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London: Thousands of passengers were caught up in chaos at Heathrow as their bags were lost because of a "computer glitch".
Passengers at Gatwick and Stansted were, meanwhile, facing similar disruption because of Bank Holiday strikes.
About 6,000 passengers were forced to queue outside Heathrow's Terminal 3 on Thursday afternoon after a problem with the baggage system meant staff had to close the doors. On Friday, airport staff were trying to reunite 3,000 bags with their owners.
A computer glitch caused delays and cancellations. Departure and arrival screens were said to have gone blank and all check-in desks were closed.
The desks were reopened after an hour but delays lasted up to three.
Engineers worked through the night to fix the problem.
It was announced yesterday that baggage handlers and check-in staff at Gatwick are to stage two 24-hour strikes, including one on Bank Holiday Monday, in a dispute over pay.
The Unite union said its members would walk out on August 25 and again on August 29, a Friday. It warned that all baggage handling and check-in operations at airlines including Virgin Atlantic, Monarch, Thomsonfly, First Choice, North West, Air Malta, Air Transat and Oman Air would be halted.
The workers, employed by Swissport, have rejected a "paltry" three per cent pay offer which the union complained was well below the rate of inflation. The staff voted overwhelmingly in favour of taking industrial action.
- Evening Standard
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