British Airways IT Failure Causes Chaos at Heathrow

‍DALLAS – British Airways (BA) passengers faced long delays and frustration on the evening of June 25 after a technical issue with the airline's baggage allocation system at London Heathrow Airport (LHR). The IT failure left many travelers stranded and facing hours of waiting to collect their luggage.

The busiest airport in the United Kingdom confirmed that the IT glitch most affected Terminal 5, primarily used by BA. Passengers arriving at Terminal 5 reported long queues at baggage claim and customer service desks. 

Social media erupted with complaints from frustrated travelers, some describing waiting hours and even witnessing passengers with children experiencing panic attacks due to the situation.

British Airways Apologizes, Explanation

British Airways acknowledged the issue and apologized to affected passengers in a text message. BA assured passengers that they would receive further information via email.

"We're sorry to inform you that, due to a technical issue with our baggage allocation system at Heathrow, we can't guarantee that your bags will have travelled with you on your flight today," stated an airline spokesperson. 

Earlier on June 26, the British flag carrier stated that the issue was a temporary technical fault outside their control and assured passengers it had been resolved. The airline confirmed they had deployed additional staff to expedite reuniting passengers with their luggage.

Heathrow Airport Offers Support

Heathrow Airport expressed its support for BA in resolving the technical problem. In a statement, a Heathrow spokesperson advised passengers to check with BA before traveling to the airport and acknowledged that Terminal 5 passengers would likely be most impacted.

While LHR initially reported that no other airlines were affected by the BA IT failure, some data showed significant delays and cancellations across a wider range of departing flights from Heathrow on the evening of June 25th.