Police called after BA jet delayed TWO days

ARMED police were called to calm down furious British Airways passengers after their flight was delayed for two days.

The angry holidaymakers had been due to leave heathrow for Las Vegas on Sunday afternoon.

But after two aborted attempts, the second of which took place seconds from take-off, the passengers ‘went crazy’.

Their reaction led the worried crew to call for reinforcements.

The original 4.40pm flight from London at the weekend was cancelled because of a technical fault.

Following the incident disappointed passengers were put up in hotels, ready for a second attempt on Monday.

But when this flight also had to be cancelled due to a baggage mix-up, the passengers – who were on-board and ready to leave – did not take the news well. Cabin crew became so concerned they alerted the cockpit, and the pilot radioed for police intervention, The Sun reported.

Fortunately, it was third time lucky, with the flight finally making a successful departure on Tuesday afternoon – two days after its original planned date. The two-day delay is the latest in a string of embarrassing incidents BA has faced this summer.

Last week, BA passengers missed connecting flights and endured two-hour queues, after the airline’s check-in system crashed for the seventh time in a year.

And around 75,000 passengers were grounded over the late May bank holiday weekend when the company’s computer system failed. Cabin crew have also taken at least 46 days of strike action since the start of the year – and are set to walkout again for a fortnight from August 16.

Despite all this, BA’s parent company IAG made £871million profit for the first six months of this year – up 37 per cent on the year before.

A BA spokesman confirmed police had been called. ‘We fully appreciate how frustrating this experience has been, and have apologised to our customers for the long delay to their flight,’ she said.

‘We provided refreshments, hotel accommodation and help with expenses during the delay.’ BA has already been criticised for scrapping free food for economy passengers on shorthaul flights. This was seen by many as the last factor justifying them paying more to fly than they would with budget rivals such as Ryanair.

From next year BA will also reduce legroom on some shorthaul flights to squeeze in more seats.

The airline is also among several companies to have had passengers caught up in serious delays at passport control at european airports last week.

Both BA and easyJet sent text alerts to customers urging them to turn up early to counter stricter border rules.

Ryanair advised passengers to arrive at least three hours before departure on shorthaul flights, instead of the usual two. Destinations popular with British tourists were the worst hit.

‘Crew called for reinforcements’