Airline security

[vauny]

If someone's checked in for their flight, then failed to get on to the plane - would that airplane have taken off with their luggage and left the passenger behind, or would their luggage have been unloaded for security reasons ? The airport is in Majorca.
Just questioning something i've read in a novel.
Thanks for any replies.

[dzug]

Their luggage should be unloaded before the plane can leave. Whether it happens in reality 100% of the time I don't know - more often the passenger eventually turns up.

[vauny]

They were in the wrong terminal and missed the announcements for them.

[Trotbot]

So often I have sat on the plane silently cursing those who cannot turn up at the right time in the right place, as it takes a while to find the bags on a busy flight. Once the airlines close the boarding procedure, you cannot get on the plane even if they haven't found your bag yet - point of principle.

[jno]

I took off from Majorca last month and half an hour into the flight it was announced that 50-odd bags that should have been on the plane weren't; the owners - fortunately, I wasnt one of them - were asked to wait at Gatwick as they were being loaded at that moment on to another plane and would follow close behind. So yes, it can definitely happen that passengers and luggage get separated at Majorca, though it's certainly not meant to.

[KARL]

I was once the victim of the opposite of your circumstance. In transit I arrived at the gate which was still open (KLM at Amsterdam) but when my boarding pass was scanned the system had been programmed to bump me off the flight. The reason I was given was security: My bag MIGHT not reach the flight in time so I would have to stay behind and go (longhaul) by another airline - they would not guarantee my bag would be with me on that flight (I specifically asked). They did not think I would have to go to wherever it ended up if misdirected (I asked about that too). No amount of protesting had any effect, although several staff tried to reverse the decision in the next half hour or so until the gate was closed. I have never heard of this happening to anyone before or since. When it came to claiming the compensation for the denied boarding to which I am entitled under EU law (EUR600), KLM lied and said I had arrived too late. My bag actually did reach the KLM flight and was already waiting at my destination when I got there by a different carrier. I expect I will be taking KLM to court once I stop for long enough - but I am not using KLM any more nor will I recommend them.