Insurers are receiving a flood of claims due to baggage lost at the new Heathrow terminal
Travel insurers have been inundated with calls and potential claims following an ongoing luggage crisis plaguing Heathrow’s new terminal five (T5).
Perry Wilson, chief executive of Insure and Go, said the firm had received a 20% spike in calls by panicked and frustrated customers after flights were cancelled and baggage lost during the disastrous opening week of the terminal, designed by Richard Rogers.
“It’s madness,” said Wilson. “We anticipate a real uplift in claims because of these travel delays.” He added that Insure and Go had to set up a phone line to deal specifically with calls related to T5 due to the sheer volume.
Go Travel Insurance has also been inundated with calls over the past six days.
Two hundred flights in and out of T5 have been cancelled and about 15,000 bags are said to be backlogged following difficulties with the baggage handling system when the £4.3bn facility opened last Thursday.
