The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Travellers stranded in airports as BA disruption continues
flights: People warned not to go to airport without checking status
Stranded holidaymakers spent the night on yoga mats on airport floors as disruption from the British Airways system failure continued into a second day.
BA grounded all planes from Gatwick and Heathrow on Saturday, causing chaos for thousands at the start of the school half-term and bank holiday weekend.
The disruption continued yesterday, with dozens of Heathrow services cancelled and passengers warned not to go to the airport without rebooking or checking their flight status.
Some shops at the airport had run out of food and many people slept on the floor on mats and blankets, the Press Association has been told.
Welsh international table tennis player Chloe Thomas arrived yesterday around four hours before her 7.30am flight to Germany for the World Table Tennis Championship in Dusseldorf.
She said there were “just queues everywhere” and her plane was cancelled at the last minute.
“We stood in the check-in queue, not moving, for about an hour then it came up on the screen that the flight was cancelled,” she said.
“It’s chaos. People are running about all over the place trying to rebook,” Thomas said.
“There’s no one to help, no leadership, it’s just mental.”
Airport staff handed out the yoga mats, as well as thin blankets, for people who were stuck there overnight, she added.
The problem has been caused by a worldwide systems failure, which BA said is believed to have been caused by a power supply issue.
Passengers lucky enough to be aboard one of the few flights taking off on Saturday later found their hold luggage had not made it on to the plane with them.
Experts predict the knock-on effect could continue for several days and BA is facing huge compensation costs.