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Chronicle Live
Chronicle Live
National
Nicole Goodwin

TUI apologises after passengers arrive in Florida from Newcastle without their luggage

A major travel company has been forced to apologise after passengers arrived in Florida to find that their luggage was over 4,000 miles away in Newcastle.

Holidaymakers arrived at Melbourne Orlando International Airport on Monday only to learn that their luggage had not been loaded onto the plane at Newcastle International Airport. Some passengers say they were left without pushchairs, baby formula, nappies and medication due to the error.

One passenger said that they arrived in Florida excited about their holiday when they heard a loudspeaker announcement informing passengers that the "majority" of the luggage had not been loaded onto the plane. She claimed that the flight had been delayed at Newcastle due to "putting on the cases", which added to her frustration.

Read more: The Gate Newcastle: First details issued on reason complex has been closed since evacuation last Thursday

Another passenger said he was still waiting for a explanation on Tuesday morning about how the error occurred. He described the situation as "absolutely shocking" adding that he has been left standing with just the clothes he travelled in.

Now TUI has apologised for the error and confirmed that they are working with their handling agent to resolve the situation as quickly as possible. They added that they are sorry and understand how frustrating this will be for the passengers affected.

A TUI spokesperson said: "We’d like to apologise to customers whose baggage has been delayed on flight TOM858 from Newcastle to Florida. We are working with our handling agent to resolve this as quickly as possible, but we understand how frustrating this is and we are sorry for any inconvenience caused."

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