Aer Lingus Bag Handler Stuck in Hold as Jet Taxis Off

AER Lingus was forced into a safety review after a Dublin based baggage handler narrowly avoided a trip across the Atlantic in the cargo hold of an aeroplane, it was revealed yesterday.

He was inside the jet hunting for a passenger's bag but his colleagues did not realise and gave the signal for the door to be locked behind him.

Only minutes from departure, the plane bound for New York was pushed back from the stand and began its taxi to the runway.

But spotting the plane had started to move, the quick thinking 55-year-old used his mobile phone to alert his supervisors who contacted air traffic control and the plane was stopped.

A report into the incident, which happened during Christmas 2005, was released yesterday by the Air Accident Investigation Unit which blamed a breakdown in communications.

Even though the cargo hold was ventilated and heated to 15c, the group said it was a serious incident and the worker was lucky he had a phone with him.

Aer Lingus reviewed training and procedures for baggage handlers itself and issued its own set of recommendations.

A spokesman for the airline said steps had been taken to prevent a similar incident, following an internal investigation.

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