• Air Canada lost a family of four’s luggage on their journey from San Diego to Rome.

• Steve Gomez said they had to spend almost $1,600 on replacement clothes and other items.

• He said he may have to take legal action against the airline to recoup the expenses.

A California family were forced to spend almost $1,600 on new clothes after having to spend their entire European vacation without any luggage.

In June, Steve Gomez, his wife, and his two sons embarked from San Diego on a 17-day trip to Europe, which included a seven-day cruise.

They flew on Air Canada via Toronto to Rome and their flights suffered only minor delays.

While they made it to the Italian capital on June 18, their luggage did not.

Gomez contacted Aviapartner, which handles the airline’s baggage, to report their missing bags.

Gomez told Insider: “Having zero luggage for four people, we had to spend a few hundred dollars in the first two days just to have enough clothing to make it to the next day. Our travel plans were to stay in Rome for two nights, then boarding a seven-day cruise from Rome.”

According to Air Canada’s baggage tracker, their luggage got to Rome the following day.

But Gomez said: “It was impossible to reach a human. The partner phone either resulted in a busy signal or never answered and no emails were answered. The system is designed to hang up on callers when the hold time reaches 61 minutes.”

Insider reviewed bank statements and booking receipts showing that the family spent almost $20,000 on their holiday.

The family spent almost $1,600 on new clothes, toiletries, suitcases and laundry expenses.