British Airways said it had resolved a technical problem that caused chaos for thousands of Heathrow passengers. Flights were suspended and passengers experienced severe delays on Wednesday afternoon due to a computer problem.
Some passengers said they were locked up at night because all the hotels were full, while others had to wait at the airport until they could secure an alternative flight. Meal tickets were provided for stranded passengers, but accommodation was not provided.
The airline said the glitch affected its operations “for a short period” and was resolved by 5:30 p.m., with most of the airline’s direct flights showing as delayed or canceled flights from 2:00 p.m. to 21:30 p.m.
The airline apologized for the problem, saying that “extreme regret” had led to the cancellation of flights. This was the second time in the past few weeks that British Airways had had technical problems with Heathrow.
Short-haul flights from the airport were suspended in late February due to another technical issue, but it also had staffing issues. Heathrow Airport said it had partnered with the airline to help affected passengers and advised travelers to check the status of their flights with British Airways before leaving for the airport.
The spokesperson said: “The technical issue with British Airways has been resolved this afternoon. We are working with airport partners to assist passengers whose travel has been disrupted and who have put additional resources into our terminals.
Passengers are still advised to check the status of their flights with British Airways before leaving for the airport, due to the many cancellations. I apologize for disturbing. “
There were also reports of long queues at Heathrow Terminal 5 and passengers were unable to check in due to malfunctions in global IT systems. Michelle Heinrich, a German student and translator living in Coventry, is expected to fly to Germany on Wednesday at 5:40 p.m.
He said the problems still started at 2:40 p.m., when passengers were trying to hand over their bags. When the gate number was to be announced, passengers were told the flight was two hours late.
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That time came and went and finally around 9pm the gate number was finally announced. But while waiting for passengers to arrive, they were told the flight had already been cancelled.
Ms Heinrich said there was “silence and confusion” among the passengers. British Airways crews were seen looking alike in the dark, but they “goed out of their way” to help passengers. He added that the only contact with the airline occurred within half an hour of his flight being canceled – to say the flight had not taken place.
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Source: Belfastlive
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
