Furious easyJet passengers have been left without ‘crucial’ medication after days of delays to their baggage arriving in the UK from Switzerland.
Chaos at Geneva Airport on Saturday 3 January has sparked an intense blame game between easyJet and the aviation hub, with the airline citing a baggage belt failure – which the airport denies happened, instead blaming staff shortages on what they call the ‘busiest day of the year.’
Meanwhile, customers caught in the middle and without their luggage have slammed easyJet for ‘appalling lack of communication’ – some of whom have been left entirely in the dark about when bags will finally arrive.
Despite contacting the carrier multiple times, many have not heard a word about what is going on – and pictures of social media appear to show bags piled up in the terminals of Switzerland’s second-busiest airport.
Emily Cohen had been travelling with her family from Geneva to London Luton on Saturday 3 January after enjoying a festive break in the Alps.
However, she described experiencing immediate ‘chaos’ at departures, which saw ‘hundreds’ of passengers forming queues outside in the cold to enter the terminal.
She continued: ‘There was total chaos throughout the airport and it only got worse as we approached the easyJet bag-drop section.
‘Here, there were no staff to be seen and no information on what was happening.’
EasyJet passengers who flew from Geneva Airport on 3 January have been left without ‘crucial’ medication after baggage was delayed for more than three days on returning to the UK
The passenger said she had overheard fellow travellers discussing a ‘rumour’ in which the baggage belts were no longer operational – resulting in some passengers reportedly having to haul their luggage through the airport all the way to the plane.
She added: ‘I was never given this option for my flight and shouts from ground staff across the baggage hall told me to stay put.’
After waiting for two hours, Emily’s bag was sent onto the belt and she was informed that it would be placed in the hold of the flight. In addition, the flight itself was delayed by a further two hours.
According to Emily, easyJet was operating 10 flights to the UK within a four-hour window and appeared unable to manage.
Upon arrival in Luton, security queues had already begun to form as passengers disembarked, which took over an hour to pass through.
Emily was then directed to a baggage claim belt, where she waited an additional two hours with no sign of her luggage, before eventually being informed no further bags would be arriving from Geneva and that a Property Irregularity Report form (PIR) needed to be filled out.
After completing the PIR, over the past two days Emily says she has refreshed the tracking page several times – yet there have been no updates or correspondence from easyJet regarding the whereabouts of her bag or the expected return date.
She has also made multiple attempts to contact the airline via various phone numbers and email addresses, none of which has received a response.
Emily Cohen had been travelling with her family from Geneva Airport to London Luton on 3 January – and is now awaiting answers on where their luggage is (pictured)
She added: ‘What shocks me the most about this story is the lack of communication and update for nearly 3 days.’
A spokesperson from easyJet has informed the Daily Mail that Emily unfortunately experienced a baggage belt failure that ‘affected all airlines,’ which resulted in her flight departing without her luggage in the hold.
Several passengers who flew into the UK with other airlines from Geneva on 3 January have since taken to social media to share similar frustrations.
One person who had been booked on a British Airways flight, wrote on a Facebook thread: ‘We flew back on Saturday and luggage is still at Geneva Airport.’
Another wrote: ‘We flew from Geneva to Stansted with BA on Saturday and only just made our flight after queuing for three hours! All three bags still at Geneva airport according to my AirTags. No updates from BA. Geneva Airport was a disaster – such poor communication!’
As for Jet2 customers, one person shared: ‘Same situation for jet2 Leeds/Bradford on Saturday night. None of our 3 pieces of luggage arrived in Leeds, all still in Geneva.
‘Third world airports function better than Geneva, it’s shocking. Jet2 have been mildly helpful in keeping us informed about nothing much, apparently luggage should be with us on the 8th or 10th.’
Another passenger, Lisa (not her real name), had been scheduled to board an earlier flight on the same day, has also found herself without luggage on arrival in the UK after experiencing severe delays in Geneva.
Several passengers who flew into the UK with other airlines from Geneva on 3 January have since taken to social media to share similar frustrations
On Facebook, Jet2 and BA passengers expressed concerns for their lost luggage
She claims that her Apple AirTags, which she had placed inside her bags prior to check-in, show they remain at Geneva Airport – and contain medication she crucially needs.
The passenger explained how she had been travelling home with a group of seven people that had been booked under three different reference numbers, yet each of them had been forced to endure four-hour delays before eventually flying home.
In addition, her 7-year-old son, who had become unwell on holiday, had been left without emergency medication.
She explained: ‘In the meantime, families are left without luggage. easyJet haven’t even helped when medication is involved. It is absolutely abhorrent.
Unlike Emily, Lisa has received some correspondence from easyJet customer service agents who have asked her to ‘bear with them’ while they attempt to locate the bags.
Lisa, who has been left scratching her head over the ordeal, said: ‘Everyone knows they are all in Geneva. Luton Airport know they are all in Geneva. My AirTags show they are in Geneva.
‘DHL is faultless – they are just getting all the aftermath of people in the airport wanting their bags and people calling them regarding their bags, from what I understand.
‘If this was DHL (who handles bags at London Luton) they would filter them on following planes. Why is that not happening here? Is it the fault of EasyJet or Geneva Airport baggage handling company?’
After reaching out to Geneva Airport (pictured), a spokesperson told the Daily Mail that staff shortages and bad weather contributed to delays
She believes all parties involved, including easyJet, Geneva Airport and the baggage handlers, are now having a ‘standoff’ and pointing the blame at one another.
She added: ‘I have heard of incidents where people have been separated from their luggage before but the difference is they are kept updated and reunited with their luggage at the earliest opportunity. That couldn’t be further from what is happening here.’
A spokesperson for Geneva Airport told the Daily Mail that 3 January is their busiest day of the year in terms of passengers, and delays began due to snow across Europe.
‘In Geneva, due to a lack of staff at a service provider in terms of baggage management, slowdowns at check-ins were recorded and this caused long queues,’ they added.
‘Geneve Aeroport has added staff – among its firefighters – to manage this situation and process the volumes of luggage.
However, easyJet has since confirmed that a baggage belt failure did, in fact, result in delays
They reiterated that the congestion was not caused by a technical failure, rather by a lack of staff from a service provider.
The spokesperson said that Swissport were in charge of handling easyJet passengers’ luggage on Saturday 3 January, and that they are ‘convinced that they are doing their utmost to transport the luggage’ that was left behind.
However, easyJet has since told the Daily Mail that a baggage belt failure did, in fact, result in delays.
A spokesperson told the Daily Mail: ‘Due to a baggage belt failure at Geneva Airport impacting all airlines on 3 January, Ms Cohen’s flight to London Luton unfortunately departed without her bags in the hold.
‘While this was outside of our control, are very sorry for the delay in reuniting Ms Cohen with her luggage and fully appreciate the frustration this will have caused.
Under the Montreal Convention (1999), passengers whose luggage does not arrive after 21 days are entitled to claim for the cost of lost items from the airline involved
‘Our team will be in touch with Ms Cohen to provide further assistance and help return her bags as soon as possible.’
EasyJet have not responded with a comment about Lisa’s case.
Swissport have been approached for comment.
Under the Montreal Convention (1999), a framework of rules for liability that covers lost baggage, passengers whose luggage does not arrive after 21 days are entitled to claim for the cost of lost items from the airline involved. This will require providing copies of receipts.
The Daily Mail Holiday Guru columnist said: ‘It’s a disgrace when airlines ‘go to ground’ and are not transparent about baggage delays. It causes great stress to those involved and is also counterproductive, as passenger who have been through this are unlikely to use the airline again.’
The Holiday Guru added that it is best to keep essential medication in cabin luggage in the event of any such hold-ups.
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