Thousands delayed at Manchester airport due to computer failure
Thousands of passengers have been delayed at Manchester and East Midlands airports today due to a computer failure.
Worst affected were Thomas Cook Airlines’ passengers travelling from Manchester, where all 12 of today’s flights have been delayed.
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Manchester was named today as one of the world’s worst airports.
A Thomas Cook spokesman said a check-in system it shares with several airlines, including Virgin, Singapore, Cathay Pacific and SAS, had failed, forcing staff to check in passengers manually.
He said overnight maintenance had caused the problem to the shared system and, as Thomas Cook’s were among the first scheduled departures this morning, its services were likely to be the hardest hit.
“We’re very sorry for the frustration caused to our customers at Manchester Airport check-in this morning,” he added. “The system is back up and running and we’re working hard to catch up and get our customers on holiday as soon as possible.”
Around 2,000 Thomas Cook passengers have been delayed by an average of two to three hours, he said. The longest delays are likely to be on short and medium haul services.
One family told the BBC they had queued for three hours to check in bags and there were further delays when they arrived at the departure gates for their flights.
Nevertheless, passengers are being advised to turn up for their flights on time.
It is understood that two flights at East Midlands airport were also delayed.
A spokesman for Manchester airport said: "This morning, a technical issue caused a number of airlines to have to check passengers in manually, which can take longer than normal.
“The issue has now been resolved but there may continue to be some knock-on delays to flight departures. Passengers should liaise with their airlines about specific flights and live departure information can be found on the Manchester Airport website. We apologise to passengers for any inconvenience caused."
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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