12:00a.m. 21st November 2008

| By Amy Remeikis

Boaz and Carley Dickson. Photo: 179531

A newlywed couple’s memories of a dream honeymoon in Vietnam have been ruined after an airline lost their luggage only to eventually return it almost a month later with the contents destroyed and anything of value missing.

Nambour’s Boaz Dickson and Carley Langford said their I dos on October 11 before setting off to Vietnam for a honeymoon filled with relaxation and adventure.

Bad weather saw them decide to head home early and they booked a flight with Jetstar Pacific to take them from Danang to Ho Chin Minh City where they would catch their flight home, because they believed the airline to be an Australian company.

Jetstar Pacific is actually a Vietnamese low fares airline in which the Qantas group owns an 18% share.

When Carley and Boaz arrived in Ho Chin Minh City for their Australian flight they discovered their bags had not made the trip with them.

They were advised to fill out forms reporting the loss of their bags and it would be sent on to them in Australia.

Arriving in Brisbane on October 26, the couple were told by a Qantas employee their luggage would be returned to them in three days.

Because the luggage contained antique jewellery Carley had worn to the wedding and Boaz’s wedding ring, the couple checked again with Jetstar two days later on the progress of their luggage and were surprised to hear there was no record of their luggage having been lost.

After many more phone calls the couple were told their luggage had been involved in a fire and destroyed. They were later told their bags had suffered only water damage.

Earlier this week their battered and worn bags turned up at the Maroochydore airport. However, everything inside the luggage had been completely destroyed by mould. What wasn’t destroyed was missing – including Carley’s antique jewellery, the couple’s cameras and Boaz’s wedding ring.

Now they want answers.

“We went straight on the honeymoon after our wedding night which is why we had Carley’s jewellery on us,” Boaz said.

“Everything is lost or destroyed. Everything. Between us we estimate we have had $12,000 worth of stuff stolen or lost.

“They have offered us $500 compensation for 32kgs of luggage which they said would be put on our credit card last week. It is still not there.

A Jetstar spokeswoman said the couple’s bags had been stored in a section of the Ho Chi Minh City’s domestic terminal which had been damaged by fire. That part of the airport was shut down while Vietnamese officials carried out their investigations.

“Jetstar Pacific sincerely regrets the loss of any personal belongings,” she said. “At no time did Jetstar Pacific staff have access to the area where the baggage had been kept as it had been closed off by airport authority and police.”

She said compensation had been paid to the couple’s credit card and a full explanation and apology would be sent to Carley and Boaz.

The couple said they expect the saga to continue .