Airport delays – live: Bank Holiday travel chaos as passport e-gates fail across UK
Issue likely to cause long delays at passport controls for bank holiday travelers flying into the country
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Passengers are facing travel chaos as electronic passport gates have gone down across UK airports.
The issue is likely to cause long delays at passport controls for bank holiday travelers flying into the country as all airports that use the gates are affected.
The Home Office has confirmed the news after the system went down on Friday night - but did not say how long the fault would last.
One passenger has described scenes at Edinburgh Airport as a “shambles”, reporting a queue of over 300 people at passport control on Friday night.
Another spoke of “total chaos” at Gatwick Airport’s passport control, with “queues of over an hour” caused by the downing of the electronic passport gates.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “We are aware of a nationwide border system issue affecting arrivals into the UK.
“We are working to resolve the issue as soon as possible and are liaising with port operators and airlines to minimise disruption for travellers.”
This comes after thousands of people faced having their bank holiday plans plunged into chaos, as British Airways was forced to cancel scores of flights on Thursday and Friday following an IT failure.
In pictures: Chaos at Heathrow as BA cancels nearly 200 flights
ICYMI: Bank holiday chaos as British Airways cancels more than 150 flights
British Airways has cancelled dozens more flights following an IT failure on Thursday, what was supposed to be the busiest day for aviation since 2019.
The Independent calculates that at least 156 flights, mainly domestic and European, have been cancelled on Thursday and Friday as BA struggles to operate without essential systems.
In addition, 14 flights were delayed overnight and are expected to arrive during the late morning after delays of 12-16 hours.
Simon Calder reports:
Bank holiday chaos as British Airways cancels more than 150 flights
Some Friday departures to Athens, Warsaw and Reykjavik have been grounded as BA struggles to recover its operation
How much damage will this cause to British Airways?
The financial hit will run into millions of pounds: lost revenue from passengers who simply cancel their trips; costs of accommodation and meals for customers who have to wait for onward flights; and compensation under European air passengers’ rights rules.
The reputational damage to BA is considerable; the timing, at the start of half-term for many schools, is especially unfortunate, with some families having invested thousands of pounds in holidays which are now at risk.
But as BA has the majority of slots at Heathrow, the world’s most desirable international airport, it retains a huge structural advantage over other airlines, and is likely to continue to prosper despite this latest failure.
My flight wasn’t cancelled but I missed my connection and ended up many hours late. Do I still get compensation?
Yes. If you arrive at your final destination at least three hours late, you get the same payment as for a cancellation (except for long-haul flights between three and four hours late, for which the payment is £260).
British Airways cancels over 150 Heathrow flights in latest IT collapse: what are your rights?
You could just cancel and get a refund, but most people will want to travel despite the cancellation. There are three elements to BA’s obligation to you:
- A flight as soon as possible on any airline (or train) that can get you to your destination as close to the original schedule as possible. If British Airways is unable to find a seat on the same day, then it must search for a flight on a different airline.
- Meals and, if necessary, hotel accommodation as appropriate until you are on your way. British Airways is supposed to provide this care, but in practice during severe disruption many passengers fend for themselves and then claim back later.
- Cash compensation, which ranges between £220 and £520 per person, depending on the length of the flight. Under 1,500km: £220; 1,500-3,500km, £350; above 3,500km, £520. Because of the sheer number of passengers affected, payments are likely to take months rather than weeks.
Simon Calder reports:
British Airways cancels over 150 flights in latest IT collapse: what are your rights?
Passengers whose flights are cancelled are entitled to accommodation, meals and cash compensation
Cancelled flights and snarled up roads throw biggest bank holiday rush since 2019 into chaos
As millions of families begin half-term week, and many others start bank holiday weekend getaways, travel within and departing from the UK is looking tumultuous.
The AA has said that 17 million drivers will take to the roads, while British Airways has cancelled 60 more flights to and from London Heathrow.
Even allowing for the cancelled flights, which are due to an IT issue, Friday is expected to be the busiest day for flying from the UK since before the Covid pandemic.
Simon Calder reports:
Heathrow chaos marks start of biggest bank holiday rush since 2019
Busiest weekend since 2019 is expected in the air and on the roads, with rail strikes blighting the second half of the half-term week
Situation at Heathrow ‘shocking’ says man who missed Hans Zimmer concert due to cancellation
One British man has described the situation at Heathrow as “absolutely shocking” as he and his wife missed out on seeing film composer Hans Zimmer perform in Berlin due to British Airways cancelling their flight.
Antony Knights, 44, said that when issues with the Berlin flight were communicated, “Terminal 5 turned into absolute chaos and pretty much everybody was queuing to speak to the desk, and there were only two members of BA staff on it and zero announcements.
“There were only two members of staff manning the queue, which was probably around 100 metres long. There were people everywhere needing assistance.
“It was pretty disappointing and frustrating. Things happen from time to time but this is not the first time British Airways systems have impacted people.”
Heathrow: British Airways delays build with many departures now close to midnight
Our travel correspondent Simon Calder reports:
Residents around London Heathrow airport are in for another noisy late night due to the unravelling schedules at British Airways.
Normally the latest scheduled passenger flights are at 10.40pm: Avianca to Bogota and Air China to Shanghai. But on Thursday night/Friday morning departures continued well into the 11pm hour, with one – to Edinburgh – taking off after midnight.
The 8.40pm from Heathrow to Oslo is currently scheduled to depart at 11.44pm on Friday, with several other flights around two hours late – including the 8.20pm to Prague. It is due to operated by an Airbus A319 that has not yet left Heathrow – but must fly to Budapest and back to London before returning to central Europe.
‘Occurrences like this are becoming all too familiar'
Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel magazine, said: “The busy holiday season is only just beginning but already BA is breaking its promises to its customers that it would avoid a repeat of last year’s travel chaos, with thousands of passengers now finding themselves in holiday hell as a result of yet another IT disaster.
“Occurrences like this are becoming all too familiar. BA has a legal responsibility to refund or reroute any passenger caught up in the chaos, and travellers shouldn’t be shy about enforcing their rights.”
British Airways makes yet more cancellations as airline struggles to recover schedule – total nearing 200
British Airways has made a fresh wave of cancellations of early evening flights from London Heathrow as it struggles to recover from Thursday’s IT failure.
Within the past hour, five domestic flights – to Aberdeen, Belfast, Edinburgh, Manchester and Newcastle – have been grounded.
European destinations have also been hit, with early evening links to Venice, Prague, Stuttgart and Zurich among the fallers.
The latest round of cancellations brings the total of flights axed by the latest IT failure to nearly 200.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments