Hundreds of suitcases were left abandoned at Manchester Airport last night as passengers were told to wait more than five hours for their luggage.
TUI customer Lisa Heath, 43, was told there was no guarantee she would receive her belongings by the end of the day due to apparent staffing shortages.
Her inbound flight from Zakynthos in Greece was delayed by two and a half hours, then she waited a further two hours for her luggage - only to be told to go home.
Lisa, who booked the package holiday with TUI before the coronavirus pandemic, said customers were not being kept up to date and some were leaving "'in absolute tears".
She filmed a video capturing dozens of leftover suitcases, bags and prams at the airport's Terminal 2, saying: "This is just some of the hundreds of baggage left because people are waiting five hours or more for it to come off the plane."
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Lisa told The Mirror: "It's a shocking scene we just came back to really. I thought 'it's absolute madness what I'm seeing here' and didn't think for one minute I would be one of those people being told my luggage would be delivered to me.
"There were other people in far worse situations - babies without prams and clothes, parents leaving in absolute tears with nothing for their children. Half of our flight was left empty-handed.
"I feel disappointed and let down because we had a lovely holiday. We enjoyed it so much that we booked again but we're now debating whether to go back.
"They had staff putting people's luggage onto trolleys and saying it's going to be a week before they even get that luggage back. They were handing out leaflets so they seemed to know the situation.
"They just didn't seem to have enough workers to get it all off the plane. The suitcases were loaded, put on the plane and then there was no one to get it all off at the other end. It's pretty awful really."
Lisa said she has filled out a form online and been told to wait a week or more - due to the upcoming Jubilee bank holiday - before finding out when the company will be able to deliver her luggage.
The beautician, from Birkenhead, added: "I took all my facial stuff with me so I can't see any clients this week and have had to cancel them. We had expensive pieces of clothing too - all our bits and pieces really.
"Nobody was watching the suitcases - they were just abandoned. There were hundreds of them and lots of prams. I felt bad for all the families because you take all your baby stuff with you on holiday and they've gone home with nothing."
A TUI spokesperson said: "We would like to thank customers at Manchester Airport yesterday for their patience and understanding at this exceptionally busy time.
"We continue to work closely with airport staff and baggage handlers to ensure a smooth running of operations on the ground and minimise the impact for customers. The safety and wellbeing of our passengers and colleagues is always our highest priority."
Other passengers complained of experiencing similar issues after Lisa shared the footage on social media.
One person commented: "We waited three hours last night for ours to then be told to go home without them because there was no staff to put them on the carousel!!"
Another wrote: "We waited two hours for our bags this morning after already being delayed four hours! I’m just thankful our pram is one we can take on the cabin. Loads of people waiting for prams with babies!"
And a third added: "Our friends have just got to Turkey for our wedding and their luggage is still in Manchester airport!! Absolute carnage!"
The comments come after "hundreds" of TUI passengers reportedly received texts from the firm telling them their trips had been cancelled after an eight-hour airport wait.
Holidaymakers endured multiple delays before they were finally told they would not be leaving Manchester Airport. Some children even broke down in tears after discovering their vacations had been ruined, the Manchester Evening News reports.
Arriving in plenty of time, a family-of-10 were quickly through check-in and security, but then discovered their departure was delayed by two hours.
Deciding to wait for another flight, the family’s worst fears were confirmed at 2.15am when TUI sent a text message saying they would not be going on holiday.
Mum Emma, 39, said: “We were devastated, we haven’t had a holiday in two years like so many other people."
Another passenger facing a travel nightmare was Steve Hession, 45, who was due to fly out on Saturday with his brother-in-law and his bride to be for their wedding in Kos.
They were due to arrive for the couple’s ceremony, only for their flight to be cancelled by text, sparking a desperate search for alternative flights.
The couple eventually reached the Greek island via Newcastle, while Steve and his family are hoping to join them this week.
A Manchester Airport spokesperson said: "Many companies across the aviation sector are facing staff shortages and resourcing challenges at present, including a number of airlines and baggage handling agents.
“Where an extended wait for baggage reclaim is expected, passengers are sometimes offered the opportunity to return home and have their luggage delivered to them by courier.
“Such baggage is set aside in a secure area, staffed 24 hours per day, to be collected. As it has been screened at its point of origin and is stored in a security-controlled area, it is not deemed to be a security risk.
“We apologise to any passengers who have had a disappointing experience at Manchester Airport this weekend. This is not the experience we want passengers to have and we are in contact with the senior management teams of the relevant airlines and ground handlers to understand the cause of these issues, and to support their efforts to resolve them as quickly as possible.”
