'Vast majority' of bags now travelling with passengers after airport fault

The "vast majority" of baggage is now travelling as planned with passengers flying out of Birmingham Airport, it said in an update, but hundreds of holidaymakers have been affected by issues leaving them without luggage.

Outgoing flights have been affected since Friday, with some travelling through the airport describing "absolute chaos" and many still left without their belongings.

No luggage was loaded onto a TUI flight to Turkey, with few bags making it to Cyprus, or a Jet2 flight to Rome.

"We are working with our airlines and third parties to reunite luggage with passengers as fast as possible", the airport said.

The situation at Birmingham was "very significant," but also rare, said Alistair Rowland, a former chair of travel association, ABTA.

"Normally bags go missing, but not all the bags," he said.

Also significant was the communication between the airport and tour operators, and them "letting people know to give them the chance to get off the plane if they so choose," he added.

"But normally bags do arrive within 24 or 48 hours on the next flight out."

Technically it is the tour operator or airline that are responsible for baggage, rather than the airport, Rowland explained.

It was important that travellers with missing bags fill in a missing luggage form at the arrival airport, he said.

"It does seem like Birmingham Airport didn't do well in this circumstance, [but] actually the claim is based on the client's contract, and that's with the airline or with their tour operator," he added.

If you're left without your luggage, "the rules say reasonable expenses" can be claimed, he explained.

"So it would be entirely reasonable to go do some shopping to pick up two or three days worth of clothes, drugs, anything else that's needed that was in the suitcase, and they will be naturally reimbursed," he said.

If the luggage is missing for 21 days, the case is then seen as lost and there's a maximum claim value at that point of about £1,300.

Passengers are also advised to keep as many receipts as possible.

"It shouldn't be a very long claim, it should be repaid within 28 days, but it is entirely frustrating, particularly in a situation like this where there was no awareness at the point of the flight taking off," he said.

Higher value items lost in luggage should be subject to a travel insurance claims, he added.

The situation at Birmingham Airport "will be treated very significantly because it's no bags getting on, rather than a couple," he said.

"If it was a couple of bags that didn't get on the plane because of some logistical issue, then it might have to wait till the next scheduled flight goes out.

"But in a situation like this, I'm sure behind the scenes, there will have been planes dispatched to get the bags over there.

"Normally this sorts itself out within 48 hours."

"I'm a bit of a fan of Birmingham," added Rowland, who is also chair of online travel company, Blue Bay Travel.

"I find Birmingham [to be] pretty good. But when things go wrong, they do tend to go spectacularly wrong, and that happened in this circumstance."

Baggage problems were compounded by flights being diverted from Bristol Airport due to issues with their runway, he explained.

"Birmingham generally though, is one of the best airports in the UK," he added.

Birmingham Airport said: "We are working with our airlines and third parties to reunite luggage with passengers as fast as possible and we are sincerely sorry for the inconvenience and stress this has caused some of our passengers."

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