Stranded, then left hanging on 55p-a-minute BA helplines

BRITISH Airways customers affected by weekend travel chaos are facing huge phone bills as its helplines cost up to 55p a minute, it has emerged.

Desperate customers said they had paid as much as £25 for calls to the airline’s “03” numbers, which can charge callers from mobile phones up to 55p a minute.

Many reported long waits to speak to customer services, as vast numbers of holidaymakers were left stranded and requiring assistance over the weekend.

One traveller, Iain Morgan, accused BA of “profiting from incompetence” after paying what he described as “ripoff” charges in an attempt to speak to someone to get information.

BA said it had set up a freephone number for people affected by the chaos. However, it appears the message did not reach everyone in time.

A spokesman for BA said it had call centres “placed strategically around the world”, adding: “We currently have an 0800 number available for customers in the UK whose flights have been affected by the IT failure who are looking to rebook or trace their baggage.

“Customers can also add phone charges into any claims they submit and we’ll look at them.”

It has also emerged that BA’S compensation bill could end up dwarfing the £91million it is hoping to save by making cuts to its IT department.

According to calculations by lawyers at Bott & Co, based on 800 BA flights per day leaving Heathrow and Gatwick, the cost reach £150million.