'I spent all my money on holiday that got cancelled 45 minutes before take-off'
A single mother and her daughter were left in tears after receiving an email notification that their much-anticipated holiday was cancelled.
Sarah Watkinson is among the hundreds of passengers who have had their flights cancelled due to a technical glitch in the UK's air traffic control (ATC) system. The travel disruption, which began on Monday following a failure in the ATC system that necessitated manual input of flight plans by controllers, could still potentially last for several days.
Although the issue has been resolved, some airports are still grappling with a backlog caused by the hundreds of flights affected on Monday. Sarah was scheduled to fly from Manchester Airport to Quarteira in Portugal with her 11-year-old daughter Olivia at 7am on Tuesday morning, but their flight was cancelled due to the disruption.
The 39-year-old mother told Liverpool Echo that she had saved up for the holiday as a means to create lasting memories with her daughter after enduring a challenging year. Sarah, of St Helens, Merseyside, said: "I bought it late on because my daughter starts high school and she's got two inset days."
She added, "Because it was later [in the summer] it made it a bit cheaper. I couldn't really afford to go. I'm a single parent and a student so obviously money is very tight."
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Their return flight was scheduled for 2pm on Tuesday, and with her daughter starting high school on Wednesday and Sarah herself returning to university, they can't even extend or rearrange their trip.
In a shocking turn of events, Sarah received an email notifying her of a delay in her flight's departure time and was advised to hold off on travelling to the airport until further notice. However, at 6:15 am on Tuesday, just 45 minutes before the original departure time, she was informed that her flight had been cancelled.
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Sarah expressed her frustration, stating: "The email said we'll be refunded within seven days but obviously I used all my money to buy the last bits - the sun cream we can't use. I bought clothes for my daughter, obviously she's growing quickly at 11, and we've taken the tags off so I can't return them."
She added: "I had my nails and toes done which I never do - I'm a student midwife and we can't have anything like that. But it's more the memories. It's been a difficult year; I've lost family members, lost my dog - we just really needed it."
In light of the holiday cancellation, Sarah has reached out to her local community group, seeking suggestions for free and fun activities to engage her daughter in their area.
Transport Secretary Mark Harper described the incident as the worst of its kind in "nearly a decade" and announced that an "independent review" will be conducted. According to aviation analytics firm Cirium, by Monday afternoon, 232 flights departing UK airports had been cancelled, along with 271 arriving flights.
Airlines are now urging passengers to verify their flight times before heading to the airport due to potential changes. In the wake of a nationwide flight planning systems failure, Liverpool John Lennon Airport issued a statement: "Although the country-wide flight planning systems failure has now been resolved, there will be a knock-on effect causing some delays and cancellations. We advise all passengers to check with their airline for information about their flight. Once again, we apologise for any inconvenience caused on 31, Aug 2023."
Meanwhile, Manchester Airport also released a statement addressing the aftermath of yesterday's technical glitch that affected air traffic control. The airport warned of ongoing delays and cancellations, urging passengers to verify the status of their flights before heading to the airport.
The statement read: "Following yesterday's nationwide technical issue that affected air traffic control, there continues to be some delays and cancellations. Please check the status of your flight with your airline before travelling to the airport. As our airlines look to accommodate passengers whose travel plans have been disrupted over the past 24 hours, our terminals may be busier than usual at times."
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Manchester Airport reassured passengers that they are working diligently with their airlines and handling agents to ensure a smooth journey through the airport despite the disruptions. They concluded their statement by expressing gratitude for the understanding shown by passengers during this challenging time.
* This article was crafted with the help of an AI tool, which speeds up The Mirror's editorial research. An editor reviewed this content before it was published. You can report any errors to [email protected]
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