How a lost suitcase led to a two-year compensation battle with Ryanair

When Rosie McGrane landed in Copenhagen to discover her suitcase had not arrived with her, she did not expect the fight for compensation would still being going on two-and-a-half years later.

But despite Edinburgh Sheriff Court ordering Ryanair to pay her almost £4,500 last July she is yet to receive anything from the airline.

Rosie, with help from husband Chris, took the court action after months of what she described as "fruitless" emails and complaints.

Ryanair originally did not engage with the court action but the airline has now appealed against the decision, stating that Rosie failed to complain upon arrival in Copenhagen, something she disputes.

The saga began on 15 September 2023, when Rosie, from Kilmarnock, flew from Edinburgh to the Danish capital to run the city's half marathon.

A self-described "Mrs just-in-case", she had a lot packed for her five-night stay.

This included her running gear, headphones, tablet computer, and her nicest clothes.

"Going away for a trip, you take your good stuff with you," she says.

When her suitcase did not arrive on the baggage carousel, Rosie and Tina, the Danish friend she had travelled with, say they informed staff at the airport and spoke to lost property.

They say they were told Rosie's case had never left Edinburgh but that it would be sent on to the house they were staying within a few days.

This never happened.

Despite losing all her tech and clothes, Rosie, 56, says she was most upset to lose her flag.

As with every race, she was running the Copenhagen half marathon in memory of her brother Derek and planned on continuing her tradition of crossing the finish line with the Scottish flag she had made of him.

"That was the most valuable thing for me in that case," she says.

When her return flight landed, Rosie and Tina say they went straight to the Ryanair desks where Rosie was given a reference number for the loss.

Ryanair then sent her a claim form. This required her to list every item in the suitcase, and items she bought in Copenhagen to see her through the trip.

This was a process that took "days, rather than hours", Rosie says.

The couple were unable to find receipts for everything in her case - something they argue most people would struggle with, especially for items bought in-person rather than online.

After another false alarm that the case had been found, Rosie's husband Chris says he began emailing Ryanair "twice a week for months" in the hope of an update.

However none came, and by March 2024 - five months on from submission of the claim form - the couple put in a complaint about the delay.

The reply they received hours later left 65-year-old Chris ready to "put the PC out the window".

Ryanair told him to submit a claim, the very thing they were complaining about the delay on.

When Chris pointed this out, they replied saying Rosie had filled out the wrong form, despite it being the one provided by the company.

Chris later told them they would repeat the form if necessary. Ryanair never replied and on 3 June it closed Rosie's case.

Chris, a retired sheriff clerk, told Ryanair if they did not reopen his wife's claim, he would help her to raise the issue as a simple procedure - the replacement for small claims court.

Rosie feels she wouldn't have been able to continue at this point without her husband's experience.

She says: "We are lucky we do have somebody that's got that knowledge, and a bit of time that he can just keep chipping away at it".

In March 2025, almost 18 months on from her trip, Chris, acting for Rosie, raised a simple procedure at Edinburgh Sheriff Court.

Ryanair never engaged in the case, so by July Rosie was granted her decree.

The court ordered Ryanair to pay her £4,425.37 compensation - a sum arrived at by totalling the cost of the items in her suitcase and those she bought to see her through the rest of the trip.

However, this was not to be the end of the issue. This decree had to be served on Ryanair.

As they have no official offices in the jurisdiction, sheriff officers sought to give the decree to an employee in person.

Despite Ryanair being one of Edinburgh Airport's biggest carriers, and flying from other Scottish airports including Glasgow and Prestwick, the sheriff officers were unable to find anyone who was not a subcontractor.

The decree was instead sent to Ryanair's head office in Dublin.

On the final day possible in October 2025, Chris was told that Ryanair had lodged a recall of the decree.

Ryanair list a number of grounds for recall. The main one being their claim that Rosie did not complain upon arrival, which they take as "evidence that the baggage was delivered".

Rosie and Tina dispute this, saying they both spoke to airport staff as soon as they arrived and were told the suitcase would be following soon.

Ryanair also said it could not have any liability for items that should not have been in Rosie's checked-in luggage such as her iPad, her sports watch and her headphones.

Ryanair's objections, and Rosie's counter to these, will be heard by the court on 26 March. Almost two-and-a-half years on from her flight.

Despite the time that has passed, Rosie and Chris are determined to continue, partly due to the Montreal Convention.

This governs compensation for lost luggage in most countries, including the UK, and places airlines under 'strict liability' for lost luggage.

This means that even if a subcontractor of the airline was at fault for the luggage becoming lost, the airline itself will be held responsible.

It also means that compensation is currently limited at around £1,375.

So, while his wife may not recover the value of everything in her suitcase, Chris believes the strict liability Ryanair are under means they will eventually have to pay his wife compensation.

Rosie feels that although Ryanair are a low-cost airline, customers should still get compensation when things go wrong.

"You don't need to expect any more or any less, but you expect to get what you've paid for," she says.

When approached for a response, Ryanair stated they do not comment on pending legal proceedings.