Canada

Byline:

Linda Royle says airline initially wouldn't compensate because she can't prove ownership of missing items

Excerpt:

When Linda Royle opened up her returned carry-on suitcase, she was disgusted to find not only her personal possessions missing, but several items — like two toiletry bags, a ticket scanner and a knife — were now in her bag.

Air Canada initially refused to compensate the Newfoundland woman, but told CBC News in a statement Thursday that it had looked at her case again and would contact Royle to "finalize her claim."

In an email, which CBC News has reviewed, Royle was told by baggage claims representative Dana Esteban on July 5 that because Royle didn't have receipts for the items she claimed were missing, Esteban couldn't confirm she owned the items.

CBC News asked Air Canada for an interview about Royle's case. An unidentified spokesperson replied to that request, asking for more details.

Two days after the CBC News request, Royle was contacted by a company representative who said her case had been further reviewed.

In a statement to CBC News on Thursday, Air Canada said it requires customers to provide claims, through receipts, for items valued above $350.

"Our baggage claims team re-looked at this case and found that the individual items being claimed were under the threshold," it said.

The spokesperson then told CBC News over email its security team is reviewing Royle's case.