News

Warning of knock-on disruption from BA systems failure

An IT glitch which left thousands of British Airways passengers stranded as more than 100 flights were cancelled on Wednesday is likely to have a knock on effect today.

And holidaymakers face the prospect of further disruption as the airline remains locked in talks with pilots’ union Balpa in an effort to avert a strike.

BA previously failed in a bid to secure a temporary injunction from the High Court to stop any plans for industrial action.

Talks at the conciliation service Acas to try to reach an agreement on pay were continuing today after pilots voted for industrial action but no dates have been announced, a Balpa spokeswoman confirmed.

Passengers hoping to fly to or from Heathrow, Gatwick and London City airport yesterday were affected by the latest in a line of IT failures at the airline.


More:Call for inquiry after BA ‘fume flight’ evacuation

BA expects deal to end pilots’ strike threat


Around 117 Heathrow flights alone were cancelled over the course of the day with at least 200 more delayed.

The carrier could face a compensation bill of more tan £8 million if affected travellers make claims under European Union regulations.

BA said last night: “We have resolved yesterday’s temporary systems issue, which affected a number of our flights.

“We are planning to operate our normal flying schedule today, however there may be some knock-on disruption to flights as a result of yesterday’s issue.

“We continue to advise customers to check ba.com for the latest flight information before coming to the airport.

“The situation may be liable to change at short notice, so please keep checking the details of your flight before travelling to the airport.”

BA suffered a major computer failure over the spring bank holiday weekend in May 2017, stranding tens of thousands of passengers and costing owner International Airlines Group around £80 million.

Share article

View Comments

Jacobs Media is honoured to be the recipient of the 2020 Queen's Award for Enterprise.

The highest official awards for UK businesses since being established by royal warrant in 1965. Read more.