Heathrow: 15,000 passengers hit by ‘baggage cancellations’

In the most recent meltdown at a serious UK airport, Heathrow has requested airways flying from Terminals 2 and three to cancel 10 per cent of their schedules for Monday because of mounting issues with its baggage dealing with.

An estimated 15,000 passengers on 90 flights can be affected. The grounded departures vary from a Loganair ATR72 commuter plane serving the Isle of Man to an Emirates Airbus A380 seating nearly 500 passengers to Dubai.

Virgin Atlantic has cancelled no less than three transatlantic flights, together with departures to New York and Los Angeles.

British Airways, which operates some flights from Terminal 3 in addition to its most important hub at Terminal 5, stated it had made “a small number of cancellations”.

All three departures that BA had initially deliberate to Toulouse are grounded, together with two of the 4 Marseille flights.

A spokesperson for the airline stated: “We’re in contact with affected customers to apologise, advise them of their consumer rights and offer them alternative options, including a refund or rebooking.”

Other cancellations recognized by The Independent embrace:

The request got here on the finish of weekend wherein the airport was beset with baggage issues.

The complicated baggage system at Terminal 2 failed on Friday, resulting in a build-up of what turned generally known as a “baggage mountain” exterior the constructing.

The assortment of a whole bunch of items of bags was lastly dismantled on Sunday night, with a group of workers loading the baggage into autos. It is known that a few of the baggage could also be despatched by truck to Europe to be distributed with its house owners.

Many arriving passengers face lengthy waits for his or her baggage after exhausting lengthy haul flights. Chelsea Alison, who had arrived from San Francisco husband and 10 month outdated child had waited for hours for the baggage to be unloaded and brought to the bundle.

She advised The Independent: “Our flight from San Francisco was delayed by nearly two hours because of problems in London [affecting the outbound flight].

“Getting off the plane was delayed because of staff issues. We’ve been sitting in the luggage hall for three-and-a-half hours.”

Virgin Atlantic advised her she might have the baggage delivered to her dwelling in Essex, however warned it might take as much as every week.

A Heathrow spokesperson stated: “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 20 June.

“This will enable us to minimise ongoing impact and we ask that all passengers check with their airlines for the latest information.”

The explanation for the cancellations is considered an “extraordinary circumstance” – which means that passengers aren’t entitled to money compensation from their airline. But carriers must get travellers to their destination as soon as possible, even when meaning paying for them to fly on a rival airline.

Hotels and meals should even be supplied.