Swiss Air passengers land in Spain without luggage

Sep 28 2023 Travel trends

In a baffling turn of events, a Swiss Air flight bound for Bilbao, Spain, arrived at its destination with a rather conspicuous absence – not a single piece of checked luggage was on board. Passengers, eagerly awaiting their belongings at the airport's baggage claim, were met with disappointment as their bags failed to materialize even after a two-hour wait.

Luggage mishap on Swiss Air flight

According to reports, the pilot did offer an apology for the delay, but no explanation was provided for the luggage mishap, nor were passengers informed that their baggage had been left behind. This ordeal, which unfolded recently, left travelers perplexed and frustrated, as they found themselves in a foreign destination without their essential belongings.

It was not until they reached their destination that Swiss Air passengers were informed about the luggage blunder. However, it wasn't Swiss Air staff who conveyed this disconcerting news; instead, they had to rely on Spanish airline Iberia personnel to inform them that the flight had touched down without a single piece of checked luggage.

One passenger, Carsten Redlich, shared his dismay with Swiss newspaper Blick, asserting that his holiday had been "ruined" due to the baggage debacle. He was part of a group of paraglider pilots traveling to Spain, and the absence of their vital equipment left them in a bind.

So, why did the luggage fail to make it to Bilbao? Swiss Air confirmed that the flight from Zurich Airport had indeed taken off without the passengers' baggage.

Crew shortage for Swiss Air

A spokesperson for the airline, Kavin Ampalam, explained that a crew shortage was the root cause of this bizarre incident. Passengers had initially waited in Zurich for the situation to be resolved, but after "one hour and 16 minutes, the situation was still unchanged, and, for operational reasons, we decided to fly to Bilbao without the baggage."

Ampalam further clarified that the flight could not afford to wait any longer, as passengers needed to be picked up in Bilbao, and the aircraft had to return to Zurich before the airport's closing time at 11 pm.

While Swiss Air could not confirm whether passengers were informed of the decision to leave their luggage behind, they expressed regret for the inconvenience caused to customers. Ampalam stated, "We're still analyzing the situation to find out exactly what happened; this shouldn't happen."

Lost luggage in the airline industry

This incident adds to the growing concerns surrounding lost luggage in the airline industry. In 2022, lost luggage figures reached a ten-year high, with approximately 26 million bags going missing – almost double the number from the previous year. The blame was attributed to shortages of skilled staff, the rapid return to international travel post-pandemic, and congestion at airports, according to a report by aviation IT provider SITA. Europe emerged as the continent with the highest rate of lost luggage, with larger airports experiencing more significant problems due to their higher passenger volumes.