Due to a glitch in IT, British Airways has been compelled to cancel more than 100 flights.
An IT malfunction has led to a mass cancellation of flights by British Airways, leaving passengers unable to check-in or access trip information from Heathrow Airport. Between Thursday and Friday, over 155 short-haul flights have been cancelled, impacting about 25,000 travellers planning trips over the late May bank holiday weekend.
The International Consolidated Airlines Group SA (LSE: IAG) subsidiary, British Airways, announced on its website that it was conscious of a technical issue and requested passengers to reach out only if their flights were scheduled within the next 48 hours due to a high volume of calls. On Thursday, 55 outbound and 21 inbound flights were initially grounded.
Following logistical challenges, including misplacement of crew members, the airline decided to cancel an additional 80 flights on Friday. Despite these cancellations, BA affirmed in a statement that the majority of their flights were operating as planned, but sadly, some services at Heathrow had to be cancelled.
Customers affected by the cancellations received an apology from BA, and were given the option to either rebook on a different flight with BA or another carrier or request a refund.
Last year, British Airways, which controls over 50% of Heathrow’s slots, averaged 536 flights in or out of the airport daily, totalling 195,340. A spokesperson from the FTSE 100-listed airline confirmed that the cancellations were not related to a three-day strike by airport security staff.
Rory Boland, an editor for the consumer group Which? clarified that passengers are legally entitled to refunds from the airline for cancellations and delays exceeding three hours.
