An announced staffing crisis is causing European airports to fill up with stray luggage in what is aviation’s busiest season: the summer.
The reason is that the ground crews associated with the airports have struggled to staff up again in the face of the rapidly increasing traffic.
The challenges, which are greatest at the large international airports, are also spreading in Norway. Avinor learns that the problem is greater at Norwegian airports now than in previous years.
Oslo Airport is the country’s main airport, the one that connects Norway most with flights abroad
– So it is natural that it is then Oslo Airport that is hardest hit by the challenges of delayed and lost luggage entering Norway, says press contact at Avinor, Øystein Løwer, to TV 2.
– AVINOR: Senior communications advisor Øystein Løwer at Avinor. Photo: Avinor / Press photo
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But the airports in Trondheim, Bergen and Stavanger are also seeing a greater influx.
The friend couple Astrid Odland Barland and Tina Malen Andersen are among those affected by luggage chaos this summer. They traveled with Norwegian from Keflavik Airport, Iceland, to Oslo Airport on 14 July after a holiday trip. But on returning home, the luggage was nowhere to be seen on the conveyor belt.
They still miss the suitcase with travel equipment worth NOK 35,000. But in Norwegian’s system, the luggage is listed as delivered to Barland.
– Astrid Odland Barland reacts strongly to Norwegian’s treatment of customers who lose their luggage. Photo: Private
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– My luggage is in “limbo”
After two weeks, the suitcase is still not in place. This causes the friends to react strongly, and say that the airline does not respond to e-mails or on the phone.
– Now I don’t know if they are looking for the luggage, or if they have said they are done with it, says Barland to TV 2:
– If I had been told that the luggage would arrive in five weeks, it would have been fine, but now it feels like my luggage is in “limbo”.
She points out that Norwegian has closed its customer service for delayed or damaged luggage.
TV 2 has tried to reach through on this phone line, where a robotic voice states:
“Due to capacity limitations at some European airports, we are currently experiencing many inquiries. We are therefore deploying all available resources to locate luggage, and for that reason we are unable to answer telephone calls.”
The airline also refers to its own website for more information.
– WAITING TIME: It can take many days before you see your suitcases again if you are affected by the flight chaos in Europe. Photo: Ole Enes Ebbesen / TV 2
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Report the luggage delivered
Barland was previously informed that the suitcase had been located by Norwegian, and sent with the transport company “A to B” to her address in Grimstad on 21 July.
The transport company, on the other hand, tells Barland that they never picked up the luggage, and explained that they did not agree to transport the luggage to Grimstad.
– I have tried in vain to get in touch to change this, but no one answers or can help.
– CHAOS: Major delays at airports around Europe have led to luggage chaos at Flesland. Photo: Penelope Larsen/TV 2
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In an e-mail from Norwegian to Barland, they state that “unfortunately, our volumes have been much higher than usual, but we can see that the luggage has already been delivered to you. If your luggage is still missing, please reply and we will investigate further”.
In a new email, Barland denies that the luggage has been delivered, but did not receive a reply from Norwegian on this.
The airline tells TV 2 that the lack of follow-up in Barland’s case was due to “system failure”, but claims that the system is now “up and running”. They don’t want to answer why the lost luggage hotline is down.
– The luggage for Barland is located at Gardermoen and has been sent for delivery. The customer will have the suitcase delivered to the door during the day. We apologize that this has taken longer than normal, writes press contact Eline Hyggen Skari at Norwegian in an email to TV 2 on Wednesday morning.
– Several Norwegian airports are experiencing an increase in baggage that must be forwarded. Photo: Ole Enes Ebbesen / TV 2
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A tripling of luggage cases
TV 2 has been in contact with several Norwegian airlines about whether they are experiencing an increase in missing luggage this summer.
Widerøe says they experienced a marked increase at the turn of May/June, with a tripling in the number of passengers who cannot find their luggage within five days. In June, there were 256 missing, compared to 70 in May.
Both SAS, which was affected by a historic strikeand Norwegian confirms an increase in the number of reports of missing luggage, but will not answer questions about how big the increase has been. Newbies Flying says the increase has been solid.
Norwegian says that in the last week they have deployed extra resources at Oslo Airport to deal with missing luggage.
– EUROPE: Piles of luggage at Kastruo Airport, Copenhagen. Photo: Pål S. Schaathun / TV 2
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Chaos in Europe
During the pandemic, there were almost no flights, and globally around 2.3 million lost their jobs in aviation, according to the Air Transport Action Group, which points out that ground crew and security personnel were the hardest hit.
After the pandemic, many airports and companies have struggled to staff up. At Paris Charles de Gaulle and Orly airport alone, where there is now a strike, there are a total of 4,000 vacancies, Air France-KLM informed Reuters.
– The corona pandemic has been challenging for aviation in Europe. Many have struggled to recruit new employees, and therefore have not succeeded in having the necessary capacity in the system, says Løwer.
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