UK flights disrupted by baggage system fault across Europe

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jun/06/uk-flights-disrupted-baggage-system-fault-europe

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British air passengers faced delays on Friday following a Europe-wide IT problem affecting luggage.

At Heathrow airport, some flights were leaving late, with some passengers facing the possibility of having to fly without their hold luggage.

British Airways was one of the many airlines affected. One passenger, Dan Rivers, took to Twitter to say his BA flight had departed "minus 100 bags".

A BA spokesman said: "We are doing all we can to minimise disruption caused by an IT failure which is affecting the performance of baggage systems at numerous airports.

"We are very sorry if customers have not received their baggage and we will reunite them as quickly as possible."

A spokesman for Heathrow said that airlines had been processing bags by hand: "The problem is causing some delays but is not currently causing any flight cancellations at Heathrow."

Gatwick airport said: "The IT issue has been resolved. Gatwick's contingency plans worked well and there were no issues with lost baggage or delayed flights."

Earlier, passengers were affected at Bristol airport by a power failure. Flights were grounded and the loss of power affected check-in, baggage and lighting systems, although airside and air traffic systems continued to operate as normal. The airport drafted in extra staff to help passengers.