NEW ORLEANS — Update: Bags aren't guaranteed to reach their owner's destination, a Southwest agent at the Louis Armstrong International Airport told passengers Thursday afternoon.
"Bear with us," the agent said. "It's been like this all day."
WWLTV's Devin Bartolotta tweeted that flights leaving the New Orleans airport are leaving on time, but some of those flights are leaving without their checked bags.
"An employee at (at the New Orleans airport) tells me, the volume of the bags is fully overwhelming the system," Bartolotta tweeted.
A Southwest Airlines spokesperson told WWLTV the airport's bag system is having performance issues that affect all airlines at MSY.
"We appreciate our customers’ patience as we work through these issues and ensure Customers and their checked bags reach their destinations as quickly as possible," the Southwest Airlines spokesperson said.
Issues at the newly moved Louis Armstrong International Airport forced many Southwest passengers to leave their baggage behind Thursday morning, reports say.
The airport has been experiencing problems while taking checked bags, a spokesperson with the airport said.
Erin Burns, director of communications at the airport, told reporters that airport employees, airlines, and contractors were working together to find out what's wrong, so they can fix it.
The airport doesn't track how many bags flights leave behind, Burns said.
A spokesperson told the Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate that getting the left behind bags to passengers would be handled by the airlines.
"The airlines will work with the passengers directly to ensure they make it to the appropriate destination," an airport spokesperson told Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate.
Hilary Scheinuk, a photographer with the Advocate, tweeted about the baggage issues at the airport.
At least one flight was delayed because of the baggage handling issue, Scheinuk tweeted. Gate agents told passengers to carry-on checked bags that were small enough.
Scheinuk said it took passengers more than an hour to check their bags, tweeting photos and videos showing how many bags were waiting to be handled.
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