Jetstar leaves hundreds of checked bags behind on Japan-Vietnam flight

Hundreds of passengers on a Jetstar flight from Osaka, Japan to Hanoi on Monday night landed at Noi Bai International Airport the next morning only to find that their checked baggage had been left behind.

Flight BL621, operated by budget carrier Jetstar Pacific, departed Japan two hours later than its initially scheduled time and touched down in Hanoi at 3:20 am on Tuesday.

As the passengers disembarked and headed for the conveyor belt to claim their checked baggage, many became alarmed when their bags were nowhere to be found.

Hours after landing, Jetstart had yet to issue an official notice about the whereabouts of the missing baggage, according to several passengers.

A Jetstar representative later told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that due to the windy season in Japan, flights departing from airports in the East Asian country might take around 30 minutes longer to reach Vietnam.

The Osaka-Hanoi flight in question took over five hours instead of the usual four hours and 30 minutes, according to the Jetstar representative.

To adhere to safety standards, the plane had to be loaded with extra fuel before departing in case of prolonged flight times.

In circumstances where additional fuel is necessary, it is standard procedure for airlines to leave some checked baggage behind to ensure that planes are not overloaded, the representative explained.

Jetstar reassured passengers that the baggage was not missing, but was instead being transported to Vietnam on a later flight operated by national carrier Vietnam Airlines.

As of Wednesday, all baggage from the flight had landed in Hanoi and the airline has been working to deliver the luggage to owners as quickly as possible, the representative said.