Passengers were left waiting and confused at baggage reclaim in Spain before finding out that their luggage was still all the way back in the UK.
Flight IB3693 – operated by Iberia Express – left Manchester for Madrid on Sunday (11 September) without a single traveller’s bag onboard.
The airline blamed the incident on a “lack of handling agents from our handling provider”.
Days after landing, the passengers still had no idea when they would be reunited with their possessions.
During their trips, they had to cope with just the clothes they were wearing and items they had packed in hand luggage.
The airline said that “essential expenses incurred can be claimed back and reimbursed” but only “once they have been analysed”.
One of the passengers claimed on Twitter that the “disgusting” situation was compounded by a three-hour delay to the flight.
Iberia Express said it planned for the luggage to arrive on a flight more than three days later on Wednesday night (14 September), reports Manchester Evening News (M.E.N), but there’s yet to be an update as to whether this went ahead.
Passengers seeking answers said they were passed from operator to operator when contacting customer services at Iberia Express and Menzies – the outsourcing company responsible for baggage handling.
Javi Roca from Yorkshire was flying to Spain for his birthday to visit his parents with his wife Ellen.
Ellen said: “None of the baggage had been put on the plane. We waited for half an hour at the carousel, but another passenger said we were going to wait forever.
“We all then go to the service desk. There were old people, lots of people in wheelchairs and babies. It was chaos.”
She added: “Every time we call they say they have no information. They have not given us any information and just keep saying they are looking for it. They just say it has not been scanned into the system. It has not been touched by a baggage handler.”
A passenger, who only gave his name as Geoff, told M.E.N that he packed an iMac computer in his luggage for his business trip.
He said that staff handing out lost luggage forms when the passengers arrived in Madrid did not give him a Property Irregularity Report (PIR), which the airline said it needs to track lost luggage.
A statement issued by Iberia Express on Wednesday says: “On 11 September on flight IB3693 MAN-MAD, the checked baggage could not be loaded onto the aeroplane due to the lack of handling agents from our handling provider in Manchester.
“Upon arrival in Madrid, we informed all of the passengers about the lack of checked luggage ... it was explained to them that all essential expenses incurred can be claimed back and reimbursed by the company once they have been analysed.”
It continues: “In order to track the status of the luggage search, passengers should fill out a document called a Property Irregularity Report (PIR), to receive a claim number that then can be used to manage this matter.
“Tonight, we are operating the first MAN-MAD flight since Sunday ... in which all of the bags will be regularised and delivered to the passengers as soon as possible. We regret any inconvenience this may have caused.”
The Independent has contacted Iberia Express and Menzies for an update on the situation.
