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Airlines working to reunite stranded passengers with luggage

ATLANTA — Flights are getting back on schedule at Atlanta's airport after the massive blackout but now people have to find their bags.

Delta told Channel 2’s Tom Regan they have extra workers working long hours to get those bags to passengers who were affected by flight delays and cancellations.

On Monday, there were more than 400 flight cancelations. Tuesday, there were just a few.

Regan saw many travelers at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Tuesday. Some were happy and others, not so much.

Desmond Key and his buddies were supposed to fly back from Las Vegas Monday, but instead were delayed 26 hours.

"We had to fly through Seattle, then New York and then come back to Atlanta," Key said.
While planes are in the air, 700 to 800 bags are still grounded at the airport.

“We were able to recover but what you see is, the bags as they flow through are ahead or behind of customers," said Delta spokesperson Anthony Black. “What we are trying to do is marry the bags back to our customers.”

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Delta said it will deliver bags to owners in the metro Atlanta area but other decided to get come get it themselves.

“It's the holiday. We know it's important to get people with their bags, we are working hard and expect it to be done in the next couple of days,” Black said.

Loads of luggage left over from the power outage

Key joked that the airline should reimburse him for the extra money he gambled and lost while stuck at the Las Vegas airport.

“I lost more 'cause I had to stay there. I'm going to file a claim and see what they can do for me,” Key joked.

One man headed to South Africa said he was stuck on the runway tarmac for 11 hours.

“There was no food, nothing… They gave us water. No, people were patient, they were patient,” said passenger Lungelo Dlamini.

The FBI Atlanta office said it is looking into the fire related power outage here, but has no reason to believe it was a deliberate act.

Delta has established a dedicated line to help customers retrieve checked luggage. Customers (including Air France-KLM customers) should call 1-888-977-1005 to arrange for baggage delivery.

Due to congestion, customers are encouraged to call the dedicated line for assistance rather than going to an airport baggage service office.