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BBC reporting LHR shut all day owing to a fire at a substation. No power = no planes.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cly24zvvwxlt
Good luck…
Yep, my trip to Rome is cancelled. Thinking about cancellation options at the moment.
That’s the problem with having all your eggs in one basket
That’s the problem with having all your eggs in one basket
It’s almost as if HfP knew, with the ‘Where do BA fly from LGW?’ article landing in mailboxes this morning!
You’d think there would be redundancy in the power supply to a major UK port. BA still showing our flight as operating on the live flight status page as is Heathrow website departures page despite both stating the airport is closed. More and more this country feels like it’s going to the dogs.
Feeling a bit happier now about my 2am flight from PVG-LGW tonight. I still need to figure out where to spend the evening until 2am mind. I’ve read reports that the Centurion lounge won’t let me in until 0001 because my flight is a different day.
You’d think there would be redundancy in the power supply to a major UK port. BA still showing our flight as operating on the live flight status page as is Heathrow website departures page despite both stating the airport is closed. More and more this country feels like it’s going to the dogs.
Same here, my flight doesn’t depart till 8pm ontime this evening. But, whatever it says on there, it is practically cancelled.
My weekend break from LHR cancelled today. In the grand scheme of things it’s a disappointment, but not a disaster.
Best wishes to all of the pax and crew either stuck at outstations or being diverted over the next few days who will have it much worse.
I really feel for both BA and all the passengers here. BA’s operations department will really be earning their salary today. A genuinely ‘not their fault’ scenario, and 1300 flights+ cancelled, minimum. And then the carnage once it does re-open with all the displaced crews/planes/passengers.
This is going to be chaos for days. Crazy a single fire can take Heathrow down.
I really feel for both BA and all the passengers here. BA’s operations department will really be earning their salary today. A genuinely ‘not their fault’ scenario, and 1300 flights+ cancelled, minimum. And then the carnage once it does re-open with all the displaced crews/planes/passengers.
Not just BA. This is every airline that uses LHR affected.
Plus all the ancillary services are affected whether it’s the airport shops and bars to the inflight catering companies and so on.
BA will be affected worse than any other airline though, as most of their fleet and crew will have been displaced.
That’s the problem with having all your eggs in one basket
It’s almost as if HfP knew, with the ‘Where do BA fly from LGW?’ article landing in mailboxes this morning!
I was referring to the one substation.but yes that was timely
Just think, get that extra runway built and crap planning can impact 1800 flights a day, not just 1300….
Really does beg the question as to how a single point of failure from a 3rd party supplier can take out one of the world’s biggest airports. Cue the inevitable public inquiry that will take three years and determine “inadequate contingency – must try harder”
Wow. Just seen this. Am so sorry for every person affected by this. Not just passengers but employees, cargo, and businesses relying on people supposed to be arriving and departing today, globally. More than 1000 flights affected. Apparently the Qantas flights supposed to arrive at LHR have diverted to CDG and the poor passengers are going to be bussed to London. I suppose they’re the lucky ones as at least they’ll get to the UK. US departing flights diverted to IAD or returned back to their departure airport as did a lot more around the world. The lucky arrivals are those who were diverted to LGW. I really can’t see how the airport will be open again by midnight. And all those aircraft and passengers out of position. This is going to take days to sort out. The insurance claim for this is going to be immense!
Wow. Just seen this. Am so sorry for every person affected by this. Not just passengers but employees, cargo, and businesses relying on people supposed to be arriving and departing today, globally. More than 1000 flights affected. Apparently the Qantas flights supposed to arrive at LHR have diverted to CDG and the poor passengers are going to be bussed to London. I suppose they’re the lucky ones as at least they’ll get to the UK. US departing flights diverted to IAD or returned back to their departure airport as did a lot more around the world. The lucky arrivals are those who were diverted to LGW. I really can’t see how the airport will be open again by midnight. And all those aircraft and passengers out of position. This is going to take days to sort out. The insurance claim for this is going to be immense!
Except those who need visas to enter France won’t be allowed in…
I really feel for both BA and all the passengers here. BA’s operations department will really be earning their salary today. A genuinely ‘not their fault’ scenario, and 1300 flights+ cancelled, minimum. And then the carnage once it does re-open with all the displaced crews/planes/passengers.
Given the wide scope of the outage, chances are at least some of BA’s operations staff will be sitting at the office or at home with no power or systems access.
The fact that there is no effective redundancy in power supply to a major part of the nation’s infrastructure is obscene. One has to also wonder about the security arrangements at this single point of failure.
No government minister apart from a bleary eyed Ed Milliband batting away the usual softball questions from the Beeb.
This is a national scandal.
You’d think there would be redundancy in the power supply to a major UK port. BA still showing our flight as operating on the live flight status page as is Heathrow website departures page despite both stating the airport is closed. More and more this country feels like it’s going to the dogs.
Because they’ve clearly communicated the issue on their website, but haven’t updated the minutiae of every one of 1300+ flights during a once in a decade major operational incident within a couple of hours of it occuring? “Going to the dogs” is a bit dramatic isn’t it?
BA will be affected worse than any other airline though, as most of their fleet and crew will have been displaced.
I’m more reflecting on the LHR = only BA nature of the comment. Especially when non BA airlines are still almost half of LHR ops.
The fact that there is no effective redundancy in power supply to a major part of the nation’s infrastructure is obscene. One has to also wonder about the security arrangements at this single point of failure.
No government minister apart from a bleary eyed Ed Milliband batting away the usual softball questions from the Beeb.
This is a national scandal.
It doesn’t just stop at the power supply though… the infrastructure airport wide is tenuous at best. Same at LGW too, who also want another runway, and don’t get me started on the infrastructure around LCY.
The lack of infrastructure (beyond roads rails etc.) investment generally in this country shows us to be completely lacking in resilience and future planning and foresight. However, sewers, water pipes and big HV cables don’t give shiny returns and opportunities for big political announcements and ribbon cutting ceremonies, which apparently is what the bog standard voters wants.
Just think, get that extra runway built and crap planning can impact 1800 flights a day, not just 1300….
Really does beg the question as to how a single point of failure from a 3rd party supplier can take out one of the world’s biggest airports. Cue the inevitable public inquiry that will take three years and determine “inadequate contingency – must try harder”
This stuff is not uncommon though. Lufthansa had someone cut through a fibre a couple years ago which knocked off all their systems at Frankfurt and caused chaos. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-64652835
Flying tomorrow morning (hopefully) from DOH with QR3. Lets hope that everything will work fine.
This happened at Atlanta recently too but was worse as it was in the middle of the day IIRC so the darkened terminals were full of passengers. This happened more or less at the best time of day possible in terms of managing the fall out & not a hugely busy travel weekend I’d have thought so hopefully not too much trouble reaccomodating everybody over the coming days. Good luck to anyone trying to get anywhere!
Feel sorry for BA staffers having to deal with this today. Hope things manage to turn around for you without too many complaints from passengers.
Was flying BA MAN-LHR-IST today – call center have rebooked me on Turkish. But now I’m missing out on TP/Avios. To add to confusion, I was crediting to Finnair. Do I need to ask BA or Finnair for an original routing credit in this instance?
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