Dead Man’s Baggage Lost in Heathrow’s Terminal 5
23rd April 2008
The family of a man who died on a British Airways flight from Hong Kong have accused British Airways of losing his luggage at Heathrow’s Terminal Five.
British airways confirmed that the man’s things were among the 20,000 items of lost luggage at the airport and have vowed to do their ‘utmost’ to reunite the man’s luggage with his family. The man’s son, Saul, 41, who is an ex-BA employee, said: “To lose the luggage of a dead person is unforgivable.”
Professor Joel Richman, 74, is thought to have collapsed and died after coming out of the toilet of flight BA26 on 2 April. The retired professor was flying back from a three-month lecture tour when he was taken ill. Mr Richman’s son said that his father had previously suffered from heart problems, although he had never had a heart attack.
The bags that are missing are thought to contain Mr Richman’s mobile phone and address book, which is making it difficult for family to contact Mr Richman’s friends and colleagues to inform them of the death. His son 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.”
Despite this, Mr Richman is thought to be satisfied with the way his father was cared for on 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.” However, he has asked cabin crew to tell him exactly what happened when his father died. He said: “I just want to know if he had any last words and if he was in pain.”
Since Heathrow’s Terminal 5 opened in March, it has suffered from major baggage problems and a backlog of over 20,000 bags has formed. Many of these bags have been flown to Memphis and Milan for sorting, so they can be returned to their rightful owners.