Plane leaves Toronto Pearson with baggage left abandoned on tarmac

A woman who spent more than 16 hours delayed at Toronto Pearson said she saw baggage dropped and abandoned on the tarmac.

Hamilton, Ont. woman Kathy Gomez arrived at the airport, along with her two-year-old child, at 4 a.m. for her 8 a.m. Air Canada flight to Atlanta on Saturday.

"It was a big mess," Gomez told CTV News Toronto on Monday.

Gomez said after she dropped her bag off, she was first placed in a holding area because the lines for security were too long for her to even line up.

"We were on the floor because there weren't enough seats," she said.

While she was waiting for her turn to line up for security, she said she received a notification from Air Canada saying her flight was cancelled.

Baggage is seen on the tarmac at Toronto Pearson after a flight departed on Saturday. (Source: Cathy Gomez)

She said she was booked onto another flight six hours later, but it had a connection in North Carolina.

As it got closer to 2 p.m., Gomez said her Air Canada flight continued to get delayed and it was clear she would no longer make her connection.

As a result, Air Canada moved her onto the last direct flight to Atlanta that day, which was at 8 p.m.

That flight, which has either been delayed or cancelled every day since July 4, didn’t end up leaving until 8:45 p.m. 

In total, Gomez spent more than 16 hours at Toronto Pearson with her two-year-old son, which is longer than the 14-hour drive would have taken to Atlanta.

'BAGS WERE JUST DROPPED'

While Gomez was waiting to board her flight, she said she saw other people's baggage getting dropped on the tarmac by workers and not getting picked up.

"We looked out the window and there are two bags just sitting there," she said. "Bags were literally just there sitting on the tarmac. Bags were just dropped."

Gomez posted a video of her travel experience to TikTok, which has since picked up nearly 40,000 views in one day.

Kathy Gomez is seen in this photo with her two children. (Supplied)

She said her bag also did not arrive in Atlanta, and she hasn’t received any information on where it is.

Gomez said she leaves Atlanta on Tuesday for Orlando, and worries she won't get her bag during the trip.

In a statement to CTV News Toronto on Monday, Air Canada said they couldn't comment on this specific situation but added "the global air transport industry is currently challenged due to issues with airports and third-party providers of such services as passenger screening, customs, and air navigation."

"We are working hard with these partners and government to resolve these issues as they are affecting the performance of airlines."

CTV News Toronto reached out to Toronto Pearson for comment, but has not received a response. 

"It was a nightmare," Gomez said, adding that she will now avoid travel until the situation settles down.

"We're paying for a service. This is not for free."