WE’RE NOT GOING ON A SUMMER HOLIDAY
Thousands hit by IT meltdown and strike threat
HOLIDAYMAKERS were facing airport misery last night amid crippling IT failures and the threat of strikes.
The chaos began yesterday when a check-in system meltdown hit tens of thousands of British Airways passengers at Heathrow and Gatwick.
More than 400 flights – including 16 to and from Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen airports – were cancelled or delayed before the problem was fixed, leaving BA facing a £16million compensation bill and knock-on disruption that could continue today.
Ryanair pilots – who are already paid up to £180,000 a year – added to the agony last night by announcing plans to strike this month in a dispute over pay and benefits.
The walkout – orchestrated by pilots’ union Balpa – is scheduled to go ahead on August 22 and 23. It is set to overlap with a separate strike by around 4,000 Heathrow workers, including security staff, which is due to take place on August 23 and 24.
Passengers are also still facing the threat of a strike by British Airways pilots. Their union is still locked in talks with the carrier over a pay dispute that could yet trigger a walkout this month.
The unrest threatens further misery for holidaymakers at one of the busiest times of the year, when many families are heading abroad.
Last night, Tory MP Steve Double, a member of the Commons transport committee, criticised unions for worsening the disruption, saying: ‘Unions should not be holding holidaymakers to ransom to extract better pay deals for their members.’
The torment began at 6am for thousands of families at Heathrow, Gatwick and London City yesterday when British Airways’ online check-in system crashed.
As staff were forced to process baggage manually, huge queues built up. Passengers were also unable to check in online.
By the time BA announced the problem had been resolved around ten hours later, some 127 flights had been cancelled and 300 were delayed, affecting 70,000 holidaymakers.
The IT glitch caused knock-on disruption at airports around the UK, and as far afield as Japan, India and the United States.
BA could now face a £16million compensation bill, with short-haul passengers eligible for a payout of up to £230 under EU rules.
Some passengers described scenes of ‘bedlam’ at Heathrow’s Terminal 5. There were also complaints of a ‘pathetic’ lack of information, and a shortage of BA staff on hand to help.
Martin Blackley, who works in travel, was due to fly from Edinburgh to London City. He said: ‘You’d think they’d have some sort of back-up plan. They don’t seem to know what’s going on.’
Hugh Flynn, 74, from Falkirk, Stirlingshire, said his Edinburgh to London flight was cancelled, which meant he would miss his connection to Vancouver.
Naomi Leach of Which? Travel, said: ‘This apparent BA systems failure is another kick in the teeth for travellers who are likely to have spent weeks worrying about whether their flights will take off.’
Passengers were offered the chance to re-book flights or apply for a refund, but some families spent hundreds of pounds on flights with other airlines.
BA has been plagued by previous IT issues. In 2017 a power outage at Heathrow stranded tens of thousands of passengers.
The airline is also facing a record £183million fine after hackers stole the personal details of up to half a million passengers last year.
A BA spokesman said yesterday: We apologise to all our customers caught up in the disruption and appreciate how frustrating their experience has been.’
‘Holding families to ransom’