Holiday travelers from Newcastle, England to Crete were given a surprising choice by the captain of Viking Airlines: 70 passengers can either take a later flight or leave all the luggage behind because Viking Airlines didn’t have enough fuel.
The Sunday Mail reported that the flight attendants informed passengers that they must leave their luggage behind, fly with less fuel and refuel in Verona, Italy, on their way to Crete. The alternative — 70 passengers would have to take a later flight. Everyone could then fly with their luggage.
At that point, the passengers were asked to disembark and wait in the departure lounge while the pilot consulted with company superiors.
After not getting enough volunteers, Viking decided that the luggage would be left behind and sent over on another flight, according to passenger Sandra Kendall. They still waited an additional three hours before the flight finally departed at 1:00 a.m.
When the passengers arrived in Crete, their luggage was nowhere to be found and wasn’t found on the following flight. One passenger, Kendall, and her husband, John, had to wait three days before two of their three bags showed up. This was after they already purchased clothes and toiletries. The third piece of luggage finally arrived a day later.
How did this fiasco start? The airline failed to account for the fuel and weight problem until after all the luggage had been checked in. After that, the airline had to reduce the weight due to climate conditions either at Newcastle or enroute.
A spokesman for Newcastle City Airport told the Sunday Mail that he sympathized with the passengers. “It is very disappointing that passengers traveling from Newcastle City Airport have had their plans disrupted as a result of this.”
