Most air travelers have two goals in mind when making flight plans: navigate through the airport as quickly as possible and leave the facility with all the luggage they arrived with.
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For a group of passengers in Orlando, both missions proved extremely difficult.
Hundreds of Virgin Atlantic passengers were stuck in Orlando airport for hours over the weekend after their baggage was delayed.
Luggage was not removed from flights VS225, VS73 and VS135 due to adverse weather, including lightning in the area, which affected ground handling operations.
During the delay, the baggage remained on the plane while the ramp was closed between 6 PM and 11 PM. Due to the bad weather and other staffing issues, passengers were forced to sit around and wait for their precious cargo.
To make matters worse, the airline allegedly threatened to arrest anyone who left the airport without their baggage.
US Customs and Border Protection requires all international passengers to pass through customs with all their luggage as part of a "bags first" policy, according
to Orlando International Airport.Hundreds of Passengers Forced to Stay at Airport Overnight
Due to the strict policy, nearly 1000 passengers were forced to endure a lengthy wait to retrieve their luggage.
Passenger Carol Wick detailed the frustrating experience on social media.
"Three delayed flights. One canceled flight and now trapped at the Orlando airport. It's officially over 48 hours trying to get home," Wick wrote on Facebook.
She added, "No one is allowed to leave the area without checked bags."
Upon landing, Wick said that officials told passengers that the baggage unloading process would be slightly delayed. As the wait stretched past midnight, airport officials allegedly told passengers they could not leave without their bags. If they did, they risked being arrested, according to the Orlando Sentinel.
"I travel all the time for work, and I have never seen anything like this," Wick told the outlet. "It was just the craziest thing I've ever experienced in my whole life and there's no explanation."
Angela Starke, a spokesperson for the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority, said that the situation is being reviewed to prevent future complications.
"We share travelers' frustration with this experience. And are working with our airline partners to understand what occurred. And how similar situations, outside of weather, can be avoided," she wrote in an email.
Airport officials and Orlando police denied the claims that passengers were threatened with arrest, according to Fox35 Orlando.
