British Airways Computer Issues Cause Check-In Problems, Delays and Cancellations
Throughout the day, British Airways passengers have been facing delays and cancellations on flights around the world because of an IT issue that was first reported on Monday night. Passengers who had flights with the carrier cited the inability to check in at airport kiosks, resulting in mass delays and cancellations. The issues were fairly widespread, although it's unknown exactly how many airports and flights were impacted by the computer problem. As of this writing, however, the carrier says that flights are gradually returning to normal.
Because of the issues, BA was advising travelers on its website to check in for their flights from home instead of at the airport:
Check in may take a bit longer than usual, so we would encourage customers to check in online before they reach the airport.
By Tuesday afternoon UK time, BA updated its website and tweeted that it was checking in customers at London Heathrow (LHR) and London Gatwick (LGW) as normal.
However, the airline is still advising passengers who are flying through London City (LCY) to check the status of their flight online before heading to the airport. It's not clear if that notice is unrelated to BA's outages because of an earlier protest at the airport.
Passengers at airports across the US, including San Francisco (SFO), Chicago (ORD) and Seattle (SEA), among others, reported issues with the check-in kiosks. To compensate, several travelers reported that they were offered snacks.
Although the carrier didn't publicly announce on its Twitter account that it was having issues, customer service agents responded to travelers' complaints directly.
But, BA did have some fun with the issue on Twitter:
This computer issue hits BA not long after several other airlines faced malfunctions earlier this summer. In July, the FAA issued a ground stop on all Southwest Airlines flights after a computer glitch, and in August, Delta canceled more than 1,500 flights due to a power outage.
Was your British Airlines flight affected by the computer issues?
H/T: Mashable
TPG featured card
at Capital One's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 5X miles | Earn 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel |
| 2X miles | Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day |
Pros
- Stellar welcome offer of 75,000 miles after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. Plus, a $250 Capital One Travel credit to use in your first cardholder year upon account opening.
- You'll earn 2 miles per dollar on every purchase, which means you won't have to worry about memorizing bonus categories
- Rewards are versatile and can be redeemed for a statement credit or transferred to Capital One’s transfer partners
Cons
- Highest bonus-earning categories only on travel booked via Capital One Travel
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Enjoy $250 to use on Capital One Travel in your first cardholder year, plus earn 75,000 bonus miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening - that’s equal to $1,000 in travel
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day
- Earn 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- Miles won't expire for the life of the account and there's no limit to how many you can earn
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®
- Use your miles to get reimbursed for any travel purchase—or redeem by booking a trip through Capital One Travel
- Enjoy a $50 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Lifestyle Collection
- Transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Top rated mobile app