Airline apologizes after passengers' luggage was left behind to make room for extra fuel on a flight

Around 40 passengers' bags were left behind on the first flight from New York to New Zealand.

The bags were taken off the plane to make room for more fuel.

The flight from JFK to New Zealand's largest city was the fourth-longest in the world.

Alex Marren, the chief operating officer for Air New Zealand, told The Independent that some customer bags were unable to be loaded in New York because of the weather.

We are in contact with customers to make sure they have their bags back. We're sorry for the time taken. They are going to New Zealand as soon as possible.

Insider requested comment from Air New Zealand outside of normal working hours.

Rains was in business class on Air New Zealand's first flight. Air-traffic control issues caused the flight to be delayed by two hours. She said there were bad weather conditions while flying over Mexico.

The flight was only 50 minutes behind schedule despite the delays.

Qantas is going to start a new route between Australia and New Zealand in June of 2023.