Gatwick apologises after passengers forced to fly without bags
Gatwick has apologised to thousands of customers after a break down of its baggage sorting system on Friday meant many had to travel without their luggage.
The technical hitch also meant that some flights from both the North and South terminals were delayed.
An airport spokesman said around 3,000 bags didn’t make it on to flights with their owners, which was around 7% of the daily total.
He confirmed that passengers were being repatriated with their luggage in their destinations.
The baggage sorting system has since been repaired and flight schedules are back to normal, added the spokesman.
"Gatwick would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused to passengers whose aircraft departed without their bag," he said.
"The airport is working closely with our airlines to forward all bags to passengers at the earliest opportunity.
"Arrivals, and those travelling with carry-on baggage only, were unaffected by this issue and all bags and passengers were security screened as normal."
The failure, which meant a chaotic start to the Bank Holiday weekend for many passengers, affected all airlines at Gatwick, including British Airways, easyJet and Thomson. The situation for BA passengers worsened on Saturday when a computer glitch meant all flights had to be grounded.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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