Gatwick Airport passengers forced to wait four hours for luggage due to fault at baggage reclaim
Travellers arriving at Gatwick Airport had to wait hours for their luggage after the airport’s baggage reclaim system failed.
Passengers from 10 flights coming in to the London Airport were left waiting for their luggage.
The fault, which occurred on Friday night and lasted into the early hours of Saturday morning, affected passengers at the North and South terminals.
Do you want the honest answer ... 🤷🏼♀️🤦🏼♀️ only taken longer to wait for bags than to fly home. @TUIUKcares @TUIUK @Gatwick_Airport all pointing the finger at each other, no one taking responsibility! pic.twitter.com/fON0aoaUHo
— Hannah Alder (@hanni_alder) July 20, 2019
Reports suggest baggage handlers were struggling to keep up with the backlog of bags.
The delays come as the airport experiences higher levels of passenger numbers due to the time of year.
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Irate passengers took to social media to vent their frustration, with some suggesting a lack of water provided to stranded passengers.
The airport has since apologised for the fault and confirmed the problem had been fixed.
Big problems @Gatwick_Airport baggage reclaim at both North and South terminals. Some passengers reportedly been waiting up to four hours to collect their luggage. The airport says the handling agent hasn’t been able to cope with the number of arrivals. @itvlondon @itvmeridian pic.twitter.com/SjTJG5fOEZ
— James Dunham (@jamesjdunham) July 20, 2019
@TUIUKcares @TUIUK been stood in @Gatwick_Airport for the past 90 min awaiting bags. TOM4587 apparently down to your choice of handlers?EasyJet ✈️ have arrived collected & left and yet we wait. Later TUI flights arr & “jumped Q” Such a crappy end to an otherwise fantastic hol.
— Shell Harris (@ShellofHerts) July 20, 2019
A Gatwick Airport spokeswoman said: "They have now gone home and we are very much expect things to operate today."
On Thursday, another baggage reclaim fault created misery for British Airways Passengers at Heathrow.
And baggage scanners and terminal staff at the UK’s second biggest airport are considering strike action in August over pay.