British Airways passengers issued compensation advice after flight delays and cancellations

British Airways passengers faced delays this week due to an "IT system failure" that resulted in the airline's phone lines going down.

Ben Clatworthy, transport and travel journalist for the Times, took to social media platform X at the time to report that flights were "unable to take off".

On Monday, November 18, he wrote on the social media site: "BREAKING: Understand that @British_Airways IT systems have failed with planes unable to take off, phone lines down and pilots in the dark. Source says queues building at Heathrow Terminal 5 #aviation #BA #travel."

A spokesperson for Heathrow said they were aware of a technical issue which British Airways was investigating, but assured that Heathrow's systems were operating as usual. A representative from British Airways later confirmed the problem had been resolved.

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A technical issue affecting some of our operational systems meant that for a short period on Monday, we were unable to depart flights as quickly as usual. Our back-up network immediately kicked in so our operation could continue and we were able to get our main systems back online within an hour.

British Airways also said in a statement: "A technical issue affecting some of our operational systems meant that for a short period on Monday, we were unable to depart flights as quickly as usual. Our back-up network immediately kicked in so our operation could continue and we were able to get our main systems back online within an hour.

"There were no cancellations on our mainline network as a result of this issue. We’ve made significant investment in our IT infrastructure, putting in £750m to replace legacy systems to help prevent outages and recover more quickly when they do occur, which is exactly what happened here.

"We never want to inconvenience customers. We’ve apologised to those who did face delays and we’re grateful to them for their patience, as well as our colleagues who worked so hard to resolve this issue and support customers."

So what compensation can affected British Airways passengers expect? Ivaylo Danailov, of SkyRefund, an expert in airline compensation, said: "If your flight has been delayed for long enough, under EU/UK laws the air carrier has to provide food and drink, access to emails and phone calls, accommodation if you're delayed overnight, plus the cost of the journey between the airport and the hotel."

Another airline compensation expert Anton Radchenko, from AirAdvisor, clarifies that "EU261 regulation does not require a passenger to prove the airline's fault, as long as there is delay at arrival of three hours or more, passengers may be entitled to compensation up to 600 euros".

Explaining the eligibility for making a claim, he said: "Depending on the flight distance and the countries you're flying between, your right to care kicks in after two hours for flights less than 1500 km, three hours for flights between 1500 and 3500 km or four hours for flights over 3500 km. If you're not sure, you can check the length of your flight with an online flight distance calculator such as Web Flyer.

"Under EU/UK law you are entitled to compensation if your flight is delayed by more than three hours, and the delay is the airline's fault, for example a technical issue."

Social media users expressed their frustration over the British Airways chaos, with one individual posting: "Absolute shambles three flights cancelled this month and now being made to stand on the tarmac in a very cold Verona waiting for an already delayed flight. What has happened to the nation's airline? Not fit for purpose."

Another added: "@British_Airways are hopelessly useless. Flight cancelled on the runaway - sure, technical glitches happen. But to leave us stranded on the runaway for 2 hours, no refreshments, no information, flight attendants sat giggling at the front of the plane ignoring everyone. Dreadful."

In a different case, another person expressed anger saying: "I've been waiting over a month for a refund on a flight booking BA cancelled for me. UK law states refunds are to be paid in 14 days. BA is clearly above the law! ".

British Airways has been contacted for comment.