From BBC Tyne website:
Passengers left behind at airport
The airline Easyjet has apologised to hundred of passengers after leaving them behind at Newcastle Airport. A problem with the luggage conveyor belts meant airport staff had to carry bags, causing long delays.
Easyjet decided that four flights, including to Bristol, should take off with only a handful of passengers on board so as not to cause more delays. A spokeswoman for the airline said passengers were offered transfers by coach or a seat on the next plane.
David Manning, who should have been on an early flight to Bristol, was left behind. He said: "I know families were separated and some people were on board flights because they didn't have any luggage to check in. Certain families missed flights who were due to be attending weddings in Bristol and the south west."