Freetown airport complaints, delays and lost baggage

The rules that apply

Sierra Leone Civil Aviation Regulations Part 20B, the Consumer Protection Regulations, came into force on 5 February 2024 ¹. The Director General of the Sierra Leone Civil Aviation Authority issued them under sections 17(1) and 17(2)(a) of the Civil Aviation Act 2023 ¹. The SLCAA regulations page lists the same effective date ².

The regulation covers passengers departing from any airport in Sierra Leone who hold a reservation ¹. It does not cover free or reduced fares not open to the public, but frequent flyer tickets are covered ¹. Where it conflicts with the Montreal Convention, the Convention prevails, under regulation 19 ¹.

Section 16(2)(b) of the Civil Aviation Act 2023 lets the Authority investigate complaints or occurrences relating to aviation safety and security, after notice to the persons concerned ⁶. The Part 20B text does not say how a passenger can take a complaint about an airline to the regulator ¹.

Making a complaint to the airline

Regulation 18 of Part 20B sets the complaint steps ¹. Regulation 13 sets what airlines must publish ¹.

• The airline must have a complaints procedure and publish it on its website ¹
• It must acknowledge a complaint within 24 hours ¹
• It must make reasonable efforts to give a full answer within 30 days ¹
• If it cannot, it must tell the passenger promptly how much more time it expects to need ¹
• It must publish its contract of carriage, baggage allowances and fees, and its procedure for lost, delayed and damaged baggage ¹
• A notice at check-in desks must tell passengers to ask for the text of their rights if they are denied boarding, delayed or cancelled ¹

Lost, delayed or damaged bags

Part 20B sets no compensation amounts for baggage ¹. Claims fall under the Montreal Convention of 28 May 1999, which Sierra Leone joined by accession deposited on 25 November 2015 ^3,4. It entered into force for Sierra Leone on 24 January 2016 ³.

Under Article 17 the carrier is liable for loss of or damage to checked baggage if it happened on board or when the bag was in the carrier's charge ⁴. If a bag has not arrived 21 days after it should have, the passenger can treat it as lost ⁴. ICAO says the baggage limit has been 1,519 SDRs per passenger since 28 December 2024, and the limit for delay of passengers is 6,303 SDRs ³.

Bags that arrive later

SLCAR Part 9, Facilitation, in force from 5 February 2024, lets airlines forward mishandled baggage to its owner without penalties, fines or duties for the mishandling ⁵. Airlines may present unclaimed or mishandled bags for customs clearance on the owner's behalf and deliver them ⁵. The authorities must speed up clearance of such bags and return them to the airline ⁵.

Delays, cancellations and denied boarding

Part 20B counts a delay of 2 hours or more on a domestic flight and 4 hours or more on an international flight ¹. Passengers are then owed information and free assistance, such as meals and refreshments, a phone call or internet access, a hotel if an overnight stay is needed and transport to it ¹. Part 20B sets no fixed compensation for delay ¹.

After a cancellation the passenger can choose a refund within 30 days or rerouting ¹. No compensation is due if the passenger was told at least two weeks ahead, or was told later and offered rerouting arriving no more than two hours late ¹. Each airline must say in its contract of carriage whether it pays compensation for cancellation or denied boarding and how much ¹. Events such as bad weather, strikes, airport closures and bird strikes are listed as outside the airline's control ¹.

Who to contact

Start with the airline. In August 2020 Brussels Airlines' general manager in Sierra Leone, Estelle Van Eeckhout, told passengers with missing bags to report through customer service online, in person or on the website, giving the flight number, final destination and seat number, as reported by the Sierra Leone Telegraph ⁸.

SLCAA has a Consumer Protection Department. It named Kumba Margaret Kamara as its head in a post of 15 April 2024 on an ECOWAS consumer protection workshop ⁷. The Sierra Leone Airports Authority customer service page lists the email [email protected] and an office at 15 Rawdon Street, Freetown ⁹. That page does not mention lost property or complaints ⁹.