Airline check-in systems across the world crashed due to a “network issue” causing much confusion and frustration among travelers.
Among those who have reported problems encountered include passengers from London’s Gatwick and Heathrow, as well as airports in New York, Paris, Washington, Singapore, South Korea and South Africa, among other locations.
Travelers complained that they were unable to check in for their flights with several airlines including British Airways, Air France, KLM, Qatar, Qantas, Lufthansa, and Southwest. The initial reason being given for the worldwide glitch is that the systems crashed resulting in delays and long queues.
Some travelers shared that they had to wait to check in for almost two hours but could not really get through. The system outage affected check-in services at airports and on internet browsers and even mobile apps.
Authorities are pointing to the Altea software as the probable cause of the problem, which is used by 125 airlines around the world, with 108 using it as well for check-ins and boarding. Amadeus, the program’s creator, pinned the blame on a network failure.
The estimated number of affected passengers would run in the tens of thousands. Many passengers are predictably upset over the inconvenience caused by the glitch. The firm assured the public and those affected that its experts quickly identified the problem and are “gradually” restoring services for the affected airlines.
The irate and frustrated passengers all over the world said that aside from encountering problems in checking-in for their flights, many also had to do new bookings or update existing reservations.
Some passengers took to social media to share their airline check-in troubles, with others even saying they hope it’s not another cyber attack like the infamous #wannacry that hit the world earlier this year. Many merely expressed hope that the issues will be fixed, and they will be able to board their flights and go home or reach their destinations.
Source:
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/global-airport-chaos-after-computers-11251887.amp
