A family flying from Birmingham Airport to Rhodes said they felt trapped on board after being told, only once the cabin doors had closed, that their luggage would not be joining them on the flight. Alex Griffiths, who travelled with his family on Friday, said passengers who tried to leave the aircraft after hearing the news were refused permission, leaving them stuck without their belongings for the duration of the journey.
Griffiths' experience is one of several accounts emerging over the weekend after a fault in Birmingham Airport's baggage system disrupted outbound luggage handling. The airport gave its most recent update on Sunday morning, stating that the "vast majority" of bags were now travelling with their owners as intended, while efforts continued to reunite remaining passengers with missing suitcases.
What happened on board the Rhodes flight?
According to Griffiths, several passengers only learned their cases were being left behind once the doors were sealed shut, preventing anyone from disembarking to retrieve essential items.
There was a bloke on the plane who'd got cancer medication in his suitcase, and he wanted to get off for that, but they'd already shut the door.
Griffiths, from Halesowen in Dudley, said that as of Monday, the man in question still had not recovered his medication and appeared increasingly unwell. He was sharply critical of Jet2, the operator his family had booked with, over the handling of the situation.
[They've] put the comfort and possibly health of everybody on the plane at risk just because they needed to get the plane in the air.
It's appalling, what else can you say?
The BBC has approached Jet2 for comment on the claims.
Why are passengers frustrated with the response so far?
Griffiths said Jet2 had told him his suitcase was delivered to the family's hotel on Sunday, but when he checked in person, it had not arrived. A subsequent message suggested the case
