My wife and I returned to Bellingham International Airport on separate days, two weeks apart, but on the same Las Vegas-Bellingham Alaska flight. There were two Allegiant Air flights arriving, one just before and the other just after our Alaska flights.

With probably over 300 passengers on the three flights, the baggage area was pure chaos. With only the baggage chute available for retrieving one's bags, and with the airline baggage handlers throwing the bags down the chute with no idea on which flight the bags were coming from, passengers were crushing each other trying to find their bags.

There was no one in charge from the airport administration to help control the mob. It was a scene out of a third world country airport. In fact, it became dangerous on the brink of "baggage rage."

The airport authority needs to realize that its baggage claim retrieval process is severely broken. The airport is no longer just a small regional location. With Alaska and Allegiant initiating several flights per week to Hawaii, the situation will only worsen.

Either flights need to be spaced to accommodate baggage handling until a carousel apparatus is installed or the Port authority needs to monitor the system with an airport representative who can take control, direct and organize the passengers into a manageable system. Unless something is done soon, we fear that someone will be hurt or worse.

Doug and Rene Tomaso

Blaine