A family say their £5,500 trip to Lapland was ruined when they had to wait almost two hours for their luggage. Stacey Chadderton, Spencer Chadderton, Stacey's six-year-old son William and her parents Eric and Lorraine Hyland had returned from a four-night trip to Lapland.
Problems started when they arrived back at Manchester Airportwith the family claiming they were held on the tarmac. By the time they were allowed through to the baggage hall, their suitcases were missing. “We were waiting and waiting and waiting,” Spencer, 45, told the Manchester Evening News.
“There were kids lying on the floor and no luggage. Then there was an announcement they didn’t have enough equipment to get bags off the plane. It was a terrible end to what should have been a magical holiday. There were kids crying and running around and we were sat there for about an hour before anyone made an announcement.”
The family got their luggage bag almost two hours after landing at the airport. Their pre-booked driver was forced to add extra charges to their bill – with their fare eventually totalling £200 to get home.
“It was very, very stressful,” Stacey said. “We were extremely annoyed, grumpy and frustrated.
“There was no food for the children, no free water, absolutely nothing. It was disgraceful. There were all these children when we came back, they are back in school tomorrow. We had no one to complain to.
“It ruined the holiday; it spoiled the ending. Our bill is going to be like £200 to get home. We’ve got a six-year-old, it spoils it all. It’s not a good experience.”
Airport management said health and safety was the 'top priority' as they apologised for the delays. during bad weather .
A Swissport spokesperson said: “We apologise to passengers who experienced delays to the return of their baggage on this flight. Unfortunately, the recent severe weather combined with the knock-on effects of other disruption, such as late flights, caused a delay. We understand this is a frustrating situation and we’re working closely with our airline and airport partners to mitigate these issues"
A spokesperson for TUI said: "We completely understand the frustration of customers on flight TOM2783. Unfortunately, staff shortages with the third party ground handling supplier at Manchester Airport caused a delay in offloading luggage from the aircraft.
"Customers can submit claims for expenses via our website. We apologise for this inconvenience, and we’d like to thank customers for their patience and understanding."
A Manchester Airport spokesperson said: “We would like to apologise to any passengers who have experienced issues on their journey through the airport as a result of severe weather conditions this week, which caused disruption to normal operations.
“Manchester Airport is committed to working collaboratively with all onsite partners, including baggage handling agencies, to ensure passengers have the best possible experience.”
