The beautiful island of Majorca has a new species to add it’s already abundant flora and fauna. However this newcomer is harbouring a dark and distressing secret - they are the lost cats of Palma airport.
2 March 2006
These domestic felines have been brought to the island by loving owners from Britain and all over Europe, who have little choice but to entrust their cherished pets to the bag handlers of Iberia and Aena who run the airport. A couple who recently lost their cat through what they believe to be bag handling negligence have found that there are many such ‘lost cats’ roaming the airport’s out buildings, some still wearing identifying collars and have discovered this is an occurrence that the airport workers have seen many times before.
Kelly Rogers and Javier Perez, who’s pregnant cat, Lola was lost from her box in a luggage area of Palma Mallorca airport on Wednesday 15th February are distraught, but through tenacity and stubbornness have begun a campaign to make other pet owners aware of the dangers of bringing your pet through Palma airport and to force the staff there to allow them to look for their cat.
“We were heading for Ibiza via Palma from London and it was as we were boarding our flight that we saw the pet box in the hold and thought we would see how Lola, our cat was. “ explains Javier. “We discovered the entire front gate of the box missing and Lola gone, they had actually put the empty box on the plane, we think, just to get us off the island! They tried to tell us Lola must’ve been lost in London, that they didn’t know a cat was on the plane, BMI who flew us from London had lost the cat or that she might even be lose in the plane we had flown in on, any number of excuses! They must’ve been hoping we wouldn’t discover the empty box until we got to Ibiza. It appears to us that they tried a complete cover up. We even had to put up with baggage handlers shouting at us while we were in tears!”
The couple were kept in the dark about the accident resulting in their pet escaping into the old airport that is currently being demolished, and it was nearly four hours before a manager from baggage handling came to tell them what had happened. It transpired that Iberia had been informed by BMI not once but twice that a cat was on the London/Palma flight and that Lola had indeed reached Majorca in her box, but at sometime between arriving, being re-checked in by her owners and boarding the flight to Ibiza the box had opened and she had disappeared.
Once it was clear that the couple were not simply going to leave staff began making calls and miraculously the cage door of the cat box later turned up. Eventually, after insisting they be allowed to visit where the baggage handlers last saw the cat and complaining to the Guardia Civil, they were allowed to go and call for her. That was hours since she had disappeared and they could not find her. They have spent days since trawling the area calling for their beloved cat and have found at least a dozen other such lost cats, many of them British, living in terrible conditions in the old airport.
“There are building contractors and staff in the airport who are feeding these cats, we stroked one that has been there for two years and is still wearing it’s collar and there’s another called Molly that has never been seen since she was lost; it’s just incredible!” Kelly says fighting back tears. “If we hadn’t gone to see how she was we would now have no idea where on the planet she is. We will keep on going to the airport until we find her and we are hopeful she will turn up soon.”
Since beginning their investigation the couple now believe they know how their cat got loose from the box; they have witnessed the baggage trains at Majorca airport hurtling around at least double the 30K speed limit and actually witnessed a suitcase come flying of the baggage trucks as they round a sharp bend from the runway area. Staff there have told them this is how the baggage handlers operate and that they appear to be a law unto themselves.
“We think she was placed on top of the luggage from our flight and the box was not secured to the train, the driver then sped off and as he rounded that bend her box flew off the baggage train and as it hit the floor the door flew open.” Explains Kelly “That would also explain why there are so many cats in that particular area of the airport as this is happening at an alarming rate.”
The couple were at the outset getting help from Iberia staff within in the airport, but say the corporate response from Iberia has been appalling. “They only called me to blame BMI by saying they were not informed of a cat on the flight or that something might have knocked against the box opening as it wasn’t packed properly or even that she let herself out of the box, they then implied I don’t know what I am talking about as I don’t work in the airline industry. Thankfully BMI have been incredibly supportive over this and Angela Moody at the airport has helped us all the way. Their help is crucial to us right now and we really want to thank them for their compassion.”
Kelly goes on to explain, “Iberia have now withdrawn all help and say they are not legally responsible and haven’t even offered to help with expenses which are running into thousands and we are actually having to buy flight tickets from them to get to look for our cat. Considering we have also now discovered the theft of a digital camera and expensive XDA phone from a bag we left on the runway at shock at finding our cat box empty, we feel they are simply adding insult to injury.”
“I am now seeking legal advice both here and in Mallorca, as I do believe they are responsible. We checked into our flight at Mallorca and had to pay excess baggage for Lola, they took our money and gave us a receipt so I cannot see how they are legally not to blame. Even if that is the case we know it was Iberia baggage handlers that lost Lola so they have a moral duty to help us and reimburse our costs.”
The couple say they will not rest until an animal tracker is brought in to look for their pet who by now has probably had her kittens. Javier adds, “they have ruined our move to Spain and we are seriously considering going back to London. We have put up a 500 euro reward for our cat and if we find her we will go home.”
Iberia has a policy of allowing pets in the cabin if they weigh under the hand baggage restriction, however they claim that they are not used to seeing animal boxes inhabited by animals in the hold of aircraft. This should come as no surprise as many of their ONEWORLD partners do not allow animals into the cabin and all animals over 6 kilos have to go in the hold. One baggage handler even admitted that as sometimes these boxes come in empty and he didn’t think that there might actually be an animal inside the pet carrier and so “treated it like any other baggage”, it can only be assumed he meant it was thrown around with little care indeed.
“I would urge anyone who has lost a pet in that airport to get down there and insist on looking for them,” Urges Kelly, “anyone even considering coming into Palma with an animal should find another route or carrier. If there is even the slightest chance of your pet coming into contact with the baggage handlers at Palma airport then come by boat!”