A Swiss Air flight that landed in Bilbao, Spain, left passengers frustrated and waiting for over two hours as not a single piece of checked luggage made it on board.
The incident occurred on Saturday, and passengers were left in the dark about the whereabouts of their belongings.
The pilot did apologize for the delay upon landing, but no explanation was given regarding the missing luggage. It was only when staff from Iberia, a Spanish airline, intervened that passengers were informed about the absence of their luggage on the plane.
Carsten Redlich, a passenger and paraglider pilot, expressed his disappointment, stating that the oversight had “ruined” his holiday. He and his group were left without essential paragliding equipment due to the mishap.
Swiss Air acknowledged the oversight, citing a crew shortage as the primary reason. Kavin Ampalam, a spokesperson for Swiss Air, explained to AFP that the flight had waited in Zurich for over an hour, hoping the situation would be resolved. However, due to operational constraints and the need to return to Zurich before the airport’s closing time, the decision was made to proceed without the luggage.
While Swiss Air is still investigating the incident and couldn’t confirm if passengers were informed about their luggage being left behind, Ampalam expressed regret over the inconvenience caused.
In a broader context, 2022 saw a spike in lost luggage incidents, with a staggering 26 million bags reported missing. This figure represents a 10-year high, with Europe being the most affected continent. Factors such as staff shortages, post-pandemic travel surge, and airport congestion have been identified as contributing factors by aviation IT provider SITA.
