British Airways (BA) who are owned by International Airlines Group (IAG) could face a bill of over £5m in compensation should all passengers affected make claims.
Some 18,000 passengers have been affected by Wednesday’s IT meltdown and holidaymakers arriving at Terminal 5, Heathrow are being urged to go home as the message boards are saying “short haul check in is closed.”
So far 117 flights have been cancelled by BA to or from Heathrow and 10 flight at Gatwick airport, and over 300 flights have been delayed.
A BA spokesman said, “We are very sorry to our customers for the disruption to their travel plans.
“We are working as quickly as possible to resolve a systems issue which has resulted in some short-haul cancellations and delays from London airports.”
He added, “A number of flights continue to operate but we are advising customers to check ba.com for the latest flight information before coming to the airport.
“We are encouraging customers to check ba.com for the latest flight information, and to allow additional time at the airport.”
Coby Benson, Flight Delay Compensation Solicitor at Bott and Co said told LondonLovesBusiness, “Despite having to pay millions of pounds in compensation following various system outages, the biggest being in May 2017, British Airways have still failed to take adequate measures to avoid a widespread system failure. As such, BA passengers have yet again had to endure long delays and cancellations, at one of the busiest times of the year.
“These circumstances are far from extraordinary and as such the passengers will be entitled to compensation of up to 600 Euros together with reimbursement of their reasonably incurred expenses. It’s also worth noting that the regulation does not specify that re-routing has to be with the same air carrier. Therefore, British Airways has a duty to re-route their passengers affected by a cancelled flight at the earliest available opportunity on ANY airline, not just a British Airways plane.
“If passengers are delayed for over two hours, they are entitled to care and assistance including food and drink vouchers as well as means to communicate, including being entitled to a telephone call and an email. Accommodation must be provided if passengers are delayed overnight and transport to and from the accommodation and the airport must also be provided.
“If the delay exceeds three hours, they could then be eligible for monetary compensation under EU Regulation 261/2004. Passengers can find out about care and assistance and claiming for flight delays here.”
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