- A photo from July 31 shows hundreds of items of lost luggage that built up at Edinburgh Airport.
- The bags come from luggage handlers that work for airlines including Air Canada, United, and Delta.
- Airlines have faced operational chaos this summer, in a large part down to understaffing.
A photo taken on July 31 shows hundreds of items of lost luggage that built up at Edinburgh Airport amid a summer of travel chaos.
A traveler who went to retrieve their lost luggage took the photo at the Edinburgh Royal Highland Centre. Since July the airport has been using the venue, usually an exhbition centre, as a temporary baggage claim facility.
Baggage handlers Swissport and Menzies, two of the three that operate at Edinburgh Airport, have moved unclaimed luggage to the site.
Between them, the companies work for airlines including Air Canada, Virgin Atlantic, British Airways, United, and Delta Air Lines.
Passengers can visit the warehouse to collect their missing luggage between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. each day, the airport said. They require their luggage tags and ID to access the area.
If passengers can't collect their bags, Menzies said they would be sent by courier to their home address, or "retagged for an appropriate flight", using WorldTracer, a service used by airlines to reunite customers with lost baggage.
"We understand the frustration and distress delayed baggage can have on people and our dedicated team is working hard to reunite baggage with passengers as soon as possible," Menzies said.
Airlines have faced operational chaos this summer because of a combination of bad weather, technical problems, and understaffing. This has led to flight delays, cancellations, long lines at security, and lost luggage.
"Your airline's contracted handling agent is responsible for baggage, not Edinburgh Airport, and passengers with any queries should contact the relevant agent," the airport says on its website.
Photos taken in July show golf bags and clubs piled up at Edinburgh Airport following The Open, with some not getting loaded onto planes when both pro players and spectators flew back from the golf competition in Scotland. The airport said this was because of the unexpectly high number of golf clubs that needed processing.