Passengers stuck for hours at Orlando baggage claim after luggage delayed

Hundreds of Virgin Atlantic passengers were stuck in Orlando airport for hours over the weekend after their baggage was delayed.

Luggage was not removed from flights VS225, VS73 and VS135 due to adverse weather, including lightning in the area, which affected ground handling operations.

During the delay, the baggage remained on the plane and was unable to be unloaded as the ramp was closed between 6pm and 11pm, due to the weather conditions and other staffing issues.

Bags were therefore stuck in the cargo hold until the teams were given the all-clear to go safely onto the ramp. Orlando International said no ramp work is allowed if there is lightning within a three-mile radius.

Carol Wick, who was travelling from London Heathrow back to her home in Orlando with Virgin Atlantic landed at the airport around 7pm on Saturday, 27 June. She described the knock-on effects inside the airport to the Tampa Bay Times.

She said she and around 800 other passengers from three other Virgin Atlantic flights were at the airport after midnight, still without their luggage.

She said there was nowhere to sit during the wait, with some passengers being elderly or carrying babies. One person reportedly collapsed, causing emergency responders to attend the scene.

“I travel all the time for work and I have never seen anything like this,” Ms Wick said. “It was just the craziest thing I’ve ever experienced in my whole life and there’s no explanation.”

US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) requires that after passengers leave a plane, they are required to clear customs and immigration and claim their baggage from the carousel before exiting the baggage hall.

As a rule, re-entry to the ball is not permitted, and bags will be held by CBP if passengers have not completed the customs process. CBP has full jurisdiction over customs enforcement at Orlando International.

A Virgin Atlantic spokesperson said: “We’d like to apologise for the inconvenience caused to customers whose bags were delayed arriving into Orlando International airport on 27 June, due to adverse weather which affected ground handling operations.

“We worked closely with our airport and ground handling partners throughout and all customers were reunited with their bags before leaving the airport.”

The US Department of Transportation says that airlines are responsible to location bags and tells passengers they should file a baggage claim with the airline as soon as possible if their luggage is delayed.

It added that airlines are also required to compensate passengers for reasonable and incidental expenses that they may incur when their bags are delayed.

The Greater Orlando Aviation Authority (GOAA), which manages Orlando International, said in a statement that it “regrets the inconvenience and discomfort this caused travellers, particularly given the length of the wait”.

“We share travellers’ frustration with this experience and are working with our airline partners to understand what occurred and how similar situations, outside of weather, can be avoided.”

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