Stansted airport IT failure: what you need to know if your flight is delayed

Times

11-05-2025

An IT failure at London Stansted on the morning of Sunday, May 11, has left passengers facing long queues, missed flights and severe delays.
Check-in, baggage handling and security systems were affected and although the airport says the problems have now been resolved, many flights are still subject to significant delays.
A spokesman for Stansted told PA: 'All systems have now been fully restored and no flights have been cancelled as a result of the IT issue. We are investigating the cause of the earlier issue so nothing is confirmed at this stage but, for background, it looks like it was related to internet access for some systems.'
Ryanair, easyJet and Jet2 are among the operators affected by disruption. Although there have been no cancellations and many flights are now leaving on time, there are still significant delays on others.
As of 3.30pm on Sunday afternoon, the airport was reporting that all operations were back to normal. Most flights appear to be running to schedule; only Jet2 still seems to be facing significant delays, with nine flights expected to be delayed by between one and five hours. Passengers are advised to check the status of their flights.
A problem with internet access seems to have caused several systems to fail, with problems first reported at about 6am on Sunday, May 11.
Your airline should automatically inform you when your flight is delayed (and explain the reason why). It should also inform you of your rights to any compensation, if you are eligible. Alternatively, check the live departure information at the airport you're travelling from, or use a flight-tracking website such as FlightRadar24.
Even if your flight is delayed, you should still make your way to the airport and check in for the scheduled time. You may not be eligible for compensation and any associated return flights may be cancelled if you fail to do this.
For flights to and from the UK, two pieces of legislation govern delay compensation. Your flight must have been delayed by at least three hours for you to be entitled to anything, and the delay must have been caused by something within the airline's control. This includes faulty aircraft or strikes by the airline's own staff. If the reason for your delay is to do with extreme weather or strikes by non-airline staff, these are considered extraordinary circumstances and delays caused are not eligible for compensation.
In the UK there's a fairly robust legislation around passenger rights. Airlines have a duty of care — regardless of the cause — when a flight to or from the UK has been delayed for three hours or more, or if it has been subject to last-minute cancellations. They should provide reasonable amounts of food and drink (usually in the form of vouchers), means for you to communicate (such as internet data or phone minutes), and accommodation if they're not able to fly you out on the same day.
Your flight will need to be delayed for more than two hours on short-haul flights (under 1,500km), more than three hours on medium-haul flights (1,500km to 3,500km) and more than four hours on long-haul flights (more than 3,500km) for this duty of care to kick in.
All flights departing from the UK, or operated by a UK or EU airline with a UK destination or a UK airline with an EU destination, are covered by UK law regarding refunds and compensation for delays and cancellations.
EU regulation 261/2004 is the original legislation you can claim under. It covers any flights that departed from anywhere within the EU, or EU airline-operated flights with an EU destination.
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When your flight has been delayed for five hours or more, regardless of the reason, you can choose not to travel. You'd then be eligible for a full refund. After you accept the refund, the airline's duty of care ends and you'll have to make your own onward travel plans.
Claims for delay compensation must be submitted directly to the airline you flew with (rather than the one you booked for code share partners). You'll need the scheduled and actual arrival times (and that of alternative flights if applicable), plus the reason for the delay or cancellation, alongside evidence of any flights you've travelled on, such as a boarding pass to make a claim. If you incur reasonable costs — for example, for food and drink because a voucher wasn't provided — you should retain your receipt and put in a claim for these too. These should be submitted either online or by post. Airlines should have the contact information you need on their websites.
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