UK News 20-08-2002 Airlines Don`t Care About Lost Luggage who: Air Transport Users Council (AUC) what: Says airlines are indifferent to declining standards when: Yesterday snippet: An air passengers` watchdog says airlines are not concerned about declining standards of service after receiving a record 1,163 written complaints in the last year. The Air Transport Users Council (AUC) said there was "little evidence that there is any real concern about the impact on passengers of damaged, delayed or lost luggage," says the BBC. "Delays topped the list of written complaints, followed by mishandled baggage and flight cancellations," says The Scotsman. Ticketing and delays were also high on the list. They also received 4,252 in telephone complaints in 2001-02 - a 14 per cent rise on the 2000-01 figure. The top three most complained-about airlines were British Airways, Air France and Ryanair respectively, says The Times, although Ryanair is identified as the worst offender in real terms and has clearly earned the wrath of the AUC by refusing to recognise its authority. Meanwhile, on an otherwise bad PR day for the industry, Sky News reports on one airline`s charm offensive in the shape of recently qualified airline pilot John Travolta, touching down at Heathrow in his personal Boeing 707 in his latest role as ambassador-at-large for Qantas. [... more]

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