Hundreds of passengers were stranded without their luggage after a power outage at Manchester Airport on Sunday disrupted their travel plans.
While some airlines cancelled their flights, others decided to keep the holiday flights going and today it emerged that many flights left without luggage. Since then, airlines have been trying to return the bags to their owners on alternative flights from Manchester and other airports.
But many holidaymakers are said to have been dressed in the same clothes today (Wednesday) as on Sunday, while others have spent a small fortune on replacements – even in second-hand shops – but their luggage remains missing.
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Manchester Airport officials said operations were back to normal on Sunday evening, with security and baggage systems back up and running following the power outage. However, the outage also impacted airlines and their ground handling staff.
David Edmonds, 59, a sales manager from Denton, and his wife Julie spent £1,650 on a holiday in Spain to celebrate his 60th birthday.
But like many other travellers, their plans were disrupted when they arrived at Manchester Airport at 3am on Sunday morning to find there was a power outage that had brought all scheduled flights from Terminals 1 and 2 to a halt.
Three hours later, their TUI flight finally took off from Manchester at 9am, but when it landed at Malaga airport, according to David, none of the luggage they were supposed to bring on board had made it.
Shortly before landing, the captain informed passengers that “the majority” of their luggage had not made it, but shortly after landing, ALL passengers on board received a text message confirming that their luggage was still in Manchester, he said.
The apology said the company had been unable to load the luggage and blamed the airline for “significant disruptions beyond our control in Manchester.” It added that staff were “working to return your luggage to you” and that it was entitled to compensation of £100 per bag.
“Everyone on the flight got a text message at the same time. It was ping, ping, ping. It was a real disaster story,” David said.
Today (Wednesday), the couple, who were staying at the Hotel Riu Monica on the Costa del Sol, were still missing their luggage, which contained prescription drugs and other valuables.
David said: “We’ve spent three or four hours shopping for clothes. It’s an absolute joke. I reckon we’ve spent about £400 so far. There are people here who still wear the same clothes and people who go to second-hand shops.”
Chloe McLeod, from Bury, managed to fly to Menorca with her children on Sunday for £3,000 on an all-inclusive TUI holiday, but her luggage missed the flight.
From the holiday island, she reported: “When we landed on Menorca and wanted to collect our luggage, there were lots of TUI employees there who told us that no one’s luggage was there. Only strollers could get through.”
“We were lucky because some people were missing medicine or baby formula. At that point I just wanted to go home, we had nothing.
“All we had was the clothes we were wearing, a few snacks from the plane, and the kids’ iPads. No essential toiletries or extra clothing.”
She said TUI had now offered those affected compensation of £100 per lost piece of luggage, but that the refund would take “up to 28 days” to complete.
“We have already spent around 500 euros on clothes and essentials to make ends meet,” she said. “There is no underwear to buy anywhere, not even for our children.”
“We got a message from TUI yesterday saying the suitcases would arrive and we’re hopeful. We can’t enjoy our holiday because we have nothing. I have a three-year-old and if she has an accident, I have nothing to wear. So many of us are affected, we’re all changing our clothes and washing them by hand.
“There’s a running joke that we know people who don’t have any luggage because they wear t-shirts that say ‘I love Menorca’. We keep getting told different things, but I think Jet2 has the same problems.
“I’m really stressed because there are items in this suitcase. I had borrowed my mum’s Dyson Airwrap and my friend’s suitcases. The compensation would not cover these items or the contents of the suitcases if they are gone. It’s just frustrating.
“You learn to always pack a little more in your hand luggage – but you don’t think about it.”
She added that the family had spent £3,000 on the all-inclusive package and so had not taken many euros with them. “We had brought 500 euros and spent 490 – we thought we wouldn’t need the money and had planned to go on a boat trip – we can’t do that now.”
A Manchester Airport spokesman said: “Airline ground handling teams are dealing with baggage that did not make it onto flights and always ensure it is completely safe and secure. The majority of baggage that did not make it onto flights on Sunday has either made it to its owner or is on its way there.”
“We apologize for the inconvenience caused by the power outage on Sunday and are working closely with the airlines, their ground handling teams and other partners to ensure that all passengers get their baggage returned as quickly as possible.”