Should you go to the airport early and can you claim compensation?
ADVERTISEMENTA major outage on IT systems worldwide has led to widespread problems for travellers during the busy summer season.
Airlines, airports, media companies as well as other types of businesses have been affected.
Here's what we know so far about its impact on European travel.
How bad is the disruption?
More than 1,400 flights have been cancelled around the world today so far, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.
This figure - currently 1,400 - will only get bigger as the knock-on impacts grow.
The firm also says today was set to be the busiest day for UK flight departures so far this year, with more than 3,200 departures scheduled – the highest number of daily departures since October 2019.
Read our full guide on whether you will or won't be able to claim back compensation.
What is the advice for passengers during this kind of incident?
If you are due to fly today, our advice is:
- Check your airline and airport's websites and apps before you leave for the airport and follow any advice given
- Airline and airport social media channels are also a good source of up-to-date information
- If it looks like your flight will still be departing, arrive at the airport the usual two hours in advance, unless your airline or airport has advised otherwise - arriving more than two hours ahead could add to existing queues
- Take water and snacks with you to the airport, especially if you are travelling with children or elderly people, in case of long queues or other delays
- Make sure to have a phone charger with you, ideally one that doesn't need to be plugged in, so that you can keep up to date on the latest information
- Queues at security points have a tendency to get longer during this kind of situation. So make sure your hand luggage doesn't have any prohibited items in it to ensure you don't add to the problem
Ryanair advises passengers to arrive at the airport early
Ryanair's official X account has an update from this morning at 9.30am CET, saying:
ADVERTISEMENT"We’re currently experiencing disruption across the network due to a Global 3rd party IT outage which is out of our control. We advise all passengers to arrive at the airport at least 3 hours before their scheduled departure time."
It seems that the outage means passengers cannot check-in online as Ryanair advises:
"If you're due to travel today and have not already checked-in for your flight, you can do so at the airport."
Dutch airline KLM grounds flights
KLM seems to be one of the worst affected European airlines so far. They posted about the outage on X, saying: "We’re working hard to resolve the problem. Until then, we will have to largely suspend operations.:
ADVERTISEMENTLufthansa website affected
Lufthansa seems to be less affected than other airlines at present, with only a few delays and cancellations.
They said that on their website: "Currently, the profile and booking retrieval functionality may be limited. We are working on a solution and apologize for any inconvenience caused."
Vueling advises passengers to check their email
Vueling wrote an update in Spanish on X: "We inform you that due to a global computer systems outage, our flight operations could be altered. We are working to minimize the impact on our clients. If your flight is affected we will inform you via email."
Which Europeans airports have delays and cancellations?
Even if an airport or airline is not directly affected currently, there is likely to be a knock-on effect from the worldwide issues.
ADVERTISEMENTZurich airport says that unless a flight is already in the air, no more planes will be allowed to land at the airport. They went on to say: "Check-in must be done manually in some cases. Passengers are advised to check the status of their flight with their airline."
Airports in Spain are run by AENA, they took to X, formerly Twitter, earlier this morning to say there were delays but sent an update with more positive news: "Aena is already recovering some of its systems, after having suffered the effects of a global computer incident that affects companies around the world. All airports are operational but some processes operate more slowly."
A British passenger at Palma de Mallorca airport told the BBC they have been queuing to check in for three hours.
Passengers at Rome airport are experiencing long queues
ADVERTISEMENTHeathrow airport seems to be less affected than the other London airports.
Hamburg airport is experiencing severe problems with four airlines: Turkish Airlines, Eurowings, Ryanair and Vueling.
At Frankfurt airport, flights to Berlin were cancelled until 10.45am CET but all other operations as normal.
Amsterdam's Schiphol airport has reported delays.
ADVERTISEMENT"The outage has an impact on flights flying from and to Schiphol," a spokesperson told the BBC, adding it is not yet clear how many flights are affected.
Berlin airport is reporting delays at checkin, as well as long queues in Terminal 1.
Meanwhile at London's Stansted airport, some check-ins are being done manually but "flights are still operating as normal".
"Our main operational systems are unaffected," a spokesperson says, but "some retail payment machine services have been impacted".
ADVERTISEMENTLondon Gatwick posted on X: "We are affected by the global Microsoft issues, so passengers may experience some delays while checking in and passing through security. Passengers should still arrive for their normal check-in time. We apologise for any inconvenience and are working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible."
Departure screens at Edinburgh airport were down this morning, and a fire alarm in the main terminal building was going off, thought to be have been triggered by the same computer error.
Prague airport said it is "currently beeing affected by an outage of the global check-in system, which is used by a large number of airlines. As a result, some departures are delayed."
US airlines ground flights
Earlier this morning, major US airlines Delta, United and American Airlines grounded flights.
ADVERTISEMENTThis will be having a major knock-on effect at airports around the world.
Can passengers claim compensation if their flight is delayed or cancelled?
At the moment, it is not clear whether passengers will be owed compensation.
Under European law, if a flight is delayed by more than three hours or cancelled entirely, the airline has to offer the passenger another flight or give them a full refund and sometimes compensation.
However there are exceptions to this rule, such as weather conditions as these are out of airlines' control.
ADVERTISEMENTIt remains to be seen who will be liable for today's major issues.
Read our full guide on whether you will or won't be able to claim back compensation.
Have your travel plans been affected by the outage? Get in touch and tell us more via X or Instagram.
