When flying, most people typically keep their valuables with them in their carry-on baggage.
Not only does this keep important items such as passports and travel documents accessible for checks, but it also prevents unnecessary headaches should something happen to the checked luggage.
A recent case involving a Swiss Airlines flight landing at its destination in Spain without any of its baggage — unbeknownst to the passengers — highlights the importance of such measures.
The airline cited a shortage of ground staff as the reason behind the lapse.
According to Swiss German-language daily Blick, Swiss Airlines flight WK226 from Zurich to Spain landed in Bilbao on the evening of Saturday (9 Sep).
Source: Wikimedia Commons
Swiss Airlines had been operating this flight on behalf of Edelweiss Air.
The flight had already experienced a one-and-a-half-hour delay. Reportedly, the pilot said that the delay was due to a “shortage of qualified workers”.
However, there was no mention of any other issues besides that.
Apparently, there were no staff members from Swiss Airlines in Bilbao to assist the passengers when the plane landed.
Passengers reportedly waited at the baggage conveyor belts for about two hours, but none of their luggage was forthcoming.
Source: Blick
Finally, staff from Spanish airline Iberia told the passengers that their plane landed without a single piece of baggage onboard.
This prompted much dissatisfaction from passengers.
One passenger told Blick, “I just find it arrogant to knowingly ruin people’s holidays like that. Because it has to be done knowingly.”
The passenger said the crew must have known the plane was not carrying any luggage, as the weight of the load should have indicated this.
Swiss Airlines spokesman Kavin Ampalam confirmed with AFP that the flight had indeed taken off with 111 passengers but no baggage.
Source: Blick
He told AFP that it was due to a shortage of ground staff, adding that the crew had waited for the situation to be rectified.
However, after about an hour and 16 minutes, there seemed to have been no improvement in the situation. Thus, for “operational reasons”, the flight made its way to Bilbao without the baggage.
The decision was apparently due to the plane having to pick up passengers from the Spanish city and come back to Zurich before the airport closed for the night.
Ampalam acknowledged that this was an unfavourable situation and that they regret all the resulting inconveniences.
However, he couldn’t confirm that passengers had not been informed about the decision to leave the baggage behind.
“We are still analysing the situation to find out what happened exactly and how we can improve. This shouldn’t happen,” he said.
Per Blick, Swiss Airlines has made arrangements to transport some of the affected baggage to Bilbao by Sunday (10 Sep) night.
The remaining luggage will then arrive about 24 hours later.
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Featured image adapted from Keystone via Blick.
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