Holidaymakers arrived in Tenerife to discover just 15 suitcases had arrived – after the rest were taken off because the runway was “too short”.
Buckie mum-of-four Georgina Sutherland arrived at her destination to be told her luggage was among that left in Aberdeen.
She claims that when the passengers boarded the flight – operated by Sunwing, a Canadian airline that works with TUI – at 3pm on Wednesday they were told there was a delay due to refueling.
But 50 minutes later, they were told some suitcases had been removed from the aircraft due to weight issues and the runway being “too short”.
Just 15 cases made the cut – leaving passengers with only their limited hand luggage.
Suitcases removed from the aircraft before take off
Miss Sutherland said up until take off, everything had been fine – until an announcement at 4pm as they sat on the plane.
She said: “They announced, just as we were away to take off, that the pilot had done his calculations and that Aberdeen runway is not long enough and the aircraft is too heavy.
“I’ve never heard of something so ridiculous.
“They had to take some suitcases off to balance out the weight so that they can take off on the short runway that there was.”
The 36-year-old claimed that according to the stewards on board, the pilots had not even wanted to inform passengers of the situation until they had arrived in Tenerife.
It was only after other staff said passengers should be told that the announcement was made.
A mum with three-month-old was sobbing
After the passengers realised just 15 cases had arrived in Tenerife, they were told to queue up to get a reference number for the luggage still in the UK.
Miss Sutherland described how one young mum with a three-month-old baby was left “bawling” at the news. Her baby’s formula had been in her luggage.
She added: “We were there for three hours and by the time we got bussed out, everywhere was closed and the girl was crying.
“She said ‘I won’t be able to even get to a pharmacy to try and get formula or anything.’
“There was people wanting to just get a flight home. It was absolutely terrible.”
Passengers were told at the time TUI would be in contact and they would try to fly luggage through Gatwick, and that it would hopefully get there by Saturday.
In the meantime, they have been left to fork out for any necessities – and told to claim it back on their insurance.
‘They just had no respect for anybody’
Miss Sutherland and her partner have had to pay out £70 on swimsuits for the children, who are aged between three and 14, so they could “at least enjoy the pool” while they wait.
But the head housekeeper at the Seafield Arms Hotel said not everyone can afford that.
“They should have been giving us money straight away,” Miss Sutherland said. “They told me to go and claim on insurance, but why should I go claim on my insurance? I’m going to have to pay the excess.
“They just had no respect for anybody and I just feel so sorry for anybody else who has got kids, and some people won’t be able to afford to go and fork out money.
“Some people save up for years for a holiday, especially the way things are just now with the cost-of-living.”
Miss Sutherland is now worried that she will struggle to pay her bills when she comes home, as she has no idea how long it will take TUI to pay out.
Is Aberdeen’s runway too short?
The average length of a commercial airport runway is usually between 8,000ft and 13,000ft.
While Aberdeen International Airport sits a little outside this at 6,407ft (1,953m), all airlines flying through are made aware of the runway length.
Before flying, commercial pilots are always required to carry out calculations based on fuel, payload, temperature, and elevation. This is to ensure they are within runway tolerances.
If they exceed this, sometimes luggage, passengers or freight is off loaded. This is a decision that is made by the airline.
It is understood that complaints about Aberdeen’s runway are not a regular occurance.
A spokesman for Aberdeen Airport said: “The airport has no involvement in baggage handling.”
‘Aim to reunite customers’ with their luggage as soon as possible
When contacted, Tui said the 90 pieces of passengers’ luggage should be arriving in Tenerife today.
A Tui spokeswoman said: “We completely understand the frustrations of passengers on flight TOM1322 whose luggage was offloaded due to an issue with the weight and balance of the aircraft. These customers will receive their luggage on Friday October 7.
“On the rare occasions baggage gets delayed, we aim to reunite customers with it as soon as possible.
“We’ve sent these customers direct messages explaining how they can claim compensation in this instance. We’re sorry for any inconvenience.”
Conversation