Hiker's lifetime dream to trek through Himalayas 'ruined' by British Airways

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A Scottish hiker has told how his lifetime dream to trek through the Himalayas has been "ruined" by British Airways. Choudhary Shahid - who is the first Scottish-Asian to bag all of Scotland's 282 Munros - has accused the airline of crushing his ambitions to scale the K2 base camp and Gondogoro Pass in Pakistan after his luggage was "lost" following a connecting flight from Glasgow to London on July 9.The 51-year-old flew with the airline from Glasgow Airport to Heathrow and then to Islamabad as it appeared to be the only service to offer direct flights from the UK to the Pakistani capital.

But when Choudhary arrived in South Asia, he was left "gutted" when he learned his luggage - which contained his vital equipment for the hike - was left behind in the UK.Choudhary, from Pollok in Glasgow, told the Record: "I am heartbroken, it has been my lifelong dream to do this trek.

I chose British Airways because they appeared to be the only airline that provided direct flights from the UK to Pakistan."I thought if I could get there directly, there would be no chance or risk of my equipment getting lost or left behind.

When I got there, I waited and waited for my equipment to arrive."It was gut-wrenching when it didn't come - I was gutted."After forking out around £6,000 for the trip - which included expedition fees, travel, accommodation, food and equipment - Choudhary decided to carry on with his journey to the Himalayas.