British Airways Check-In Glitch Causes Delays

LONDON—British Airways suffered another in a series of computer problems it has experienced this summer which has delayed flights, again angering passengers.

The carrier said via Twitter that it was "experiencing some problems" which its IT teams were trying to fix.

The airline, a unit of International Consolidated Airlines Group SA, said it was it was "taking longer than usual" on Tuesday to check in customers at London Heathrow, Europe's busiest airbus and its hub, and London Gatwick.

British Airways has introduced a new check-in system which on several occasions has snared passengers. The latest problem began late Monday and continued into the busy morning departure period. British Airways wouldn't say how many flights were affected by the problem.

British Airways Chief Executive Alex Cruz in July said "if you go back and look around the industry, there are way too many examples of people implementing systems like these and going through a tough period during the first few weeks." He called the experience "frustrating," though told analysts at the time the airline was "going in the right direction and disruption is really at a minimum."

Airline passengers this summer has suffered a spate of computer-related flight delays also at other airlines.

Delta Air Lines Inc., the U.S. No. 2 carrier, canceled more than 2,100 flights over three days following a computer glitch last month. A part failure caused a power outage and a small fire, knocking out a transformer. When power was restored some key systems didn't come back online as planned.

A month earlier Southwest Airlines Co., the No. 4 U.S. carrier by traffic canceled 2,300 flights over four days after a computer meltdown.

British Airways apologized for delays to journeys. It recommended passengers to check in online before reaching the airport.

Write to Robert Wall at [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

September 06, 2016 04:15 ET (08:15 GMT)

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