Holidaymakers in flight bag chaos

Newcastle Airport said it was disappointed by the disruption

More than 150 holidaymakers on a flight to Crete were told they either had to fly without their bags or almost half of them would be left behind in the UK.

The passengers were on the runway at Newcastle Airport when the Viking Airlines pilot broke the news that the plane needed to lose weight.

The flight eventually took off without their luggage after crews failed to find 70 volunteers to leave the plane.

A spokesman for Viking Airlines declined to comment.

Holidaymaker Sandra Kendall, 53, of Forest Hall, North Tyneside, said chaos was created by the ultimatum on 1 August.

Holiday spoiled

She said: "After an hour of upheaval the pilot announced they would take everybody and their cases, but that we would have to defuel at Newcastle and refuel at Verona.

"We all had to go back to the departure lounge but once there the Newcastle ground staff came and said either 70 people would have to remain with their cases or everybody goes with no luggage and it will be sent on.

"They said we had five minutes to decide as the cabin crew were nearly out of flying time."

Mrs Kendall and her husband John eventually boarded the plane in the early hours of the morning after a delay of three hours.

They say the two-week break, costing more than £1,000, was spoiled as they did not receive all their bags until four days into the holiday.

A spokeswoman for Newcastle Airport said various factors, including climatic conditions, could affect the payload that an aircraft can handle on any particular day.

She said: "It is very disappointing that passengers travelling from Newcastle International Airport have had their holiday plans disrupted as a result of this and we sympathise wholeheartedly with their frustrations."