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The Independent
11-05-2025
- The Independent
Stansted airport IT failure: your rights if you were caught up in the chaos
Thousands of passengers are seeking alternative flights or have given up on their holiday plans after another airport IT meltdown. At around 2.30am on Sunday 11 May, systems at London Stansted airport shut down. Eight hours later, the Essex airport said everything was working normally. But by then thousands of passengers, primarily booked on Ryanair, had missed their flights. Thousands more, mainly on Jet2, faced long delays throughout the day. What rights do passengers have? These are the key questions and answers. What went wrong? Stansted airport was affected by an 'IT issue' early on Sunday morning that rendered many of the systems useless. A problem was identified at 2.30am, but with the first wave of flights due to start just before 6am, queues began building. 'I was in queue for over two hours,' said Anne Alexander, head of politics for ITV's Good Morning Britain.' She was booked to fly to Palermo in Sicily for a short break, and had arrived at Stansted with over two hours to spare. But by the time she arrived at the gate, the flight had departed. Another passengers, Jodie, travelling to Antalya on Jet2 at 6.30am, talked of the confusion, saying: 'I was told I won't get on my flight as I was too late, and to go and book another alternative. Somebody else said the flight would go without me but with my case. I'm a solo traveller and have spent all morning in tears as it's been handled dreadfully.' In fact, she was a passenger on Jet2, which waited for customers to reach the aircraft before departing – but, with a fresh crew needed, is likely to be six hours late reaching Turkey. Why did the airlines respond differently? They have different business models. Ryanair is a flight-only enterprise. Its operation depends on aircraft and crew operating their high-intensity schedules as close to on-time as possible. The airline has already warned of severe air-traffic control problems during the summer, especially at weekends, and wanted to get its crucial first wave of around 60 flights away on time. Jet2 sells package holidays as well as flight-only tickets, and therefore waited for all passengers to reach their outbound flights. This had an impact in terms of crewing; delaying a flight to the eastern Mediterranean by several hours can mean pilots and cabin crew reach flight-time limits. What are the rights of Ryanair passengers who missed flights? They are in a tricky position. Legally, it is the passenger's responsibility to reach the gate in time, and so Europe's biggest budget airline could rely on its normal terms and conditions – charging a 'missed departure fee' of £100 for passengers who wanted to rebook on a later flight. In practice, given the circumstances, the airline is allowing at-airport rebooking free of charge for passengers. The problem is, on a typical Ryanair flight only a dozen or so seats are empty – meaning many passengers could face a long wait for an alternative departure. Many of the, like ITV's Anne Alexander, will simply have abandoned their trips. Can passengers who gave up claim on travel insurance? Possibly, as long as they can demonstrate (for example through time-stamped photographs, car-park receipts, etc) that they arrived at the airport in good time – ideally a minimum of two hours ahead. All claims will need to be supported by receipts. What about passengers on Jet2 and other airlines? Jet2 is the second operator in terms of scale at Stansted, and its entire first wave of 15 flights was delayed by anything from to six hours. For flights to most Mediterranean destination, after a delay of three hours the airline must provide refreshments free of charge. The same will apply to the thousands of passengers departing from Stansted later in the day – whose flights will inevitably be delayed – and those at destinations across Europe waiting to come home. The same applies for delayed passengers on Tui. Is any compensation payable? Not by the airlines. The IT failure was a Stansted airport issue and they do not need to pay cash compensation. Some travel insurance policies may pay a modest amount for delays of eight hours or more. Can I claim from Stansted airport? If you have financial losses that are not met elsewhere, you can try.
Al Arabiya
11-05-2025
- Al Arabiya
London's Stansted Airport hit by IT problems, delaying flights
London's Stansted Airport was hit by IT problems on Sunday that left hundreds of passengers stuck in long queues outside and inside the terminal building and caused delays to flights. The technical problems, which affected check-in, baggage and security operations, were later resolved, but flights continued to run behind schedule, the airport said in a statement. Images posted on social media showed people queuing outside the airport. A reporter for television channel ITV, Anne Alexander, said on the X platform that she had missed her flight along with other travelers. Stansted is the capital's third-biggest airport by passenger numbers. London's Heathrow Airport, the busiest in Europe, shut down for almost a day in March due to a fire at an electricity substation. On Friday, Manchester Airport in northwest England was hit by a power supply problem which caused delays to arriving passengers at immigration control.
Reuters
11-05-2025
- Reuters
London's Stansted Airport hit by IT problems, delaying flights
LONDON, May 11 (Reuters) - London's Stansted Airport was hit by IT problems on Sunday that left hundreds of passengers stuck in long queues outside and inside the terminal building and caused delays to flights. The technical problems, which affected check-in, baggage and security operations, were later resolved, but flights continued to run behind schedule, the airport said in a statement. Images posted on social media showed people queuing outside the airport. A reporter for television channel ITV, Anne Alexander, said on the X platform that she had missed her flight along with other travellers. Stansted is the capital's third-biggest airport by passenger numbers. London's Heathrow Airport, the busiest in Europe, shut down for almost a day in March due to a fire at an electricity substation. On Friday, Manchester Airport in northwest England was hit by a power supply problem which caused delays to arriving passengers at immigration control.
Time of India
11-05-2025
- Time of India
London's Stansted Airport hit by IT problems, delaying flights
London 's Stansted Airport was hit by IT problems on Sunday that left hundreds of passengers stuck in long queues outside and inside the terminal building and caused delays to flights. #Operation Sindoor India responds to Pak's ceasefire violation; All that happened India-Pakistan ceasefire reactions: Who said what Punjab's hopes for normalcy dimmed by fresh violations The technical problems, which affected check-in, baggage and security operations, were later resolved, but flights continued to run behind schedule, the airport said in a statement. Images posted on social media showed people queuing outside the airport. A reporter for television channel ITV, Anne Alexander, said on the X platform that she had missed her flight along with other travellers. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Original Adidas Three (03) Combo Track Pants, Offer Time Limited Original Adidas Buy Now Undo Stansted is the capital's third-biggest airport by passenger numbers. (Join our ETNRI WhatsApp channel for all the latest updates) London's Heathrow Airport, the busiest in Europe, shut down for almost a day in March due to a fire at an electricity substation. On Friday, Manchester Airport in northwest England was hit by a power supply problem which caused delays to arriving passengers at immigration control. Live Events
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Yahoo
Stansted Airport plunged into travel chaos as IT fault causes major delays and missed flights
Flights at Stansted Airport were thrown into chaos this morning after an IT fault brought key operations to a standstill — leaving passengers facing long queues, missed flights and major delays. The technical issue affected check-in, baggage handling and security, forcing thousands of holidaymakers to queue for hours. Although airport authorities say the issue has now been resolved, delays are still being felt across the terminal. Images from the scene show snaking queues stretching throughout the airport, with some travellers waiting outside the terminal just to get in. STANSTED AIRPORT CHAOS: IT FAILURE SPARKS MASSIVE QUEUES, MISSED FLIGHTSThousands of passengers stuck in long lines at London Stansted this morning after a major system failure hit check-in, baggage & security. Some gave up and went airport says the issue is resolved,… — Turbine Traveller (@Turbinetraveler) May 11, 2025 One passenger, Anne Alexander, shared her experience on X, saying: 'Some people are queuing outside just to get inside the airport terminal. 'Some have given up and gone home as they have missed their flights. 'Many passengers in the queue – including me – have flights leaving in the next 15 mins. And we are still in the security queue.' Stansted Airport has apologised for the disruption and said staff are working to get passengers through the terminal as quickly as possible. A spokesperson for the London-based airport said: "Our teams are working hard to fully restore operations following the IT issue that impacted our systems earlier this morning. "While the issue has been resolved, some flights may still be subject to delays. "We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and advise passengers to check the status of their flights with their airlines before travelling to the airport."
