Family went to Paris for Christmas, but their luggage went to Afghanistan

David Bennett and his family went to Paris for Christmas – but their luggage went to Afghanistan.

Shortly after the Bennetts arrived in the French capital, a case containing winter clothes and expensive Christmas presents was accidentally despatched to one of the most strife-torn nations on Earth.

Luckily, the black holdall ended up in the western Afghan city of Farah, which is well away from the worst of the fighting. But the mix-up left the couple's children with no presents to open on Christmas Day.



The missing case returned to Southampton airport 24 hours before its owners – and was promptly searched by police under the Prevention of Terrorism Act.

David, 48, of Brockenhurst, is seeking an explanation to the mystery. He added: “When I rang Air France last Sunday they said our luggage had been found and was in their baggage centre in Paris. But they rang back about an hour later to tell us that the case had gone back to Southampton. When we returned on Monday evening we wanted to know where it had been.

“Staff didn’t recognise the airport code on the label and had to look it up. They said‘You’ll never believe it – your case has been to Afghanistan.’ “There was even a note from Hampshire Police saying they’d gone through the bag because of where it had come from.”