As unclaimed luggage continue to pile up at Pearson International Airport, one local resident has been looking for his bags for 16 days after arriving in Toronto.
The man who identified himself as Dean told CP24 Saturday afternoon that he flew from Calgary on a direct flight, landing around 12:30 a.m. on June 17. He said he was asked last minute to check in his bag.
For three hours, he waited for his bags, but they did not show up. He then waited in line for customer service for an hour, only to receive no answer about his bags.
More than two weeks later, they remain nowhere to be found.
"I've been back to the airport three times now. And it's been 16 days and no sign of my bag. I've looked through these 2,000 bags here over and over again to look for my bag. It's nothing," Dean said.
He added that he has repeatedly called customer service and even filed a claim, yet there are still no updates on where his bags are.
"My only option was to actually physically come here and talk to customer service. And they've been helpful as much as they can, but … my bag is in limbo," Dean said.
He is only one of several thousand travellers who have desperately sought their bags at Canada's largest airport. Thousands of bags continue to sit idle in the baggage claim area at Pearson airport, waiting for their owners to collect them. On social media, travellers continue to voice their anger as they plea for airlines to find their bags.
According to the Greater Toronto Airport Authority, which operates Toronto Pearson, baggage responsibility is shared among different groups. Airlines and their contracted ground handling company are responsible for baggage handling, including removal of luggage from the plane, induction into the baggage system and the rate at which bags are loaded onto the carousel.
"A number of issues over the past several days have led to challenges with baggage. This includes flight delays and cancellations, staff shortages with our airline partners and temporary mechanical disruptions with the baggage system," the GTAA said in a statement.
According to data from FlightAware provided to CTV News Toronto, 7.7 per cent of scheduled flights in Canada last month were cancelled, compared to 1.6 per cent in 2019 before the pandemic. It also found that of the scheduled flights in June, 49.5 per cent were delayed.
"We have worked with the airlines to ensure unclaimed bags are removed from the carousels and staged in the baggage hall to make room for bags from other flights."
Flights are delayed at Toronto Pearson International Airport on July 2, 2022. (Corey Baird/CTV News Toronto)
Dean said he is hoping to retrieve his bags soon as he is travelling again next week.
"I don't have my bag. I don't have my stuff. It's just been very frustrating," he said.
Dean added that airlines need to communicate better with their customers.
"Whether it's a supply chain shortage or a staff shortage or mechanical, whatever it is, it's got to be more communication for airlines because this is ridiculous," he said.
"I just feel sorry for everybody's waiting for their bags. These are vacations that have been ruined. People have been waiting for hours and hours for the bag and just extreme frustration. If you look around here, this is just one terminal. Maybe Terminal 3 has more bags, who knows?"
Donald Trump invoked the Fifth Amendment and wouldn't answer questions under oath in the New York attorney general's long-running civil investigation into his business dealings, the former president said in a statement Wednesday.
An Ontario nurse is facing charges in connection with the alleged assault of a two-year-old boy with “significant medical limitations” in Niagara Region.
The Meade County Sheriff’s Office in South Dakota said it has arrested the man wanted in connection with an Amber Alert in Saskatchewan.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump showed up Wednesday for questioning under oath in New York's civil investigation into his business practices. But he quickly made clear he wouldn't be answering.
Exposure to synthetic ‘forever chemicals’ often polluting the environment has been linked to the most common type of liver cancer, according to a recent study.
Seven years after its debut in Italy, the American pizza giant Dominos has formally shut its stores after it failed to win over locals who preferred homegrown options, according to a report by Milano Today.
A Little League batter rose from a beaning to console the upset pitcher in a dramatic scene at a Little League regional tournament game Tuesday in Waco, Texas.
Following a series of interest rate hikes, Canada's housing market is now facing a 'historic' correction. CTVNews.ca wants to hear from Canadians looking to buy or sell homes in a changing market landscape.
Ontario MP Pierre Poilievre remains the heavy favourite to be the next Conservative party leader but he trails opponent Jean Charest for support among Canadians as a whole.
Jesuit priest Father Leon Lajoie was buried on the grounds of the St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Kahnawake in 1999.
Tenants living at the Mont-Carmel seniors' residence say they're concerned their landlord is not obeying a court ruling that states the building must primarily house people of a certain age.
Major health care unions in Quebec are claiming victory following a ruling that states the Health Ministry 'negotiated in bad faith' when offering bonuses to employees without consulting union representatives during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A search and rescue operation is underway for a boater who went missing on Lake Erie off the coast of Port Burwell on Tuesday.
The Town of Goderich, Ont. is mourning the loss of Mayor John Grace Wednesday morning. Grace - who served as mayor of Goderich since 2018 - passed away unexpectedly.
Police from across Ontario are set to announce arrests and gun seizures in a ten-month long investigation they called "Project Monarch."
Waterloo Regional Police have issued a warning after three vehicles were stolen using relay and reprogramming technology.
A 21-year-old has been airlifted to a Hamilton trauma centre following a collision at Ira Needles Boulevard and Erb Street in Waterloo.
St. Mary’s General Hospital in Kitchener has added a touchscreen self-check-in kiosk into its emergency department. in hopes of streamlining patients through the triage system.
East Algoma Ontario Provincial Police is warning the public about a blackmail sex scam connected to social media sites such as dating sites and Instagram.
Highway 144 has completely reopened between the Greater Sudbury communities of Lively and Chelmsford after a head-on crash between a transport and a pickup truck early Wednesday morning.
The Meade County Sheriff’s Office in South Dakota said it has arrested the man wanted in connection with an Amber Alert in Saskatchewan.
The disappearance of an Ottawa woman has been solved more than 40 years after she went missing.
Ottawa police say 493 vehicle thefts have been reported so far in 2022, with the Honda CRV the most popular target for thieves.
The wait time to see a doctor in an Ottawa hospital emergency room exceeded the provincial average in June, with two hospitals in the province's top 10 for wait times.
LaSalle police say the driver of the vehicle involved in a hit-and-run crash where a cyclist and dog were struck.
Police from across Ontario are set to announce arrests and gun seizures in a ten-month long investigation they called "Project Monarch."
Windsor police say one person was taken to hospital after a two-vehicle crash.
A Canadian Armed Forces veteran who called New Lowell home has been charged with murder in the country of Belize.
OPP are requesting the public’s help in looking for a suspect who allegedly stole a Lakeshore, Ont. victim’s identity and withdrew several thousand dollars from their account at a bank in Owen Sound.
DEWALT 12-inch sliding compound miter saws are being recalled immediately due to a laceration hazard.
Two out-of-control wildfires in central Newfoundland covered more than 200 square kilometres on Wednesday morning, and Environment Canada warned the flames could cover much of the island in smoke.
The former CEO of the IWK Health Centre has been sentenced to five months in jail for using public money to pay for more than $45,000 worth of personal expenses.
The wait lists for a family doctor have grown in all three Maritime provinces.
Police say there is nothing to indicate foul play is involved but the girl's family is concerned for her welfare.
The Meade County Sheriff’s Office in South Dakota said it has arrested the man wanted in connection with an Amber Alert in Saskatchewan.
The man accused of killing a 26-year-old Banff man last week is expected to appear in court on Wednesday.
With the World Health Organization declaring monkeypox a global health threat, one virologist is stressing the importance of getting vaccines to those who are most at risk.
A Winnipeg woman has been charged in connection with a fatal collision in Transcona this past May that claimed the life of 24-year-old Jordyn Reimer.
The Winnipeg Police Service continues to look for witnesses of an August 2020 homicide, who they believe may have valuable information.
After many warm days in a row, Metro Vancouver's weather is expected to be a little cooler through the rest of the week, with a chance of showers in the forecast.
Drivers were so eager to fill up before gas prices rise again that some stations across British Columbia ran out.
A B.C. driver who hit a wall in a snowy McDonald's drive-thru won't receive the payout he requested to cover damages and personal time.
If Edmonton does go ahead with a new gondola over the North Saskatchewan River, a local businessman has a grand idea for what to surround it with on the southern edge of the valley.
Six of the seven United Conservative Party candidates vying for the party's leadership will discuss education spending, policy and the future of teaching in Alberta with teachers from across the province Wednesday afternoon.
After two days in the mid 20s in Edmonton...temperatures are set to ramp up for the next week and a half.
