The baggage handler said the issues came from a mix of staffing issues, low investment, and old technology. They added that some baggage sorting systems in Heathrow were about 40 years old. There are not enough baggage belts for the amount of flights, they said.

As of 2026, London Heathrow (LHR) often faces "baggage mountains" due to a combination of aging infrastructure in older terminals and periodic staff shortages in ground handling. While Heathrow manages the airport, individual airlines hire third-party contractors to handle baggage; when these contractors face labor disputes or high turnover, the system lags. Furthermore, Heathrow is operating very close to its maximum capacity, meaning any minor technical glitch in the miles of conveyor belts—particularly in Terminal 2 or Terminal 5—creates a massive "bottleneck." In 2026, a significant investment program is underway to revamp the baggage systems in Terminal 4 and Terminal 2 to prevent these backlogs, but for now, the complexity of transferring thousands of bags between connecting international flights remains a primary point of failure for the hub.