“There’s a reason I didn’t bother doing any of these last year” – Chris Dobey hit by fresh luggage fiasco before Players Championship return in Hildesheim

Chris Dobey’s frustration with air travel resurfaced in public view on the eve of the opening Players Championship events of 2026, after the Englishman revealed his luggage had once again failed to arrive ahead of competition in Hildesheim.

Posting on X before Players Championship 1 and 2, Dobey made clear the issue was not new, nor unexpected.

“First flight of the year done and same result, no f***ing luggage, there’s a reason I didn’t bother doing any of these last year. Probs be my last this year,” he wrote on social media, tagging KLM and describing the situation as “shambles again”.

For Dobey, the timing is key. The Pro Tour floor events in Hildesheim mark the start of a long European stretch where early flights, tight schedules, and repeated travel quickly become unavoidable. His comment that he avoided many of these events last season because of similar experiences turns the post from a simple rant into something more consequential.

This is not the first time Dobey has spoken publicly about luggage issues impacting his ability to compete. Back in March 2023, he posted that there was “still no sign of my luggage”, adding that darts players should be allowed to carry their equipment in hand luggage because “it’s our livelihood”.

The recurrence matters. Two years on, the same player is again arriving at an event without his kit, again voicing frustration, and again questioning whether the travel demands of the Pro Tour are worth it.

Dobey’s situation also fits into a wider pattern that has increasingly played out across the circuit.

In May 2025, Andrew Gilding was forced to miss Players Championship 15 in Hildesheim entirely after a delayed KLM flight caused him to miss his connection to Hannover. Rebooked onto a flight the following morning, Gilding simply arrived too late to compete.

Ross Smith has also endured repeated travel-related disruption. In April 2025, he publicly criticised easyJet after long queues and staffing issues in Munich caused multiple passengers to miss their flights. Just three months later, ahead of a European Tour weekend in Hamburg, Smith reported arriving without his luggage or equipment after flying with British Airways, calling it a “great start to the European Tour”.

Dobey himself encountered the same problem again with British Airways in July 2025, posting that his luggage had gone missing “once again”, with no communication about when it might arrive.

Taken together, the incidents highlight how unforgiving the Players Championship circuit can be. Unlike televised events, there is little margin for error. Missed flights or delayed luggage can mean lost ranking points, lost prize money and, in some cases, missing an event altogether.

Dobey’s latest post suggests that, for some players, the accumulated risk is beginning to influence decision-making. When a former major winner openly questions whether he will continue to enter Pro Tour events because of travel issues, it raises broader questions about sustainability and competitive fairness.

For now, the immediate concern is whether Dobey’s latest setback disrupts his start to the 2026 campaign in Hildesheim. Longer term, his comments add to a growing body of evidence that airport logistics are becoming an increasingly visible and disruptive part of life on the professional darts circuit.