Cuba-theft from locked suitcase

[Wings]

On arrival back in the UK from Cuba, theft from what appeared to be a locked suitcase, how or to whom can one lodge a claim.

[Flintstone]

You have two avenues, your travel insurance and the airline.

Assuming you have travel insurance go this route as you will have far better cover. Under the Warsaw Convention airlines liability is quite limited being calculated on a $/weight basis. For either to succeed though you will need a Property Irregularity Report which you can/could only get if you reported the loss at the airport. Under these circumstances of course that wasn't possible which is why you need to call the airline NOW and report this.

You can't claim from both your travel insurers and the airline unless your TI is inadequate. What usually happens is that the TI'ers pay your claim and then seek subrogation from the airline. There is a third option, your Home Contents policy but you will need to have All Risks cover outside the home which will vary from insurer to insurer.

What was taken? I hope you didn't pack valuables as these will be specifically excluded under a TI policy, are excluded under the Warsaw Convention and there is precedent for repudiation of such a claim on the grounds of failure to take reasonable precautions (Shah -v- Sun Alliance I think).

If you don't want to put all the details up on here feel free to PM me.

[Wings]

Just perfume, aftershave, a very few cigarettes and cigars!!

[JAM35F]

I had my trainers and a couple of boxes of cigars nicked from my suitcase on the way back from cuba a few years ago. They cut through the zip pulls and removed the padlock. Seems that cuban baggage handlers may not be the most honest in the world!!

[Flintstone]

Report it to the airline, get confirmation and speak to your travel insurers. Will it be worth claiming after your excess?