'Air traffic control chaos like something out of a movie - only it's not funny'

28 August 2023 , 15:09

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The operations room at National Air Traffic Services has been at the eye of a travel storm (Image: PA)

There’s a scene in the very funny and gloriously un-PC 1980 disaster spoof film Airplane! where manic control tower worker Johnny pulls out a plug and all the runway lights go off just as the hero and heroine are about to land the plane in the dark.

Presumably at some point we’ll find out what exactly caused this UK-wide air traffic control shambles.

But whether it’s hackers, spilled coffee on a keyboard or some clumsy idiot has tripped over a cable and yanked something important out of a socket in National Air Traffic Services HQ, you can add it to the ever-growing list of You Could Not Make It Up British travel calamities.

Make no mistake, this is a global embarrassment.

And asolutely NOBODY will be surprised this happened on a bank holiday Monday when 3,049 flights were due to depart UK airports and a further 3,054 flights scheduled to arrive, making a total of more than a million passenger seats.

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Thousands of passengers saw their flights delayed by the incident (UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

The national ATC system went belly up at exactly the most inopportune moment on one of the busiest days of the summer as aviation crawls back to 90% of its pre-pandemic capacity and hard-working British families try to escape what has been a pretty lousy summer with rail and airport worker strikes and poor weather - or just try to get home.

Obviously this utter mess is not the airlines' fault but they have a duty of care to get you to your destination if they possibly can, so they are having to pick up the pieces - and it will cost them a packet in to form of providing delayed or cancelled passengers' hotel rooms, meals and a new flight as soon as feasible, if that it what the traveller prefers.

And the frustration, inconvenience and stress affecting hundreds of thousands of unlucky passengers stuck on planes going nowhere, in airport queues and camped on the floor in terminals at home and abroad will be absolutely immense.

But do remember, airline and airport workers are not to blame for this pig's breakfast so please stay polite and calm when dealing with them. They will be as frustrated as you are.

As these delays are an “extraordinary circumstance” and not an airline's fault, the Civil Aviation Authority warns that unfortunately passengers should not expect to receive any extra cash compensation from carriers.

NATS said it was 'sincerely sorry' for the delays (UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

However, they may be able to make a claim on travel insurance, as some policies do offer limited cover for delays.

As a complication, there are different laws for flights on UK and EU airlines flying from/to the EU and for flights on non-UK/EU arriving or leaving from outside the UK/EU.

If you are going to try to claim compensation, keep evidence of the reasonable costs you've incurred, such as hotels or meals, and for further information check with the Civil Aviation Authority and Citizens Advice.

One thing’s for sure, the travel gods are clearly very angry with us all and surely the grand fromage of NATS will not be enjoying his or her Corn Flakes this morning. And don't call me Shirley…

Nigel Thompson