Bags drenched in sewage at Heathrow debacle

By Michael Flux, November 9 2010
Bags drenched in sewage at Heathrow debacle

Next time you’re getting annoyed about how long your luggage is taking to arrive, spare a thought for the passengers at Heathrow Airport who had their bags destroyed by raw sewage.

240 suitcases at Heathrow’s Terminal One were doused in the mess after a nearby waste pipe burst, sending out hundreds of litres of raw sewage.

BAA, the company that owns Heathrow Airport, has issued an apology to the affected passengers, and will repay up to $1,600 for each bag, resulting in a bill worth $384,000.

Like most airports around the world, Heathrow has been involved in a number of other luggage incidents.

During the opening of the airport’s Terminal Five in 2008, thousands of passengers were forced to depart with hand luggage only after a processing backlog. In 2009, a similar technical difficulty meant luggage could not be checked in - but as this recent incident shows, things could always be worse.


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