Travelers expressed their frustration after enduring up to five-hour waits for their luggage, with some being instructed to leave Heathrow Airport without their belongings.
The baggage turmoil unfolded at Heathrow’s Terminal 5, where hundreds of suitcases transported by British Airways were left unattended, creating a chaotic scene.
Images surfaced online depicting the disarray, with countless pieces of luggage strewn across the terminal, leaving many passengers distressed.
At Heathrow, the airport manages outbound baggage, while airlines are responsible for handling inbound luggage.
Inbound baggage bypasses the airport’s system, instead being retrieved directly from flights by the airline’s ground staff and then delivered to the reclaim areas for passenger collection.
One frustrated traveler took to social media platform X, expressing their disappointment: “British Airways, really disappointing to return to T5 and encounter total chaos at baggage arrivals.”
‘Families waiting hours and told to go home as baggage abandoned all over airport.’
Another branded the situation an ‘absolute joke’, writing: ‘Flight landed at 10:35 was delayed from getting of the plane for 30 minutes.
‘To then arrive at baggage reclaim waited 3 hours and two belt changes to be then told all the staff have gone home and you can’t get your baggage.’
Baggage chaos erupted in Heathrow airport yesterday as hundreds of bags transported by British Airways were abandoned in Terminal five.
Pictures of the travel chaos have emerged online showing droves of luggage abandoned across the terminal
Meanwhile, luggage chaos also ensued for those travelling out of Heathrow amid technical issue which saw some flights leave without baggage onboard
One passenger aired their fury on X, writing: ‘British Airways really disappointing with arriving back to T5 and total chaos at baggage arrivals.’
‘What a shambles,’ a passenger penned. ‘No communication, no luggage and now your website is down to report the non retrievable luggage.
‘What is a customer supposed to do. Flight from Larnaca into Heathrow last night. Advise what I’m supposed to do?’
A customer branded the service from British Airways as ‘awful’ and ‘totally unacceptable’ as they asked when they would be receiving their essentials.
Others claimed passengers were instructed to leave the airport without their luggage and told to file a lost baggage report.
Meanwhile, baggage chaos also ensued for those travelling out of Heathrow amid a technical issue which saw some flights leave without baggage onboard.
A traveller claimed to have seen their luggage ‘sitting on the ramp beside’ their aircraft in terminal five, while the plane departed ‘without it being loaded’.
They added: ‘We informed cabin crew but nothing was done. Traveling with seven checked bags and an infant.’
A mother voiced her fury that her daughter’s 21st birthday celebrations in Dublin had been ruined by the fiasco.
‘British Airways my daughter flew from Heathrow yesterday to Dublin arrived to find no cases and been out on the flight,’ she said.
It is understood Heathrow Airport is responsible for outbound baggage, while individual airlines hold responsibility for inbound luggage
A customer branded the service from British Airways as ‘awful’ and ‘totally unacceptable’ as they asked when they would be receiving their essentials
Meanwhile, baggage chaos also ensued for those travelling out of Heathrow amid technical issue which saw some flights leave without baggage onboard
‘No idea when they will receive them or if they even will. There for her birthday weekend for 21st birthday and absolutely ruined.’
A newlywed told how she was left ‘devastated’ to discover her bags were lost after landing in Corfu.
‘On our honeymoon in Corfu and British Airways have lost our bags,’ Daisy wrote.
‘Absolutely devastated, never had this issue in 15 years and it happens on our honeymoon. Poor communication hours of waiting around and no bags arrived.’
A disgruntled customer responded to her tweet claiming a manager at the airport said flights had been leaving without baggage, dubbing it ‘a mess’.
Another chimed in: ‘That’s exactly what happened, meanwhile BA [British Airways] does nothing.’
One passenger wrote: ‘British Airways my bag hasn’t arrived from a flight from Heathrow to Glasgow.’
‘I’ve raised a claim but I am leaving Glasgow for a week long holiday on Sunday morning and need my bag urgently as it has all my things in.’
Another pleaded: ‘British Airways Lost bags from Heathrow to Chennai. Still no news! Help! @HeathrowAirport.’
A Heathrow spokesperson said: ‘Due to a technical fault yesterday, some baggage did not depart Terminal 5 as planned and we apologise for any disruption this may have caused.
‘The issue has been fixed and passengers are checking in as normal today.
‘We will continue to support British Airways to ensure any missed bags are resent as quickly as possible.’
A British Airways: ‘Whilst Heathrow Airport’s baggage system is back up and running, there is an ongoing impact on our customers as we work hard to get their luggage to them as quickly as possible.
‘Whilst this issue is entirely out of our control, we’re sorry to our customers for any inconvenience caused.’
