There was chaos at the UK’s biggest airport after a major IT outage left passengers stranded without their luggage.
It’s universally agreed that the airport is by far the most stressful part of travelling abroad.
From hours stood in queues to painfully squeezing your liquids into a tiny clear bag and fearing your checked luggage may somehow get lost in transit – it’s safe to say the airport is not an enjoyable experience.
And that’s when things are running smoothly.
The UK’s biggest airport was plunged into chaos (X/@OnTheRoadToYou)
So you can imagine how chaotic things can be when things go wrong at the UK‘s biggest transport hub.
Unfortunately for passengers travelling through Heathrow’s Terminal 5 last night (25 June) this was the exact situation they were faced with, as a malfunction with British Airways’ Allocation systems meant that some passengers were unable to get hold of their luggage.
The chaos meant that travellers were forced to wait in the airport for hours – and they were quick to share their feelings about the disruption across social media.
“Carnage at T5 held on plane 4 45 min & now over 1 hour wait 4 luggage. Queues to counters go thru half the luggage hall w-out explanation. What is happening?” one person wrote.
The error saw several passengers left without their luggage. (X/OnTheRoadToYou)
“My family have been stuck on a plane that landed from Madrid 90mins ago. Absolute disgrace,” a second person wrote, adding. “My daughter is having a panic attack and the pilot is not being given any updates.”
“Total chaos at Heathrow terminal 5. No information. IT system down. We waited 1 and a half hours for baggage and are now on our way home without bags. We have to claim and have them delivered. Information would have been good – no one to say what was happening,” a third commented.
A spokesperson for Heathrow has since commented on the situation, confirming that British Airways had suffered technical issues which have ‘now been resolved’.
“Earlier British Airways experienced a technical issue with their Allocation System, this has now been resolved. Our teams are on site supporting BA with their recovery. We advise passengers to check with BA before travelling to the airport as BA passengers in Terminal 5 may still be impacted. No other airline is impacted,” a spokesperson told LADBible.
It’s understood that the problem only impact British Airways passengers flying from Heathrow. ( Andy Soloman/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
“We’ve apologised to those customers who were unable to travel with their luggage due to a temporary technical fault that was outside of our control,” a spokesperson for BA added.
“This issue has been resolved and we’ve brought in additional colleagues to support our teams in getting bags back to our customers as quickly as possible.”
The chaos comes just a couple of days after passengers flying through Manchester Airport suffered major disruptions due to a power cut – which left a ‘significant number’ of flights either delayed or cancelled.
LADbible has contacted British Airways and Heathrow Airport for a comment.