Thousands of travelers arrived at London Heathrow Airport over the weekend to find that their luggage was delayed. There are multiple reports of passengers waiting for over twelve hours to receive their luggage. The primary reported cause is a current staff shortage, stating that there are not enough employees required to efficiently transfer the luggage.

A trial of patience

Multiple reports of individuals and families waiting for over twelve hours to receive their luggage have been reported. Many people chose to simply leave after having waited for hours. When luggage of passengers who had already left finally arrived at the carrousel, bags began piling up once again with no one present to collect them.

An affiliate of SkyNews recounted her experience leaving terminal two over the weekend. She stated,

"The warning signs that all was not well were clear at baggage claim. There were clusters of suitcases without owners grouped around various conveyor belts. I wondered where the owners were."

Baggage mountain

The delays in luggage distribution have resulted in what has come to be known as a "baggage mountain". This so-called mountain is made up of countless rows forming one giant cluster containing hundreds of bags. This is reportedly the result of a failed system at terminal two.

This mountain has reportedly been eradicated. This was made possible by baggage employees working long and hard throughout the day on Sunday. Any baggage that was not deliverable directly to the passengers at the airport was loaded onto vehicles to be delivered to the passenger's homes.

A Heathrow spokesperson told Simple Flying,

“We apologise unreservedly for the disruption passengers have faced over the course of this weekend. The technical issues affecting baggage systems have led to us making the decision to request airlines operating in Terminals 2 and 3 to consolidate their schedules on Monday 20th June. This will enable us to minimise ongoing impact and we ask that all passengers check with their airlines for the latest information.”

Delayed flights

On Monday, June 20th, Heathrow Airport asked airlines operating out of terminals two and three to cancel up to ten percent of all flights scheduled for the day. It is estimated that this would directly affect up to 90 flights putting a damper on upwards of 15,000 passengers' travel plans.

The airport cited that the cause for this request was the difficulties that were being had with baggage handling. It is currently unclear just how many flight plans will be altered in Heathrow throughout the day. Nonetheless, this does manage to illustrate the interconnected nature of the industry. Delays on the ground, even ones within the airport, can have catastrophic consequences on all other aspects related to air travel.

Short-supply

The airline industry has grappled with staff shortages around the globe since the decline of the pandemic allowed air travel to resume. Baggage handlers like many others employed by this industry are no exception. London Heathrow is feeling the dramatic effects of this shortage.

Without sufficient staff to move the luggage, it manages to pile up in places where passengers cannot access their baggage. The employees present at the time were reportedly working as fast as they could. Regardless, hundreds would be gathered around in crowds at any one time awaiting their luggage. Additionally, many reports have come forward stating that the delays are a result of technical difficulties.

The airline's hand

The airport made a statement citing that the root cause of the delays stemmed from the airlines, not the airport. A spokeswoman from the airport stated,

"It is airlines who transport your baggage from the plane to the baggage reclaim area, as they either employ their ground staff, or outsource this process to a third party company."

The aviation industry is an intricate one. With countless moving parts that all rely on one another. Due to a staff shortage along with various technical difficulties, thousands of passengers were left stranded for hours awaiting the arrival of their luggage over the weekend. These delays continue to plague the airport into the new work week.

What is the longest amount of time that you have ever had to wait for your luggage? Let us know in the comments below.

Source: SkyNews, The Independent