British Airways customers hit with delays as 'technical issue' grounds flights in Heathrow - Daily Mail

British Airways suffers IT meltdown AGAIN: Flights are grounded, planes are diverted mid-air and fuming passengers left unable to check in and stranded on the tarmac across Europe after weeks of issues at airline

• British Airways reportedly hit with 'IT system failure' causing flight delays 
• Heathrow customers 'are unable to access boarding information or check-in' 
• Several flights scheduled for Heathrow have now been diverted elsewhere  
• Hundreds of BA flights have been disrupted in recent weeks due to IT issues 
• Are you stuck waiting for a BA flight? Email william.cole@mailonline.co.uk 

By Jacob Thorburn and Paul Thompson for MailOnline

Published: 16:02 BST, 30 March 2022 | Updated: 18:41 BST, 30 March 2022

Travellers hoping for a relaxing spring getaway have slammed British Airways when a 'technical issue' caused dozens of flights across Europe to be cancelled or delayed.

Customers were reportedly met with huge queues at check-in desks and were unable to access any boarding information at Heathrow's Terminal 5 on Wednesday.

Are you stuck waiting for a BA flight? 

Email: william.cole@mailonline.co.uk 

Passengers who landed at the London terminal were also met with headaches as they claimed they were made to wait up to two hours to disembark.

At least two flights were diverted mid-air from Heathrow to London Gatwick, more than 40 miles away.

Some travellers who spoke with MailOnline were reportedly told that there had been a 'major IT system failure' and that the backup system had 'also failed'. 

Natalie Stimson, who has waited for almost two hours at Heathrow after landing from Prague, said staff appeared 'clueless' as to the IT problem. 

Zjelko and Helena Ivos were due to fly on the 9.25pm flight to Johannesburg, South Africa, but arrived to discover the flight had been delayed until 11am tomorrow.

Helena, from Loughton, Essex, told MailOnline: 'It is appalling. We cannot speak to anyone and have just been given a leaflet.

'We have to find a hotel and now have to get PCR tests as the ones we had will have expired by the time the flight leaves.

'It is just dreadful and there is no one from the airline who can help. There must be thousands of people trying to get through on the phone. No one has given us any information.'

Another passenger on a flight from Northern Ireland to London told MailOnline: 'We are stuck on the tarmac at Belfast City airport on the plane. 

'The pilot told us all BA flights suspended due to massive IT issue. None allowed to take off. And sounds like they can't land at Heathrow.

'We have no idea what is happening.  One passenger next to me said there is more information coming out of Putin's bunker than BA. 

'No one, including pilots, has a clue what's going on. It's utter chaos. Fellow passengers are convinced it's a major cyber attack.'

Flight disruption was also reported by customers waiting to depart on flights from Copenhagen, Paris and Nice bound for the capital.

One eyewitness claimed that staff onboard one BA flight were seen using their personal mobile phones in an attempt to reach the office.

Customers were reportedly met with huge queues at check-in desks and were unable to access any boarding information at Heathrow Airport on Wednesday

Passengers who landed at the London terminal were also met with headaches as they claimed they were made to wait up to two hours to disembark. Pictured: Huge queues at Heathrow departure gates on Wednesday

Some travellers who spoke with MailOnline were reportedly told by BA staff that there had been a 'major IT system failure' and that the backup system had 'also failed'

Flight disruption was also reported by customers waiting to depart on flights from Copenhagen, Paris and Nice on Wednesday

There was no luggage in sight for some BA customers Heathrow on Wednesday

Several BA flights initially scheduled for Heathrow have now been diverted to London Gatwick almost 40 miles away

Pensioner Doros Partasides (left), 76, said BA's passengers were left stranded on the tarmac at Larnaca Airport in Cyprus for two hours

Danny Johnson 34, was due to fly to Nice but was told his flight was cancelled.

He said: 'How come this keeps on happening to BA. They must have the worst IT system out of any airline. With the long queues at immigration this airport is a bit of a joke.'

ITV's former top footballer commentator Clive Tyldesley also posted about being impacted by the fault: 'Heathrow is er not working at all.' 

Another customer said they had been left waiting for more than two and a half hours and were unable to check in. 

Big Jet TV, which soared to mainstream fame after livestreaming during Storm Eunice last month, tweeted: 'We're live at Heathrow and hearing British Airways IT systems are down.' 

Pensioner Doros Partasides, 76, said BA's passengers were left stranded on the tarmac at Larnaca Airport Cyprus for two hours. 'The captain told us the IT glitch in London Heathrow T5 means no planes are allowed in or out,' he said.

Gavin Megaw, crisis consultant and host of White Swan podcast, who is presently stuck on a plane on the tarmac in Belfast said: 'It appears to be a significant IT failure and many are already speculating about the possibility of a cyber attack. 

'It has seemingly caught BA off guard, highlighting a likely gap in the crisis communications plans BA has in place for such problems. 

'The pilot and crew are doing everything possible to look after customers, but it's clear they are not receiving the information they need from their HQ to make and communicate decisions.' 

Customers were reportedly met with empty check-in desks, unable to access boarding information and huge queues at Heathrow Airport on Wednesday. Flight disruption was also reported by customers waiting to depart on BA services from Copenhagen and Nice

British Airways travelers hoping for a relaxing spring getaway were plunged into chaos today as thousands were left in the lurch after a 'technical issue' caused flights to be delayed. [File image]

A BA spokesman said: 'We experienced a technical issue for a short time this afternoon which affected our operation at Heathrow Terminal 5. This has now been resolved and we're resuming flight operations. We've apologised to those customers who have been inconvenienced.' 

Reacting to the delays, Michael Foote, personal finance expert and editor of Quotegoat.com, said: 'If your flight is cancelled, you should be asked whether you want a full refund or to re-book on an alternative flight. 

'BA should cover the cost of transport if you need to travel from a different airport to catch your replacement flight.' 

Wednesday's technical glitch marked the latest in a string of high-profile gaffes that have already plagued the airline this year.

Last weekend, almost 200 BA flights were disrupted, with passengers left queuing for more than an hour to check in their bags and others forced to return home without their luggage.

And in February, passengers were also hit by chaos from BA as more than 500 flights were cancelled or delayed after the airline suffered its biggest IT meltdown for years. 

In an internal message to staff, chief executive Sean Doyle admitted passengers and employees are 'fed up' with the recent issues, which included IT issues and staff shortages.

BA said flights would have to be cancelled over the next few weeks, through the Easter holidays and until the end of May.

The issues have come at the worst time for BA, with bookings at their highest levels since the start of the pandemic after the UK and most European countries ditched Covid traveller tests for fully vaccinated holidaymakers.

Over the weekend, passengers at Heathrow said there were 'not enough staff to explain what was going on' and a lot of the desks looked 'unmanned' at the baggage check-in at Terminal 5.

• Have you been affected by the chaos at Heathrow today? Share your experience with Jacob.Thorburn@mailonline.co.uk

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMihAFodHRwczovL3d3dy5kYWlseW1haWwuY28udWsvbmV3cy9hcnRpY2xlLTEwNjY4NzUzL0JyaXRpc2gtQWlyd2F5cy1jdXN0b21lcnMtaGl0LWRlbGF5cy10ZWNobmljYWwtaXNzdWUtZ3JvdW5kcy1mbGlnaHRzLUhlYXRocm93Lmh0bWzSAQA?oc=5

2022-03-30 17:41:13Z
1362228319