An Oldham family say their 'magical' £5,500 holiday was ruined after being forced to wait almost two hours for their luggage at Manchester Airport.
The family members had just returned from a four-night trip to Lapland when the chaos unfolded on Sunday (December 11).
Problems started when they arrived back at Manchester Airport just after 3pm, with the family claiming they were held on the tarmac due to the air bridge not being ready.
By the time they were eventually allowed through to the baggage hall, their suitcases were nowhere to be seen. “We were waiting and waiting and waiting,” one relative told the Manchester Evening News.
READ MORE: Boy in tears and passenger 'ill and dehydrated' after day of travel chaos at Manchester Airport
“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 finally got their luggage bag almost two hours after landing at the airport. The delay meant their pre-booked driver was forced to add extra charges to their bill – with their fare eventually totalling £200 to get home to Saddleworth.
“It was very, very stressful,” another family member told the M.E.N. “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.”
Many Manchester Airport passengers had their journeys cancelled or delayed after the airport had to close both of its runways due to snowfall on Saturday morning (December 10).
Bosses said health and safety was the 'top priority' as they apologised for the delays. They added the runways were cleared on Friday but more work was needed to remove further slush and snow from the ground.
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.”
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