Airline Blames Baggage Handling System At Heathrow

British Airways reportedly "misplaced" thousands of pieces of luggage over the weekend, a situation it blames on an IT problem in the baggage handling system at Heathrow Airport.

One passenger on an arriving flight in Glasgow said that nearly everyone who had checked a piece of luggage wound up without it at baggage claim, according to a story appearing on Yahoo News.

British Airways said that the problem, which cropped up last Thursday, had been traced to a "technical failure" in the baggage processing system at Heathrow. BA spokesperson Euan Fordyce said that the failure occurred in Terminal Five at the airport. "The problem began on Thursday of last week, but there have been intermittent faults since then," he said.

BA said that the system was operational again on Monday, but was still advising passengers to carry "essentials" in their carry-on luggage.

Fordyce insisted that the bags were not "lost" ... "they missed their flights and we are working hard to get them back to customers," he said. He estimated that the problem likely affected thousands of travelers over several days.

(Image from file)

FMI: www.britishairways.com