- Katrina Harrison had planned a family trip to Antalya, Turkey, but they were left stranded overnight at an airport due to a technical glitch in the UK’s air traffic control system. According to PA Media, Harrison described the experience as “absolutely freezing” with inadequate provisions.
A family traveling with one-year-old twins experienced a nightmarish situation at Leeds Bradford Airport in the UK. Their flight to Antalya, Turkey was canceled due to a technical glitch, and they were provided with only a KitKat, chips, and a bottle of water. According to Katrina Harrison, the lack of proper provisions left them “absolutely freezing.” The Telegraph reported that all the shops had sold out of food and drink, and no blankets were provided. It is worth noting that UK airlines are obligated to provide food and accommodation in situations of significant delays, though the implementation of this policy can be challenging.
Harrison expressed frustration over the lack of available hotels and being unable to retrieve her vehicle from the car park. She mentioned the family’s high expenditure of over $15,000 for the holiday, emphasizing the poor treatment they received. She hoped to catch a flight that evening; otherwise, they would have to return home due to the difficulty of sitting at the airport with babies, according to PA Media.
The disruption was not limited to this family’s experience. Over the UK’s long weekend, hundreds of flights faced delays due to a technical issue with Britain’s air traffic control system. The National Air Traffic Service (NATS) applied traffic flow restrictions for safety reasons, as their flight-planning system was unable to process plans automatically. This led to chaos, cancellations, and uncertainty for many travelers.
Passengers took to TikTok to share their arduous journeys home. One traveler, Krys Moson, was informed of the cancellation of his flight from Rimini, Italy to London. Ryanair, his airline, gave him the option to wait until Friday for another flight or endure a 36-hour coach journey. In order to return to work, Moson chose the land travel option. Similarly, other sources recounted stories of canceled and delayed flights, disorganization, and poor communication from airlines.
NATS eventually identified and resolved the technical glitch, working closely with airlines and airports to manage the affected flights. The UK government ruled out cyber attacks as the cause of the disruption. Nevertheless, it will take time to fully recover and accommodate all affected passengers, as stated by Transport Secretary Mark Harper.
Unfortunately, there was no immediate response from Leeds Bradford Airport regarding the reported incidents.
Denial of responsibility! VigourTimes is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
