British Airways has confirmed that the luggage of a man who died on a BA flight from Hong Kong has been lost at Heathrow's disastrous Terminal 5. The man's baggage is thought to be among the 28,000 items of baggage that have been lost at the terminal.
Professor Joel Richman, 74, collapsed and died on April 2 after coming out of the toilet of flight BA26 from Hong Kong. Mr Richman - who had suffered from heart problems in the past, but had never had a heart attack - was on his way home from a three-month lecture tour when he was taken ill. A British Airways spokesperson said that their staff had done all they could to save Mr Richman. The spokesperson said: "The cabin crew did everything they could for him and were very distressed following the incident." However, Mr Richman's son, Saul, 41, still said that the airline was "unforgivable" for losing his father's bags.
Saul Richman, an airline systems engineer who has previously worked with BA, is distressed about the airline losing his father's baggage, particularly his hand luggage, as it is making it difficult for the family to contact Mr Richman's friends and colleagues to inform them of his death. He said: "His one handbag and suitcase is missing, it has been lost by BA. We can't invite people to his funeral, it has his address book and his mobile phone."
However, despite his dissatisfaction at the lost baggage, Mr Richman is satisfied that his father was adequately cared for by British Airways staff onboard the flight. He said: "I'm certain that everything possible was done for him and he was left for the remainder of the flight in dignity." He has asked cabin crew from his father's flight to come forward and tell him what happened as his father was dying. He said: "I just want to know if he had any last words and if he was in pain."
Heathrow's Terminal 5 has been plagued by trouble since it opened in March; it has had major problems with its baggage system, which has led to a backlog of nearly 30,000 bags. It is thought that some travellers will have to wait for up to a year for their baggage to be returned to them. In addition to the baggage chaos, hundreds of flights have been cancelled at the troubled £4bn terminal, which has meant that countless travellers have been forced to camp out at the airport.
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