle, some dress shirts and pants stolen. “And everybody was like, yeah, I’m missing this, missing that. We realized that there was more than just one or two of us were missing some things.”
The Parsons were missing a $550 Belova watch, two sets of $300 airpods, and one cord for a Mac laptop valued at $120. Others were missing expensive perfume, cologne and clothing, and about half of the group had their luggage tampered with — the lining shredded and the locks cut.
Whose responsibility is it?
The Parsons were able to confirm that the theft hadn’t happened at Toronto Pearson Airport after using their phones to track the location of their stolen airbuds.
A screenshot shows Lisa Parson’s airpods tracked to a street in Montego Bay, Jamaica, almost 3,000 kilometres away from her home. (Submitted by Lisa Parsons)
“We were all brainstorming on what had gone on and realized that we were all compromised at the [Montego Bay] airport, because that’s the only time our luggage was unattended,” said Lisa.
While Dave’s airpods were found on another part of the island, “mine are on Providence Street in Montego Bay,” Lisa explained. “It shows you exactly where it is, and it’s 2,861 miles away. So they’re in Jamaica.”
A spokesperson for the Montego Bay Airport Authority told CBC News that the airline is responsible for stolen luggage items or missing baggage, and that theft does not occur frequently at the airport. The statement also noted that the baggage handlers at Sangster International Airport are employed by individual airlines.
“Sunwing is who we paid our money to, so I feel they’re the ones that need to step up to the plate,” said Lisa. The group filed a complaint with the airline, but didn’t hear back for several days.
CBC News reached out to a representative for Sunwing, who confirmed their receipt of the inquiry but did not provide a response.
One of the travellers later received a call from the Sunwing Corporate office. A representative said that the Montego Bay police had launched an investigation into the thefts. CBC News reached out to local law enforcement in Jamaica and did not receive a response.
Bags ‘at the mercy’ of whoever wants to access them
Dave and Lisa Parsons and other members of the wedding party want the airline to take responsibility for their stolen valuables. (CBC)
Dave Parsons said the group is waiting to see to what extent they’ll be compensated by Sunwing before filing a claim with their insurance company. The couple is sharing their experience as a warning to other travellers.
“Make sure that you keep your valuables close to you,” he said. “And your bags, your main bags are at the mercy of whoever wants to, I guess, access them.”
Kristine D’Arbelles, senior director of public affairs with CAA National, said the rules are quite clear about who is responsible for stolen luggage or valuables.
“Once you hand that bag over to the airline, it is in the airline’s care, so it needs to come back to you in one piece with everything in it,” she told CBC News. “So if it does come back damaged with items lost or stolen, [then] you make a claim with the airline.”
Travellers are pictured at Toronto Pearson International Airport. ‘Once you hand that bag over to the airline, it is in the airline’s care, so it needs to come back to you in one piece with everything in it,’ Kristine D’Arbelles, senior director of public affairs with CAA National, told CBC News. (Evan Mitsui/CBC)
She said that travellers who’ve had items stolen are protected by the Air Passenger Protection Regulations (APPR) in two ways.
These passengers can claim up to $2,300 in compensation for delayed or damaged luggage, or they can claim items that were stolen from their luggage. Travellers have to make a claim directly through the airline.
“This is not the first time that someone is reporting on a lost or stolen or damaged bag,” D’Arbelles said. But there’s little public available data to indicate how often it happens, she added.
Only the Canadian Transportation Agency keeps track of complaints it receives, but many of those claims are a last resort. They are typically filed after travellers have exhausted previous options and weren’t happy with the result.
LISTEN | Can baggage-tracking features give passengers peace of mind?
Columnists from CBC Radio3:48Airlines are getting into the bag tracking game
There’s a reason so many people now try to bring everything in a carry-on when they fly. There are fees for checked bags, but also concerns that a bag might get lost. Airlines are now trying to give people more peace of mind on that front. CBC’s Jason Osler explores whether new baggage tracking features will help.
While travellers should avoid checking anything of value, that can’t always be avoided, D’Arbelles said. In that case, you can be prepared in other ways: make a list of items you’re travelling with, take photos of your valuables, and keep all receipts — from your luggage tag to your boarding pass.
“We’re still in the early days of these regulations. So not a lot of people know that it’s there,” she said of the APPR.
“And obviously, when these things happen, stress is high. You’re worried. Sometimes we don’t stop to think, ‘is there actually something that is protecting me?'”
TORONTO – Roots Corp. may have built its brand on all things comfy and cosy, but its CEO says activewear is now “really becoming a core part” of the brand.
The category, which at Roots spans leggings, tracksuits, sports bras and bike shorts, has seen such sustained double-digit growth that Meghan Roach plans to make it a key part of the business’ future.
“It’s an area … you will see us continue to expand upon,” she told analysts on a Friday call.
The Toronto-based retailer’s push into activewear has taken shape over many years and included several turns as the official designer and supplier of Team Canada’s Olympic uniform.
But consumers have had plenty of choice when it comes to workout gear and other apparel suited to their sporting needs. On top of the slew of athletic brands like Nike and Adidas, shoppers have also gravitated toward Lululemon Athletica Inc., Alo and Vuori, ramping up competition in the activewear category.
Roach feels Roots’ toehold in the category stems from the fit, feel and following its merchandise has cultivated.
“Our product really resonates with (shoppers) because you can wear it through multiple different use cases and occasions,” she said.
“We’ve been seeing customers come back again and again for some of these core products in our activewear collection.”
Her remarks came the same day as Roots revealed it lost $5.2 million in its latest quarter compared with a loss of $5.3 million in the same quarter last year.
The company said the second-quarter loss amounted to 13 cents per diluted share for the quarter ended Aug. 3, the same as a year earlier.
In presenting the results, Roach reminded analysts that the first half of the year is usually “seasonally small,” representing just 30 per cent of the company’s annual sales.
Sales for the second quarter totalled $47.7 million, down from $49.4 million in the same quarter last year.
The move lower came as direct-to-consumer sales amounted to $36.4 million, down from $37.1 million a year earlier, as comparable sales edged down 0.2 per cent.
The numbers reflect the fact that Roots continued to grapple with inventory challenges in the company’s Cooper fleece line that first cropped up in its previous quarter.
Roots recently began to use artificial intelligence to assist with daily inventory replenishments and said more tools helping with allocation will go live in the next quarter.
Beyond that time period, the company intends to keep exploring AI and renovate more of its stores.
It will also re-evaluate its design ranks.
Roots announced Friday that chief product officer Karuna Scheinfeld has stepped down.
Rather than fill the role, the company plans to hire senior level design talent with international experience in the outdoor and activewear sectors who will take on tasks previously done by the chief product officer.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
VANCOUVER – Mediated talks between the union representing HandyDART workers in Metro Vancouver and its employer, Transdev, are set to resume today as a strike that has stopped most services drags into a second week.
No timeline has been set for the length of the negotiations, but Joe McCann, president of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1724, says they are willing to stay there as long as it takes, even if talks drag on all night.
About 600 employees of the door-to-door transit service for people unable to navigate the conventional transit system have been on strike since last Tuesday, pausing service for all but essential medical trips.
Hundreds of drivers rallied outside TransLink’s head office earlier this week, calling for the transportation provider to intervene in the dispute with Transdev, which was contracted to oversee HandyDART service.
Transdev said earlier this week that it will provide a reply to the union’s latest proposal on Thursday.
A statement from the company said it “strongly believes” that their employees deserve fair wages, and that a fair contract “must balance the needs of their employees, clients and taxpayers.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
MONTREAL – Travel company Transat AT Inc. reported a loss in its latest quarter compared with a profit a year earlier as its revenue edged lower.
The parent company of Air Transat says it lost $39.9 million or $1.03 per diluted share in its quarter ended July 31.
The result compared with a profit of $57.3 million or $1.49 per diluted share a year earlier.
Revenue in what was the company’s third quarter totalled $736.2 million, down from $746.3 million in the same quarter last year.
On an adjusted basis, Transat says it lost $1.10 per share in its latest quarter compared with an adjusted profit of $1.10 per share a year earlier.
Transat chief executive Annick Guérard says demand for leisure travel remains healthy, as evidenced by higher traffic, but consumers are increasingly price conscious given the current economic uncertainty.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
