British Airways passengers stranded for up to 23hrs after latest ‘technical glitch’

Bewildered British Airways passengers have been left stranded across the globe for up to 23 hours as the company faced its fourth major system failure this year.

The airline assured customers that its teams were working to “resolve a technical issue” which led to the worldwide problem, with transatlantic flights particularly hard hit. Almost every flight from the US has been delayed by at least five hours. 

BA has also yet to reveal the cause of previous glitches that left tens of thousands of people across the world stranded in July and August.

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Passengers left stranded in the US, Canada and Mexico this week were told by the airline that their “boffins are working on it,” with flights into UK airports including Heathrow and Gatwick worst affected.

“We are very sorry for the disruption to their travel plans. We are advising customers to check BA.com for the latest flight information and to ensure that contact details are up to date on their booking, so that we can provide the latest information,” the airline said in a statement on Thursday. 

There were reports online of BA rebooking customers while many others were offered food vouchers and told to keep their refreshments receipts if they wished to be reimbursed. 

Passengers’ frustration at the ‘canned’ responses their queries received was palpable as they flooded social media, demanding proper answers with actual information.

Thanks BA flight delayed overnight, stuck in Cancun,huge queue to leave the airport,one desk open. So apart from losing my husbands case and spoiling the beginning of my holiday you’re now ruining the end. pic.twitter.com/4jgQsmTLcb

— Lifeaddict (@Missymazda) November 21, 2019

Same with BA2273 @British_Airways. Sat on the tarmac for 2 hours with no communications. Please don't reply with another of your generic responses. What is the issue and how much longer are we going to be stuck on this plane?!

— Lauren Smiddy (@LLS91) November 21, 2019

Sitting here at #JFK on the Tarmac 2 hours after landing from #LGW with nary any information on why.... @British_Airways needs to do better pic.twitter.com/2ArfkhuaeP

— Brandon Luckain (@nismode) November 21, 2019

Some desperate passengers even rebooked their transatlantic flights with different airlines. Consumer group Which? tweeted advice to passengers about their rights and BA’s responsibilities. 

????@British_Airways passengers
If you're 2+ hours late you're entitled to:
• 2 free phone calls/emails
• Free meals & refreshments
• Free hotel if an overnight stay is required

If you're 3+ hours late you're entitled to:
• Compensation dependent on your flight distance+delay pic.twitter.com/WDIILcRTxK

— Which? (@WhichUK) November 21, 2019

The airline has been beset by IT problems since upgrading its systems in 2017, with previous system failures affecting up to 75,000 people and costing airline owner AIG the hefty sum of £80 million ($103.6 million). 

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The embattled airline also faced a serious industrial dispute with its pilots who went on strike for two days in September, resulting in the cancelation of some 2,000 flights, leading to a seven percent fall in operating profit last quarter.

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