The group of friends from Taunton who were stuck at Gran Canaria Airport and had to figure out what to do next when no luggage arrived with themDozens of holidaymakers have been left scrambling for essentials in the Spanish sun after a Ryanair flight from Bristol to Gran Canaria reportedly landed without a single piece of checked luggage.
Passengers on flight FR4757, which departed on Friday, July 18, were stunned when the captain informed them upon arrival that none of their bags had made it onboard due to “time constraints” following a security issue at Bristol Airport.
Among those affected was a group of 11 friends from Taunton, who have travelled to Maspalomas for a birthday and graduation celebration.
Madeline Cooper, 22, said everything seemed routine until touchdown. “We had absolutely no issues at all until we landed. Then the captain said they made the difficult decision to not bring any of our luggage,” she explained. “They wouldn’t say what the security issue was – just that every single person’s bag had been left behind.”
The group soon realised they were not alone. “We were told today that it was 70 bags that didn’t fly. One pram made it across, that’s it,” Madeline added. “People didn’t even believe it at first – some thought it was a joke.”
Essential items left behind included medication, contact lenses, makeup and sun cream. Sophie Payne, one of the group, suffers from severe asthma and was left without her inhaler. “It was really stressful,” she said. “I take it twice a day and it gets worse at night. We’ve had to search for a pharmacy in an area we don’t know.”
The group are staying at the Cordial Green Golf Bungalows and said they were told luggage might arrive by Saturday night. However, by the time of the interview at 6pm they said they had received no updates from Ryanair. “There’s been zero communication,” Madeline said. “They keep telling us to use the app, but some older passengers don’t even have smartphones.”
The ordeal has already disrupted their plans. “We’ve had to pay €60 just to get to a shopping centre and back for clean underwear and essentials,” Madeline said. “We’re all students – we can’t afford to keep replacing everything.”
With temperatures soaring and no suncream in sight, Sophie summed up the mood: “There’s a lot of burnt bodies around here.”
Outside of the group, others took to social media to express their frustration. One user posted: “Great start to the holiday as Ryanair decided to bring 0 of the suitcases from Bristol to Gran Canaria. No heart medication for me tomorrow.” Another wrote: “Currently in Gran Canaria with zero belongings.”
Despite the issues, the group remain hopeful their bags will arrive in time for their planned activities – including a birthday party, a visit to a water park and a private boat excursion.
“This is provided that we are able to get our luggage,” Sophie said. “If we don’t our stuff then it’s completely ruined the holiday.”
Some of the group face an hour-long round trip back to the airport to retrieve their suitcases.
Ryanair and Bristol Airport have been approached for comment.