A FAMILY who went on the “dream of a lifetime” trip to watch the Hungarian Grand Prix were left with just the clothes on their backs after the airline lost their luggage.
Chloe Leen flew into Hungary with her three siblings yesterday to watch the Formula One but were told when they arrived that all four of their cases had been lost.
The 25-year-old and sister Aoife, 22, brothers Jack, 20, and Odhran, 13, were left with just the clothes they travelled in and the items they carried in their hand luggage.
The family from County Kerry, Ireland, claim they have not been given any help from Swiss Airlines who they flew with.
They said they contacted Dublin Airport who have also been unable to update them on where their luggage is.
Retail worker Chloe and her family have now been forced to spend hundreds of euros on more clothes for themselves to cover their week long trip.
However, they were left gutted yesterday when they turned up to the Hungaroring racetrack, where the Grand Prix is being held, to be turned away as their tickets for the pitwalk are still in their lost cases.
Thankfully Chloe had kept their other tickets for their grandstand seats for qualifying on Saturday and the race in her hand luggage which is due to be held on Sunday.
Speaking today, Chloe said: “Nobody seems to have answers for us, there is no way for us to track our luggage.
“We have had no answers from anybody, we’ve had nothing from Dublin Airport or from Swiss Airlines.
“We are here until Tuesday and are hoping that our luggage will turn up soon but it’s difficult to know.
“We only have our carry on, so things like phone chargers and that’s really it, luckily my Mum told me to put the tickets in my bag so we do have them.
“We have now had to spend hundreds of euros buying new merchandise for ourselves as we only had the clothes on our back and we couldn’t wear the same thing for almost a week.
“We had kept the whole thing a secret for seven months and we were so excited to surprise Odhran.
“It has been appalling, we have medication we need and it is in the case, from Dublin to Budapest it’s been disgraceful, we actually chose Swiss Airlines over Ryanair because we were worried about Ryanair losing our bags.”
She wrote online yesterday: “So we’re here in Budapest for the Formula One Grand Prix, no luggage.
“All our gear that we had for the race, hundreds of euros worth of stuff gone. No one has any answers for us.
“Four suitcases gone, no help from Dublin Airport, no help from the airport in Budapest or Swiss Airlines, nobody has answers for us. If anyone knows anyway can you please please help us.
“What should have been a trip of a lifetime has turned into a living nightmare, we are here with nothing but the clothes on our back.”
Just a day before their trip, Chloe and her younger siblings had filmed a video showing them surprising Odhran with his ticket.
In a touching clip he can be seen in his bedroom staring at a suitcase before asking: “Are we going to Hungary?
“We’re not, are we going to Hungary? I can’t believe it.”
The video also shows the vast array of F1 merchandise the family had got for their brother which is currently still lost in his suitcase.
Chloe’s TikTok has received over 89,000 views and more than 9,000 likes.
Hundreds of people have commented on the clip.
One said: “This is so wholesome.”
Another wrote: “This is the most gorgeous thing, hope he has the best time ever.”
A third commented: “The fact he has the games cases and disks on the wall.”
A fourth added: “This is just the best, what a lovely kid. Hope you have the best time.”
A spokeswoman for Dublin Airport today said: “Airlines and their ground handling partners are solely responsible for baggage handling at Dublin Airport.
“We empathise with those passengers affected and regret that these issues are impacting their passenger experience.
“We are liaising very closely with both the airlines and their ground handling companies in relation to these issues, the root of which lies in the significant staff hiring challenges that are facing all companies operating in the aviation sector currently.
“We understand from our discussions with airlines and handling firms that they are working hard to reunite passengers with their luggage and we would like to see this happen as quickly as possible.”
The Hungarian Grand Prix is the 13th round of the 2022 Formula One season which currently sees Red Bull’s Max Verstappen lead Ferrari’s Charles LeClerc by over 100 points.
