Air New Zealand lost my luggage in Brisbane and ruined my dream holiday that
took two years of saving and planning for.

I booked a ticket with Air New Zealand for a flight on September 7, 2004. I
traveled with two pieces of luggage, one a roll-on 51-liter knapsack type
and the other a black 1127 Transit Case made by Underwater Kinetics,
dimensions being 27.0 x 18.1 x 10.9 inches also with a DAN Sticker on the
side.

I checked my luggage upon arrival at Pearson Airport with the understanding
that I would not have to retrieve it until Brisbane.

Upon my arrival at Los Angeles Air Port, I went to the Air Canada counter to
inquire about my luggage.

The person behind the counter stated that Air Canada should have the luggage
with them awaiting transfer to my air new Zealand flight.

Again, I trusted both airlines to have the luggage and to transfer it
safely.

After arriving in Auckland, New Zealand, there was a four-hour overlay and
the same plane was refueled and we continued on to Brisbane.

When I got to Brisbane, Security did not allow me to retrieve my luggage.
Instead, they informed me that I could ask at the Air New Zealand counter
upstairs for them to retrieve and transfer it for me.

I went to the Air New Zealand counter and I was assured by the clerk that
radioed down to the baggage handlers working on the baggage carrousel that
both pieces of luggage were identified and located, and they would be
transferred to the Air Niugini flight to Port Moresby, my final destination.

During all this time I never physically saw my luggage, believing all was
well.

After landing in Port Moresby, to my shock and horror, I learned that only
one piece of my luggage containing my clothing had arrived and other the
largest and most essential containing my diving was equipment is missing.

I immediately filed a lost luggage report with Luggage Personnel at Port
Moresby.

He told me he would look for it and needed my itinerary. However, I later
learned the search was suspended the very same day. It is still suspended to
this day. In spite of, my travel agent repeatedly asking for it to be
reopened.

This may just be another case of lost luggage to you however; it is a
devastating loss of equipment that was crucial to fulfilling my trip
requirement. A trip I saved and planned for two years.

As a result, I was unable to do what I came and paid to do, which was to
dive.

I spent 10 days on a boat with 18 other people who all got their luggage. I
physically became ill from the stress and worry of my luggage being lost or
perhaps even stolen.

I trusted the airlines concerned to carry me and my luggage to my point of
destination.

It is a mystery to me that my small piece of luggage arrived but not the
largest and most important piece.

I want to be reimbursed and compensated for my total cost of airfare and
loss of underwater kinetics 1127 transit case and all of its contents that
was entrusted to you Air New Zealand Air Niugini.

Singapore Air is a great airline, but using it for Australia can be
problematic. I am booked on SA for a 2006 PNG trip, but the booking goes LAX

time so I can enjoy Singapore and waste an overnight in Brisbane, but for
people who want to go to PNG quickly, using SA means trying to get an Air
Nuguini flight from SIN to POM. And because AN only issues schedules every 6
months, right now no one knows what the flights will be after October 28,
2005 and cannot book yet.

In my case I will suffer it because I am in 1st Class on miles, but if I was
paying for this flight I would probably opt for either Continental through
Guam and Cairns or Qantas through Sidney and Cairns (both have much cleaner
connection times resulting in no stayovers). Singapore Air makes for a long
flight to PNG.

Seems to me it was the Aussies that 'lost' your lugage not air NZ.
Just count your blessings they didn't load it up with drugs for your
onward flight.
Three worst airports in the world for stealing lugae- LA, sydney,
brisbane