Nearly 1,000 travel-weary passengers were forced to wait for their checked luggage for over five hours at a Florida airport due to severe storms and were threatened with arrest if they left the building empty-handed.<\/p>\n
International travelers arriving at Orlando International Airport on three separate Virgin Atlantic flights were met with a rude welcome to the Sunshine State when \u201cadverse weather\u201d delayed\u00a0operations over the weekend, according to the Orlando Sentinel.<\/a><\/p>\n Passenger Carol Wick had just returned home to Orlando from a two-week trip to Croatia with her husband. She detailed the troubles she ran into during her 48-hour journey home that included multiple delays and a canceled flight.<\/p>\n \u201cThree delayed flights, one canceled flight and now trapped at the Orlando airport. It\u2019s officially over 48 hrs trying to get home,\u201d Wick wrote on Facebook.<\/p>\n Travelers wait at baggage claim during a delay at Orlando International Airport on June 27, 2026. Carol Wick<\/p>\n Wick, who owns an international consulting firm, says she got trapped in customs because \u201cNo one is allowed to leave the area without checked bags.\u201d<\/p>\n US Customs and Border Protection requires all international passengers to pass through customs with all their luggage as part of a \u201cbags first\u201d policy, according to Orlando International Airport.<\/a><\/p>\n The strict policy forced nearly 800 passengers to wait from 7 p.m. to beyond midnight waiting for their luggage to pass through to the terminal in order for them to leave.<\/p>\n Wick claimed that airport and airline officials threatened passengers with arrest if they left the terminal without their belongings.<\/p>\n \u201cI travel all the time for work and I have never seen anything like this,\u201d Wick told the outlet. \u201cIt was just the craziest thing I\u2019ve ever experienced in my whole life and there\u2019s no explanation.\u201d<\/p>\n Passengers wait in line at a Virgin Atlantic desk at Orlando International Airport. FOX 35 Orlando<\/p>\n Carol Wick detailed the troubles she ran into during her 48-hour journey home that included multiple delays and a canceled flight. Carol Wick \/ Facebook<\/p>\n Airport officials and Orlando police denied the claims that passengers were threatened with arrest, according to Fox35 Orlando.<\/a><\/p>\n Another passenger documented their experience inside the \u201ccontrolled border patrol area\u201d saying they had to wait out the 90-minute storm followed by the 30-minute lightning-less time frame before the ground stop was lifted.<\/p>\n After the initial waiting period, the traveler noted that two Virgin Atlantic flights were processed through with their luggage, but the third flight\u2019s baggage never came through.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\tStart your day with all you need to know\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMorning Report delivers the latest news, videos, photos and more.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\tThanks for signing up!\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n