Storms wreak havoc at Heathrow as passengers queue for hours before exiting the airport with no luggage after “brutal weather meant they could not be unloaded from planes”.
- Passengers whose suitcases could not be picked up were asked to fill out forms
- The chaos was compounded by problems that arose “due to a seat belt malfunction” at the airport
- A number of frustrated flyers took to social media to share their experiences
Passengers faced hour-long queues to collect their luggage at Heathrow last night, and many had to be sent home with no luggage at all after a storm wreaked havoc at the airport.
Travelers had to wait patiently in line at Terminal 5 to find out whether or not they could collect their belongings as handlers were unable to unload luggage due to the brutal weather that ravaged London overnight.
Passengers whose bags could not be collected during this time were asked to fill out British Airways missing bag forms and go home.
Baggage is the responsibility of airlines, which directly employ or contract ground handlers to perform the service, Heathrow said.
However, the chaos was compounded when the airport added that there used to be problems that arose “due to a belt malfunction” that have since been resolved.
A number of frustrated flyers took to social media overnight to share their experiences.
Passengers faced hour-long queues at Heathrow last night to collect their luggage – many had to be sent home with no luggage
Travelers had to wait patiently in line at Terminal 5 to find out whether or not they could collect their belongings
The handlers were reportedly unable to unload luggage due to the storm that raged in London overnight
Passengers whose bags could not be collected during this time were asked to fill out British Airways missing bag forms and go home
Some passengers reported a shortage of staff at British Airways counters as the chaos ensued
One wrote: “No workers at baggage claim at Heathrow so no one is getting bags tonight… could take 48/72 hours and no assistance will be provided. Disgusting.’
Another said: “Shambles at @HeathrowAirport tonight. It took 1 hour 45 minutes to get off the plane and get to baggage claim. Then the ludicrous announcement that no more suitcases will be unloaded tonight because of the “storm”. pathetic. Just admit you don’t have enough staff. #heathrow #heathrowairport’
A third added: “The last two flights to @HeathrowAirport have meant waiting for bags for over an hour. Been waiting 25 mins now. That might be better than Gatwick but give me one reason why I should fly from Heathrow again.”
Another frustrated passenger wrote: “#britishairways has just told over 5 people’s planes at Heathrow not to unload their bags tonight and to go home. I have a flight to Australia tomorrow and my partner is flying to LA. Never again.’
During a similar incident earlier this summer, passengers at Heathrow were warned they might not be reunited with their bags for days as an enormous pile of bags continued to grow due to a “baggage system problem” at Terminal 2.
Stunning images showed hundreds of bags piled in an area dubbed the “baggage carpet” by onlookers – just hours after Heathrow’s chief executive claimed travelers had suffered only “minor” delays.
As the chaos continued and suitcases piled up for up to 10 days, passengers said the mountain of bags started to “stink,” and one traveler claimed, “It literally smells like poop.”
According to Heathrow, more than 99% of bags have traveled with their passengers in the last five years, in what has been described as “one of the best performances of any major hub airport”.
A British Airways spokesman said: “Due to the adverse weather conditions at London Heathrow last night it was not safe to unload our customers’ bags from some of our aircraft.
“The safety of our colleagues and customers is our top priority. We apologize to customers whose bags have been delayed and are working to get their bags to them as quickly as possible.
