Ethiopian airlines delayed luggage claims
Hi everyone,
I wanted to ask if anyone here has experience dealing with Ethiopian Airlines baggage claims or compensation, because this has honestly been one of the most stressful travel experiences I’ve had.
I flew ORD → ADD → CPT on Ethiopian Airlines on May 7. The ORD–ADD flight was delayed, causing me to miss my connection to Cape Town. Ethiopian did provide hotel and food in Addis, which I appreciated.
However, the bigger issue was the baggage situation.
Before boarding the ADD–CPT flight, I specifically told the gate agent that my AirTag was still showing my checked luggage sitting in Chicago. Despite this, I was assured multiple times that the luggage had been loaded and that I would receive it in Cape Town.
When I arrived in CPT, my luggage was nowhere to be found.
I filled out a PIR report at the airport, but they never even gave me the PIR/tracking number despite saying they would email me updates once the bag was located. For several days I had to rely entirely on my own AirTag tracking just to figure out where my luggage actually was.
I was in Cape Town for a professional conference and ended up arriving with:
- one set of clothes
- no toiletries
- no chargers/cables
- no work-related personal items
I had to buy basic replacement clothes and essentials out of pocket just to function.
Eventually they called and delivered the bag on the night of May 11, 4 days after departure. They later offered USD 100 compensation, but my actual essential expenses already exceeded that by a fair amount.
I sent Ethiopian Airlines a detailed complaint and reimbursement request, but it has now been a week since contact was made and I still have not received any meaningful reply.
Has anyone here successfully dealt with Ethiopian Airlines compensation/reimbursement claims before?
- How long did they take to respond?
- Did you escalate anywhere?
- Did citing the Montreal Convention help?
- Any tips for getting an actual response?
Would really appreciate any advice.