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27 May 'worldwide' BA IT outage | practical assistance/advice [Clutter-free please]

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Old May 27, 2017, 8:25 am
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Last edit by: NWIFlyer
All IT systems are back up and running and BA are operating normal flight schedules.

PLEASE ASK ALL COMPENSATION RELATED QUESTIONS IN THE DEDICATED TOPIC: The 2017 BA compensation thread: Your guide to Regulation 261/2004. The full list of cancelled and delayed flights for Sunday is to be found here, though note that it is the arrival time that matters for delays.

Successful (or otherwise) reports for claims where the information would be of use to others would, however, be very welcome in this thread.

Monday flight cancellations for LHR listed here. Services to and from LGW, LCY and STN seem to be working more or less on time.. Telephone numbers for rebooking are in this post, note also the difference between what contact centres and airport staff can do, noted here.

Updated 29/05/2017 22:50 (UK time) Link to BA updates: https://www.britishairways.com/trave...VINF4more_news

Baggage
There are a significant number of bags at Heathrow which we will be reuniting with customers via couriers as soon as we can. This will be done free of charge. Please help us to get these to you as quickly as possible by ensuring we have your latest contact details by filing a delayed bag report.



If your journey was disrupted -
Because of the scale of the disruption, most passengers should expect to make their own arrangements to mitigate the disruption as BA will not have resources to assist all passengers. BA have a duty of care under EU Regulation 261/2004 and according to this letter handed out at Gatwick the following costs would usually be claimable from BA.
  • Ł25 for reasonable meal/refeshment expenses (per adult per day)
  • 2 reasonable phone calls per customer

If an overnight stay is required
  • Ł200 for a hotel room (for 2 people)
  • Ł50 Transport to/from the airport (round trip)

Although BA has suggested some guideline costs for duty of care, EU Regulation 261/2004 doesn't specify any monetary cap. By documenting (take a screen capture of a hotel comparison site for example) that there were no cheaper alternatives, it is possible that claims exceeding the guideline costs suggested by BA may be met. Expenses not covered by BA may be claimable from your travel insurance subject to possible policy excesses.

Duty of care is separate from fixed sum compensation (EUR 250 to 600 depending on the flight distance) for flight delays/cancellations, which may or may not be payable under EU Regulation 261/2004 depending on whether BA can show that the flight delay was caused by 'extraordinary circumstances' and that it took 'all reasonable measures' to avoid the resulting delay. Also, airlines do not usually entertain claims for consequential losses (for example, the cost of prepaid accomodation which you can't now use), so you would need to look to your travel insurance for these costs.

EU Regulation 261/2004 does not cover delayed/damaged/lost baggage. The Montreal Convention sets an upper limit for delayed/damaged/lost baggage compensation. For more information, visit the BA.com webpage on delayed/damaged/lost baggage.

You can read the forum thread for guidance on EU Regulation 261/2004 or check back on these forums later for more advice on claiming, but first of all look after yourself during this disruption.

Claiming expenses incurred during the disruption
https://disruptionclaim.britishairways.com/

Historic update as of 18:55 on Saturday

All BA flights from LHR and LGW are cancelled for the remainder of the day (Saturday 27th May). This is due to a major systems outage of most of BA's computer systems. The original cause of the outage was a power failure from which BA has found it difficult to recover.

Because Call Centre systems are also down, and their own web pages may be affected, BA is encouraging affected customer to seek updates via BA Twitter feed and Facebook page.

Alex Cruz has indicated that those passengers who no longer wish to fly with BA on their booking for today will be "fast tracked" for refunds. However, no mechanism for this has yet been communicated (7pm Saturday). Again affected customers are asked to follow the relevant Twitter and Facebook communication channels.

There are reportedly long delays leaving the airport with some customers claiming delays of many hours.
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27 May 'worldwide' BA IT outage | practical assistance/advice [Clutter-free please]

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Old May 27, 2017, 10:17 am
  #436  
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: UK
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Originally Posted by Ber2dca
Form queues, one for UK/EU citizens, one for non-EU citizens. There should be no reason why the former should be stuck behind people with Visa issues.
Yes agreed but its even simpler than that.

Thousands of People should not have to be held in shocking conditions on the off chance that one person gets in to the UK who should not!. That is ridiculous.

This was not a cyber attack and there is no evidence that it is anything other than an unplanned event. The passport checks could, for the vast majority, be waived especially for those who are airside on departures. They could have been routed via domestic arrivals.

If the country was not so hung up on UKIP policies and the stupidity of Brexit then we could perhaps be dealing with this in a more humane manner.
binman is offline  
Old May 27, 2017, 10:18 am
  #437  
 
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Originally Posted by londonred
If i make my own arrangement to get to destination. Will I be able to use the return portion of my ba flight. Its an avios return (Yeah I know should have booked singles).
will they be able to cancel the outbound but protect the return?

thx LR

(this is time critical as i have a flight about to be booked!)
From my understanding, you would have to contact BA once their systems are back up to confirm that you want to use your return flight. They should be able to do this, but the default action of their systems once restored will probably to suspend your reservation.
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Old May 27, 2017, 10:19 am
  #438  
 
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Originally Posted by londonred
If i make my own arrangement to get to destination. Will I be able to use the return portion of my ba flight. Its an avios return (Yeah I know should have booked singles).
will they be able to cancel the outbound but protect the return?

thx LR

(this is time critical as i have a flight about to be booked!)
I've just got myself on a refundable ticket on QR for tomorrow night, if BA can't get their positioning flights out. But I do have a return on the itinerary, which I still plan to take in a couple of weeks.

I expect this won't be an easy task. Assume they'd rather refund the entire ticket than compensating me with my alternative option. But we'll see once they have gained back control over their systems.
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Old May 27, 2017, 10:19 am
  #439  
 
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There is no offence for UK Citizens to enter the UK without showing a passport....

They could simply open the doors and say "British Citizens this way".
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Old May 27, 2017, 10:19 am
  #440  
 
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Is there no way out of here? Some people have been queuing for well over an hour at the door and no one has opened it.
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Old May 27, 2017, 10:19 am
  #441  
 
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Originally Posted by BAAZ
Exactly. Which idiot decided that they should run their IT systems to maximum capacity, as was suggested above? That is a stupid decision unworthy of a CIO of a major corporation. If that's the case, the man should be fired for making such a stupid strategic decision.
Heathrow is an airport that runs near its maximum capacity all the time. But whenever they try to rectify that situation we all know what happens. Nobody ever wants to pay to create abundance of capacity for exactly these kinds of situations.

As for BA, I would not be surprised if its IT management asked for more money but were told "no" and now have smug "I told you so" smiles on their faces.
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Old May 27, 2017, 10:19 am
  #442  
 
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Originally Posted by londonred
If i make my own arrangement to get to destination. Will I be able to use the return portion of my ba flight. Its an avios return (Yeah I know should have booked singles).
will they be able to cancel the outbound but protect the return?

thx LR

(this is time critical as i have a flight about to be booked!)
if BA have cancelled your outbound flight rather than you missing it (and they cancel the ticket)

Then the return journey should still stand because the ticket is still there as it were.

I think that is right but others on here will be more quizzed up.

Edit: I think you will have to call BA before the return leg and within the circumstances they should allow
Leaping_Deere is offline  
Old May 27, 2017, 10:21 am
  #443  
 
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Originally Posted by londonred
If i make my own arrangement to get to destination. Will I be able to use the return portion of my ba flight. Its an avios return (Yeah I know should have booked singles).
will they be able to cancel the outbound but protect the return?

thx LR

(this is time critical as i have a flight about to be booked!)
I believe so (I don't work for BA so it's only based on personal experience), as long as you call them to protect the return (obviously not now...), once the systems are up and running. Normally, it's best to call to protect the return, before you don't show up for the outbound, but this is hardly a normal situation and staff can't even access the reservation systems. When is the return sector?
BAAZ is offline  
Old May 27, 2017, 10:21 am
  #444  
 
Join Date: Sep 2015
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Originally Posted by binman
..., be waived especially for those who are airside on departures. They could have been routed via domestic arrivals.
The problem still is that airside mixes departing and merely transiting passengers. This is not the immigration's problem but BA's problem.
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Old May 27, 2017, 10:22 am
  #445  
 
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Originally Posted by techie
Heathrow is an airport that runs near its maximum capacity all the time. But whenever they try to rectify that situation we all know what happens. Nobody ever wants to pay to create abundance of capacity for exactly these kinds of situations.

As for BA, I would not be surprised if its IT management asked for more money but were told "no" and now have smug "I told you so" smiles on their faces.
Absolutely. (LHR running at max capacity is beyond BA's control.) If I were a major shareholder I'd be lobbying BA/IAG to put more money into IT and to address it in the annual report.

(Mods - sorry if this has got a bit off topic - maybe it would be good to separate this thread into focused comments on today's and tomorrow's flights, and wider discussion of the issues.)
BAAZ is offline  
Old May 27, 2017, 10:22 am
  #446  
 
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Originally Posted by Leaping_Deere
if BA have cancelled your outbound flight rather than you missing it (and they cancel the ticket)

Then the return journey should still stand because the ticket is still there as it were.

I think that is right but others on here will be more quizzed up.
If the flight is cancelled and they don't rebook you, you could well be OK. If they automatically rebook you on tomorrow's flight and you miss that - then you might have a problem.
alexwuk is offline  
Old May 27, 2017, 10:24 am
  #447  
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Originally Posted by BAAZ
I believe so (I don't work for BA so it's only based on personal experience), as long as you call them to protect the return (obviously not now...), once the systems are up and running. Normally, it's best to call to protect the return, before you don't show up for the outbound, but this is hardly a normal situation and staff can't even access the reservation systems. When is the return sector?
BA is telling callers they will not protect returns - but GGL has also been telling people this was caused by a lightning strike so EU 261 won't apply :-) They will also not transfer to other airlines, even oneworld, it seems.

I would just spend what you need to spend and see them in court.
Raffles is offline  
Old May 27, 2017, 10:25 am
  #448  
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: London
Programs: Ba Silver ( for now!)
Posts: 775
Originally Posted by LTN Phobia
Being bussed/escorted back to immigration so that they can get out of the terminal?
Probably. Strange way out. They keep calling destination after destination.
jeremyBA is offline  
Old May 27, 2017, 10:26 am
  #449  
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Originally Posted by Raffles
There are presumably people airside who do not have permission to enter the UK. It isn't that simple.
There are almost no arrivals at T5 so the passport staff have nothing to do anyway.
Calchas is offline  
Old May 27, 2017, 10:26 am
  #450  
 
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I'm amazed that The Register hasn't had a field day with this.
Tiger_lily is offline  


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