An 82-year-old had to go 18 days without his medication after an airline lost his luggage
- A couple, both 82, spent more than 2 weeks on vacation without their clothing and medication.
- They had to borrow clothes from other passengers on their European river cruise.
An American Airlines passenger had to spend an 18-day vacation without his medication and even longer without his clothes after the carrier lost his luggage.
George Moyer told Insider that he and his wife, both 82, had to borrow items from fellow passengers on their Viking river cruise in Europe last month.
"I had taken three days worth of medication in my carry-on," Moyer told Insider. "After that, I was without them. I have neuropathy in my lower legs and gout in my feet so after a couple of days it was beginning to hurt."
The couple had been planning their trip since 2020, but it was canceled twice due to the pandemic.
Their first flight from Charlotte, North Carolina to Philadelphia was delayed by a few hours, which meant they missed their connection to Zurich in Switzerland.
They were rebooked on a flight to Lisbon, Portugal and had to wait there for six hours before taking another plane to Zurich. They realised their bags had not made it after landing in Zurich. Insider has verified the couple's flight details.
"American Airlines was terrible at getting us there. When we got to our Viking cruise, its staff were tremendous at helping us out and making calls to American to help us find our bags," Moyer said.
The airline told them their bags were in Hamburg, then Lisbon and finally Amsterdam. Other passengers on the river cruise loaned the couple clothing and they had to wash the few items they did have in their bathroom basin.
"It was a terrible situation and we had to wear our jeans for five days. It was hard to look for clothing in the small villages that the cruise stopped at," Moyer said.
One suitcase was returned to the couple on August 6 but another is still missing.
American Airlines did not respond to Insider's request for comment.