Stansted’s Airport chaos Sunday 11th May

Clairemichele3

My family were due to fly out from Stansted on Sunday morning. The airport’s internet had gone down and no one could be checked in. Chaos ensued. We were stuck in amongst hundreds of other passengers. There were no useful announcements. Staff we saw didn’t know anything. Because we were earlier than the worst of it we managed to get labels for our check-in luggage, but couldn’t check it in. Our flight left without most of its passengers and consequently we missed a connecting flight, had to buy another through flight, and get to Gatwick airport to catch it, at our own expense. Can anyone advise if any reimbursement may be available?
Anyone else affected had any success in any direction? 

Hoenir

Clairemichele3 said:

 There were no useful announcements. Staff we saw didn’t know anything. 

That's normally the case when there is a sudden unexpected system failure. 

diveunderthebonnet

What about your travel insurance ?

eskbanker

https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/stansted-airport-flight-delay-rights-it-b2748730.html doesn't express much hope, especially from the airlines, who are clearly not liable - it does suggest that you can try to claim from the airport but without giving any details.

JIL

I was in all the carnage.  I know the staff try their best but nobody seemed to be directing anyone.  Even the staff looked perplexed. 
Some flights were taking off, other airlines were waiting for passengers to get through security. 
The crazy thing to me was passengers were dropping off luggage, at the appropriate desks and then joining a crowd for security. There were no queues and absolutely no organisation here at all.
I cannot believe that a business continuity plan wasnt invoked. Queues could have been managed so much better. For example a number of flights had four hour delays. Including mine. 
Why weren't we directed to a different security desk, to get the earlier flights through more quickly. 

Never mind, a five hour delay and a £5 voucher for light refreshments. The plane we were to catch was late leaving for Majorca, then had to return, before taking us. 
It's not the fact things go wrong, it happens but how its dealt with afterwards that makes the difference. 

Grumpy_chap

Clairemichele3 said:

My family were due to fly out from Stansted on Sunday morning. The airport’s internet had gone down and no one could be checked in. Chaos ensued. We were stuck in amongst hundreds of other passengers. There were no useful announcements. Staff we saw didn’t know anything. Because we were earlier than the worst of it we managed to get labels for our check-in luggage, but couldn’t check it in. Our flight left without most of its passengers and consequently we missed a connecting flight, had to buy another through flight, and get to Gatwick airport to catch it, at our own expense. Can anyone advise if any reimbursement may be available?
Anyone else affected had any success in any direction? 

This sounds like an extraordinary circumstance so UK261 / EU261 compensation is unlikely to be available.

Regardless, what your airline should have offered is care and re-routing.  That did not happen.
However, prior to completing check-in, you made a decision not to persevere with that flight and instead booked an alternative flight departing from a different airport.
That failure to complete check-in may be interpreted by the airline as your being a no show.  Rights to care and re-routing require that you actually presented yourselves for the flight, which you did not.
The original airline may be able to avoid any liability if they can establish that you were a no show.