There are a lot of things on the to-do list whenever a plane prepares to depart from an airport: Passengers on board? Got enough fuel? Snacks and drinks stocked? How about all the checked baggage? Wait, what do you mean you forgot to take care of all the checked bags?

The Belfast Telegraph reports that a Ryanair flight en route from Derry, Ireland, to Alicante, Spain, had to return to the airport after only 20 minutes because of a “problem with the luggage.”

No, it wasn’t a ticking suitcase, or a crate full of venomous snakes. The problem with the luggage on the plane was that it was no longer supposed to be on that plane.

The airport staff in Derry had apparently simply missed the rather big part of the preflight checklist that reminds them to unload the old luggage before the plan departs for its next destination.

Aside from the annoyance, one passenger tells the Telegraph that the return to Derry was less than smooth.

“It was scary enough to be honest because we had to circle around a few times and the plane landed with one hell of a thump and my wife wasn’t too happy about it either,” he recalls.

Thankfully the problem was noticed quickly and the hassle — for both the Spain-bound travelers and those in Derry who were waiting for their luggage — wasn’t as bad as it could have been.

Ryanair points the finger at third-party baggage-handlers for the screw-up. Both the airline and the airport have apologized to travelers.

[via USA Today]

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.