Passengers tell of 'palpable indifference' of British Airways after weekend of hell caused by computer meltdown

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Passengers told of a weekend of hell after being stranded in the British Airways computer meltdown that left thousands stranded over the Bank Holiday.

BA flights were brought to a halt at Heathrow and Gatwick on Saturday with 75,000 people affected by the three days of disruption blamed on a ‘power surge’ by BA boss Alex Cruz.

Travellers spent the night sleeping on yoga mats spread on terminal floors on Saturday after the airline cancelled all flights leaving the London hubs, while disruption continued into Sunday and Monday with dozens more services from Heathrow axed.

Passengers also reported being charged “extortionate” sums to stay at nearby hotels and complained of a 62p-a-minute helpline for information.

Zach Skow, 34, founder of Marley’s Mutts Dog Rescue, was catching a connecting flight to Romania from Gatwick, to deliver 70lbs of medical supplies for rescue dogs.

Chaos: British Airways passengers wait at the baggage drop at Heathrow Airport
EPA

He told the Standard he was stuck for two days and he would not be reunited with his cases for a week.

Passengers slept on yoga mats overnight at Heathrow
Getty Images

He said: “It’s bad enough we had two cancelled flights and our efforts have been delayed for more than two days, but to not have be given any information was the real problem.

“I’ve made 50 calls, all directed to a recording which hung up on me. I was told to stay away from the airport and book another flight in a different carrier.

Thousands of passengers have been affected by cancelled flights
Getty Images

“Our trip will still be a great success and we will spay and neuter a ton of dogs, rebuild a shelter and bring a few home, but this is an unfortunate way to begin.”

Neal Clements, 65, travelled from Birmingham with his family for week-long holiday to Jordan.

Passengers queue for check-in at Heathrow Airport amid disruption caused by a British Airways IT failure
Getty Images

He ended up staying Wokingham after being unable to book a hotel room near Heathrow, having queued for hours outside the nearby Hotel Mercure.

Prices rocketed on online booking sites with hotels charging hundreds more for rooms, he claimed.

A woman tries to sleep on her luggage

He said: “The indifference is palpable. It’s been depressing to think that such a large organisation can have so little crisis management.”

But despite the airline promising a “near-normal service” at the airports on Monday morning, numerous holidaymakers still faced hours of delays.

More air travellers sleep where they can on the floor at Heathrow

Some endured hours-long lines to check in, reclaim lost luggage or re-book flights at Terminal 5, BA’s hub at Heathrow.

Many complained about a lack of information from the airline.

Passengers lucky enough to be aboard one of the few flights taking off on Saturday claimed they found their hold luggage had not made it onto the plane with them.

Musician Charles Trippy, bassist with US rock band We The Kings, complained to BA via Twitter that his instrument was missing.

He had to borrow a bass from another band for a gig in Leeds on Sunday.

Experts predict the knock-on effect could continue for several days and BA is facing huge compensation costs, with reports suggesting the bill could top £100 million.

Shares in BA-owner IAG, which is listed in both London and Madrid, slumped by 2.8pc.

The fall knocked about €410m (£357m) off the market capitalisation of IAG in Madrid. Its London-listed stock is expected to follow suit this morning when trading resumes after the Bank Holiday.

Mr Cruz, said: “We absolutely, profusely, apologise for these events. We are very sorry, we know that there have been a lot of personal experiences, people that have not been able to go on holiday when they wanted to, personal events, people waiting in the airport, long queues.

“We are absolutely sorry for this that has happened and are absolutely committed to make sure that we fulfil our obligations particularly from passenger compensation point of view”.

A full flight schedule was expected today.

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