FLIGHTMARE
Thousands of British Airways passengers to miss holidays as they wait a WEEK for replacements for cancelled flights after IT glitch
THOUSANDS of British Airways passengers face a wait of up to a week before they can book replacement flights after an IT glitch hit the airline.
Around 300 flights were affected today with the plans of 15,000 holidaymakers thrown into chaos by the systems failure, which has now been fixed.
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British Airways said it was giving passengers due to leave Heathrow, Gatwick and London City today the opportunity to re-book to travel between August 8-13.
That means they could be waiting up to a week for another flight and will have missed most - if not all - of their holiday by then.
"We have resolved the temporary systems issue from this morning which affected a number of our flights today,” said BA.
"We apologise to all our customers caught up in the disruption, and appreciate how frustrating their experience has been.
"Our teams have been working tirelessly to get the vast majority of customers on their way, with most of our flights departing."
BA could face a compensation bill in excess of £8 million if all those affected claim what they are entitled to under European Union rules.
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Earlier a sign appeared at Heathrow Terminal 5 telling passengers to "make their way home" and contact the airline with short haul check ins closed.
Sky News editor Carl McQueen posted an image of the sign, saying: "I’m at Heathrow Terminal 5, where dozens of @British_Airways flights have been cancelled.
"A warning sign has now been displayed advising passengers that short haul check-in is closed and “all passengers should make their make their way home.” (Yes, they didn’t proof read it)".
As well as the 117 flights cancelled, more than 200 other flights were delayed, with some more than five hours behind schedule - reportedly affecting up to 15,000 passengers.
It is understand there was a problem with two separate systems - one that deals with online check in, the other that deals with flight departures.
The possibility of a cyber attack or hack has been ruled out.
Have you been affected? Contact the Sun Online at [email protected] or call 0207 782 4368. You can WhatsApp us on 07810 791 502
It's just another problem to hit the flag carrier airline of the UK - having this year faced a multi-million pound fine over a hack of their customer's data, the threat of pilot strikes and baggage mayhem.
It's the third major IT outage for BA in two years after 672 flights were cancelled with 75,000 people affected over a May Bank holiday in 2017 and another glitch in July last year.
And problems have struck again- in the middle of the British school holidays.
AIRPORT QUEUES
Queues at Gatwick Airport were this morning nearly stretching outdoors on to the concourse at the South Terminal.
BA passengers, still hauling their luggage, were guided into separate queues as staff desperately tried to organise the masses.
Among them was mum Melanie Dixon, who was ready to fly to Las Vegas for a four-day holiday with her three children.
The hairdresser from Kent said: "This is our first holiday abroad as a family and it’s not got off to a good start. Once we’ve been waiting a bit longer the kids will start getting restless.
"We were so excited, but this has put a bit of a downer on our holiday.
"We just want to get through to departures so we can get some breakfast and drop our cases off, but it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen any time soon.
"BA have hundreds of flights everyday. They should be coping with this much better."
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Retired retail worker Denise Hiller, 59, was travelling to Tampa in Florida with husband John, 63, who used to work in oil refinery.
The couple, from Salisbury, Wilts, paid £1,300 for their flights and a hire car on the other side.
Mum-of-three Mrs Hiller said: “We’ve been here since about 8.50am, and we’re due to fly at 12pm but that doesn’t look likely.
"This isn’t good for BA - it’s not the staff’s fault, but the problem shouldn’t be happening.
"We’ve not been given any information on how long our flight is going to be delayed.
"We’ve spent £1,300 on this, and now there’s not much we can do other than wait and hope we take off at some point."
Furious British Airways customer says he will have to fork out £858 after airline's IT glitch
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BELEAGUERED BA'S PROBLEMS
British Airways passengers this morning have been left frustrated by an IT glitch causing widespread delays.
But it's just the latest in a string of problems to affect the flag carrier airline of the UK.
The airline was last month fined £183.4million after card details of 400,000 customers were stolen from its website and app.
The personal and financial details of customers making bookings between August 21 and September 5 were stolen.
Meanwhile, BA is facing two strikes at the end of this month over pay.
The potential strikes could result in chaos across the country if it goes ahead as planned with up to 4,000 pilots walking out.
Earlier this year, BA was left red-faced after a flight from London to Dusseldorf ended up in Edinburgh.
Passengers were also left frustrated after a baggage meltdown at Heathrow Airport last month.
And just this week, a BA plane had to make an emergency landing in Valencia after the cabin filled with smoke.
The flight of 175 customers was evacuated as passengers were left coughing from the "burning" smell.
Other passengers took to social media to complain, with one desperate dad writing: "Flight cancelled when checking in, IT problems apparently. Very busy to rebook. Not ideal with a 1 year old..."
Another added: "is there a problem with online checkin. Trying to check in for the 8.20pm tomorrow and it will not let me."
Asaid: "While I originally thought this was an early #NoDealBrexit ...Another major @British_Airways IT crash and it seems all #BAFlights are affected. Problems loading flight plans. @FT @BBCNews Stuck on ground in #GVA. No news."
Another passenger in Italy shared a photograph of the view from her delayed plane, saying: "British Airways what’s occurring with your system software? No information and no time for departure??"
It comes after British Airways slashed 700 jobs in the UK in 2016, outsourcing their IT consultancy.
Cruises axe in Gulf crisis
THOUSANDS of Brits have had their dream cruise holidays axed over Iran hijack fears in the Gulf.
P&O suddenly cancelled its 2019/20 Dubai winter cruises, blaming increased tensions over Iranian tanker seizures.
Sources said extra staff had been drafted in to call centres to cope with calls from up to 38,000 disappointed customers.
Bosses said all would be given a full refund and offered discounted options to other destinations including the Canary Islands and the Caribbean.
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However, CEO Alex Cruz previously denied outages had been caused by the outsourcing, saying: "“I can confirm that all the parties involved around this particular event have not been involved in any type of outsourcing in any foreign country.
"They have all been local issues around a local data centre who has been managed and fixed by local resources."
One passenger claimed they had been stuck on their plane for two hours, writing: "Apparently mass disruption at @British_Airways , computer outage and all flights grounded or so were told on the BA1321, sat on this aircraft for 2 hours."
Can I get a refund if my flight is affected by BA's technical glitch?
IF BA cancels or delays your flight because of the technical difficulties then you may be entitled to a refund or compensation.
Passengers flying from an EU airport are protected by the Denied Boarding regulations.
This means that the airline must offer you either a refund for a cancelled flight, or to be rerouted on either the next possible flight or on an agreed date.
It must also provide you with meals, phone calls, and hotel accommodation and transfers if the rerouting involves an overnight stay.
You may also be able to get some money back if your flight is delayed by three hours or more and you were flying from or to a European airport, or with an EU-based airline such as Ryanair or British Airways.
If you opt for a full refund instead, then the airline has to give you your money back for the part of the journey that wasn't made and any parts already made that are then useless.
You are also entitled to the earliest possible return flight.
But if you do accept a refund, you won’t be entitled to any compensation.
You may also be able to get some money back through your insurance.
Policies vary so you should check the small print, but a delay of eight to 12 hours will normally mean you qualify for some money from your insurer.
Remember to get written confirmation of your delay from the airport as your insurer will need proof.If your flight is cancelled entirely, you're unlikely to be covered by your insurance.
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