Missing baggage adds to chaos at Canadian airports

Due to a surge in demand and staffing shortages, some major Canadian airports have recently been plagued with long lineups, delays and flight cancellations. On top of that, travellers are complaining about another major problem: missing baggage, which sometimes fails to arrive during their trip. "It's frustrating," said WestJet passenger Joni Hirtle of Calgary. She was reunited with her luggage on Saturday — a week after her nine-day trip to Costa Rica. Hirtle's suitcase disappeared after she boarded the second leg of her flight from Toronto. Its contents included $400 hiking boots and a wad of cash totalling about $400 hidden in a sock. During a stopover in Toronto on the way home, Hirtle inquired about her luggage at WestJet's baggage claim counter. "There were tons of bags sitting there," she said. "They don't have enough resources to be addressing these issues." When Air Canada passenger Harrison Burton landed in Montreal on Friday, en route to Moncton, he was so overwhelmed by the piles of unclaimed luggage, he posted a video on Facebook. "It's chaos," he says in the video. "It's insane. They need to fix this." The federal government has hired more border officers and security staff at airports to help ease the bottlenecks at airports, though Transport Minister Omar Alghabra has pointed some blame at the airlines, saying last week they must also "do their part." Air Canada says most passengers arrive at their destination with their luggage, but acknowledges that the number who don't has recently increased. The airline says many of the reasons behind baggage delays — such as airport backlogs — are outside its control. "When an aircraft is held at a gate because of a customs backlog inside the terminal, it may not be loaded on time for its next flight," said spokesperson Peter Fitzpatrick in an email. "Be assured that avoiding baggage delays is a top priority for us."<br/>