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HOLIDAY HELL
Gatwick Airport passengers forced to fly without baggage as fault causes chaos at easyJet check-in
PASSENGERS travelling from Gatwick Airport have been battling huge queues at check-in since this morning, with some being forced to fly without their bags.
Easyjet customers are among the worst affected, with the airline warning passengers should get to the airport as early as possible.
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Passengers who arrived at Gatwick Airport as early as 6am have complained of long queues at check in desks.
At 8am, easyJet warned on its Twitter account: "Due to a baggage belt failure at @Gatwick_Airport's North Terminal, like other airlines, we are experiencing delays at bag drop and in the delivery of hold luggage to departing aircraft.
"This may result in some flights departing without all luggage stowed in the hold."
The airline added: "We are providing regular updates on our website and Flight Tracker and strongly recommend all passengers travelling to and from @Gatwick_Airport today to allow extra time for bag drop due to possible delays."
Those who arrived later to check in have complained of complete chaos at the airport.
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One person said that it was "hell on earth" while others claimed that there were few staff on hand to help and those who were available didn't know what was happening.
Some passengers also complained of missing their flights after queuing for hours to check in.
But those who did manage to get on a flight haven't escaped the chaos either.
Furious passengers said they arrived at their destinations only find "entire planes" are without their bags.
Many have said that they were not told that their flights would be taking off without their bags.
EasyJet, which has a base at Gatwick Airport, is the worst affected.
A spokesperson for easyJet told Sun Online Travel: "Due to a baggage belt failure at London Gatwick’s North Terminal, easyJet, like other airlines, is experiencing delays at bag drop and in the delivery of hold luggage to departing aircraft. Unfortunately this has resulted in some flights departing without all luggage stowed in the hold.
"Any passengers who have missed flights because of the resulting congestion at bag drop are being offered free transfers to alternative flights.
"We are both working closely with the airport team to minimise the disruption and return luggage to our passengers as soon as possible.
Can I get compensation for delayed luggage?
As the baggage belt failure is considered "an extraordinary circumstance", you're unlikely to receive any compensation from your airline for any delayed luggage.
However, if you have travel insurance with the right cover, you might be able to get compensation back from them.
As coverage will depend on the policy you have, passengers are advised to check their individual policies to see if they're due any compensation.
Holidaymakers should also keep receipts for expenses to use as proof from insurers.
"easyJet is providing regular updates on our website and Flight Tracker and strongly recommends all passengers travelling to and from London Gatwick today to allow extra time for bag drop due to possible delays.
"We would like to thank passengers for their understanding and apologise for any inconvenience caused."
Gatwick spokesperson said: "Due to a technical issue with our check-in baggage system, some passengers in North Terminal are experiencing longer than usual waits to check-in.
"Unfortunately this is also causing delays to some bags reaching departing aircraft. Our engineers are working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible and we apologise for any inconvenience caused to passengers."
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Just last month, Gatwick was hit by another luggage issue.
Passengers waited up to four hours for their bags to be delivered after they landed.
Sun Online Travel has contacted easyJet for additional comment.
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