#935566 by mitchja
27 May 2017, 17:13
BA are not having a good day today. Latest update is the all BA flights departing LHR & LGW today (Sat 27th) have now been canceled due to their global IT failure :-O

Not sure if this will have any knock-on effect for BA flights back to the London today or even tomorrow?

I hope no-one is travelling today and is caught up in this mess.

Sky News

Latest BA update
#935567 by David
27 May 2017, 17:13
Sitting in First Class on Virgin train to Kings Cross then I think change to the underground to Gatwick. (Although that's gonna be a challenge)

BA will refund ticket and am guessing you will have to claim compensation

Does the EU comp apply ?

And can anyone tell me the idiots guide on how to change at Kings Cross

Many many many thanks. :-D

David.
#935568 by tontybear
27 May 2017, 17:49
David wrote:Sitting in First Class on Virgin train to Kings Cross then I think change to the underground to Gatwick. (Although that's gonna be a challenge)

BA will refund ticket and am guessing you will have to claim compensation

Does the EU comp apply ?

And can anyone tell me the idiots guide on how to change at Kings Cross

Many many many thanks. :-D

David.


At King's Cross follow the signs to St Pancras and take the Thameslink to Gatwick - it's all step free with lifts at St Pancras down to the Platform. Much easier than the tube to Victoria then the train from there and about the same time overall but much easier!

EU261? depends on the actual cause and if within BAs responsibility or not.
#935570 by tontybear
27 May 2017, 17:55
catsilversword wrote:Could BA seriously claim it wasn't within their responsibility, as it's their IT system?????


Yes as it depends on the actual cause of the failure.

So if it turns out ir was something a BA staffer or more likely one of their contracted out IT support workers did then it would be their responsibility.

But of it was say a cyber attack then no.
#935573 by stars
27 May 2017, 18:20
Back at home with a seriously disappointed family as we were all very much looking forward to a holiday in the sun after a long and trying winter. BA has refused to even attempt to rebook us on anything but a direct flight (which is full, so we can't be rebooked until Tuesday, no point as our return flight is first thing Friday morning), and will not entertain the possibility of rerouting us through another city. They have also said that if we accept a refund of our cancelled flights, we are not entitled to any further compensation. Is this true? If they wind up being on the hook for EU261, are we entitled or do we forfeit by accepting the refund for our cancelled flight? Have been trying to look that up but I can not find anything specific.
#935578 by DragonLady
27 May 2017, 18:39
I've just landed from AGP to BRS with BA -a complete nightmare but at least we're back ( it's taken me less time to get back from the USA than it has from Spain.....) Nobody at AGP could tell us what was going on and they'd called us down from the lounge only for us to sit in the sweltering heat going nowhere .
Captain and cabin crew said systems were down everywhere so many many flights cancelled.
Swissport staff at BRS had said some passengers had been sent up to BRS from LGW for the AGP flight going back out tonight but it was already full !!

DL
#935586 by David
28 May 2017, 06:11
Wow, what a start to a trip !

Am counting our blessings that we are here at the Sofitel in Gatwick, although when opening the curtains, you can't see the Terminal for fog, but that's another issue altogether.

On arriving at Edinburgh airport in plenty of time for our 5.55pm flight down ( picked Club Europe for the extra baggage allowance and lounge access ) we were greeted with chaos.

Up to that point all flights upto 6pm hand been cancelled but they had now just cancelled all flights for that day.

Nothing else flying into London with seats gave us minutes to think.

Jumped into a cab that took us to Waverley Station and within 5 mins of arriving we were on the Virgin train to Kings Cross just about to depart.

So early days and am sure things are pretty much still in turmoil but am hoping BA will refund the 1st part of the flight, pay the taxi and pay the train ticket or maybe not.

Anyone any educated guesses.

Thanks.

David
#935590 by hiljil
28 May 2017, 07:53
Good luck, David.
Hope things dramatically improve all round for you .
#935591 by stevebrass
28 May 2017, 07:59
BA up an flying again. Must say I am astonished that this could happen. Perhaps there is some credence to union comments about contracting out the IT service being the issue. I imagined that BA would have mirrored sites around the world.
#935596 by Eggtastico
28 May 2017, 09:58
stars wrote:Back at home with a seriously disappointed family as we were all very much looking forward to a holiday in the sun after a long and trying winter. BA has refused to even attempt to rebook us on anything but a direct flight (which is full, so we can't be rebooked until Tuesday, no point as our return flight is first thing Friday morning), and will not entertain the possibility of rerouting us through another city. They have also said that if we accept a refund of our cancelled flights, we are not entitled to any further compensation. Is this true? If they wind up being on the hook for EU261, are we entitled or do we forfeit by accepting the refund for our cancelled flight? Have been trying to look that up but I can not find anything specific.


I dont think it is possible to sign away your right under EU261 & BA could well be breaking a law in asking you to do so.

I would speak to your travel insurance! Its not only flights, but the knock on of out of pocket expenses like getting to & from the airport, parking, taxi/train/bus services, loss of hotel bookings & can go as far as loss of enjoyment.
I would wholly point my finger at BA for all of this. Where is the redundancy planning for such a thing happening?
Worth checking your home insurance policy to see if you have legal cover.
#935598 by Hamster
28 May 2017, 10:34
A quote from BA Facebook post last night. Full post here

Affected customers can claim a full refund or rebook to a future date for travel up until the end of November 2017. Customers are urged to keep any food, transport or accommodation receipts and can make a claim in due course through our Customer Relations teams.


Bare in mind they had no access to any systems last night so they couldn't do anything regarding rebooking etc. Rebooking on other flights over the weekend will be tough due to how full flights are over the bank holiday weekend.

They will be liable for EU comp, it was a power failure to a computer system in one of their offices (one that talks to all systems), seems like their back up didn't kick in for some reason too. But if you ask for a refund, you won't 'arrive' at your destination at all, so how can delay compensation be calculated? Unless they go by what time the flight you would of been put on gets there?
#935601 by Eggtastico
28 May 2017, 14:36
Hamster wrote: it was a power failure to a computer system in one of their offices (one that talks to all systems), seems like their back up didn't kick in for some reason too. But if you ask for a refund, you won't 'arrive' at your destination at all, so how can delay compensation be calculated? Unless they go by what time the flight you would of been put on gets there?


For the IT - this is what happens when you try to save money. India churn out loads of industry qualified tech - but the vast majority of them are rubbish (its not just a problem in India, happens all over the world). All they have done is theory learned everything in a class room or book telling them what is needed to pass an exam. With no actual working experience. Maybe one day those who employ bootcamp graduates will realise how worthless these tech certs are & are no match for real day to day experience.
My guess is, someone has pushed an update to a live server instead of a test server & brought down everything... or someone was up against a deadline & pushed it straight to live, as they did not have time to go through the testing environment.

Entitled to both refund & compensation

http://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/tr ... dex_en.htm
If your flight is cancelled you have the right to reimbursement, re-routing or return, as well as the right to assistance and a right to compensation.
Compensation is due if you were informed less than 14 days prior to the scheduled departure date.
The air carrier has the obligation to prove if and when you were personally informed that the flight was cancelled.
If this is not the case you can contact your national authority for further assistance.

However, compensation is not due if the carrier can prove that the cancellation is caused by extraordinary circumstances which could not have been avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken.

I bet there are a few ambulance chasers around Heathrow & Gatwick today handing out compensation flyers
#935602 by tontybear
28 May 2017, 14:55
I originally thought that EU261 wouldn't apply if a flight was cancelled and you asked for a refund but I've rethought and reread the regulation again and now I would say that yes you can claim and that is the case for any flight cancellation nt just from yesterdays issues.

This is on the proviso that yesterdays meltdown was caused by something under BAs control and it's still unclear if it is or not.

No need for a long explanation I'd just say 'on XX day I was due to fly on BAXXX on booking ref ABCDEF which was cancelled. Alternative flights were not available and so my trip would have been in vain. Please pay the required compensation under Article 5.1.(c) (iii) and specified under Article 7 of EU261
#935611 by stars
28 May 2017, 20:27
Eggtastico wrote:
http://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/tr ... dex_en.htm


Thank you - this is a really helpful link!

After spending hours yesterday and this morning looking at all possibilities to our destination, checking the routing through about 25 different European cities, I found something that would work. Today we managed to finally get through to someone who was willing & able to help us and we were able to get them to book us on a direct flight out on Tuesday, and an indirect flight back on Sunday, via Rome. Without my prior legwork, and access to Expertflyer to review availability, I am not sure we would have gotten it all sorted. We had to press certain issues regarding availability in different fare codes.

We were initially scheduled on direct flights in both directions Sat - Friday. So we have shifted the holiday forward by three days, lost a day of it, and now have an indirect return. The hotel fortunately have the availability to accomodate these new dates, though they have itimated that some sort of penalty will be assessed. We will deal with that once we arrive as there is nothing in our communications with them and our booking with them that indicates a penalty for changing the dates. We have kept receipts for the taxi back from LHR. We will keep receipts for getting to LGW, as our new flight leaves from there. Will be looking into our travel insurance to see what they will cover as well.

Fingers crossed all goes smoothly and we get to have a little sun holiday after all. I know compared to many others we got off quite easy, so keeping perspective. We never made it in to the departure hall of the terminal yesterday (first indication that things were not going well) and we got out of the airport after 2 hours in the arrivals hall, before the mad rush and people stuck on lines for 5+ hour, so we were relatively lucky in the scheme of things.
#935616 by Hamster
28 May 2017, 21:09
tontybear wrote:I originally thought that EU261 wouldn't apply if a flight was cancelled and you asked for a refund but I've rethought and reread the regulation again and now I would say that yes you can claim and that is the case for any flight cancellation nt just from yesterdays issues.


Thats good to know for future, thanks.
#935624 by tontybear
29 May 2017, 07:10
Eggtastico wrote:Trying to find out more....

But there was reports the day before there was baggage issues.

Looking like this was linked to this. Shocking from BA reading between the lines. Worse than my original prediction of an accident



The baggage issue was a LGW airport problem not BAs and other airlines affected to. Hard to see a connection between a mechanical breakdown at LGW and a softwear problem at BA.
#935626 by catsilversword
29 May 2017, 08:50
I don't know if there's any connection - but I booked flights on Friday night (ie just before the problems) - had gone through most of the process (but not paid) and was choosing seats - it all went a bit weird and told me I couldn't make the booking as I was also making another one. Which I wasn't! Very bizarre. On top of that, I received a couple of emails for quotes that I hadn't requested - makes me wonder if these glitches were connected. Not that it much matters, I'm just musing!
#935629 by markyl
29 May 2017, 10:09
BA Boss gags staff ...

"Guys,

either you are part of the team working to fix this or you aren’t. We are not in the mode of ‘debriefing on what happened’ but rather ‘let’s fix this mode..."

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4550654/British-Airways-cost-cutting-boss-gags-staff.html
#935633 by tontybear
29 May 2017, 10:19
'gags' is a strong word. Well it is the DM .

I happen to think on that point he was right to basically say if your not directly helping sort the problem with the IT or helping passengers then you are not helping the company.
#935643 by Sealink
29 May 2017, 13:01
tontybear wrote:'gags' is a strong word. Well it is the DM .

I happen to think on that point he was right to basically say if your not directly helping sort the problem with the IT or helping passengers then you are not helping the company.


Totally agree. Mind you, if he's an unpopular as people say he is, I am sure there is a lot of schadenfreude going on, and I would not be surprised if this costs Cruz his job.
#935659 by David
30 May 2017, 13:32
EU claim submitted by cost of train ticket and taxis.

Not hopeful for everything but let's see

Main thing is, I am sitting in sunny ( very hot ) Florida and I'm guessing there's many people that should have been somewhere and are not

David
#935693 by stevebrass
02 Jun 2017, 09:51
Just had a call from "Alex" he tells me that "I have a serious fault with my computer". I wonder if he was helping BA last weekend?
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