British Airways boss apologises for 'catastrophic' IT failure that caused havoc for 75,000 people

Staff reporter(wp/es):

IT failure which caused chaos for thousands of travellers, but insisted it was down to a “power surge” rather than outsourcing of jobs.

BA flights were brought to a halt at Heathrow and Gatwick on Saturday with 75,000 people affected by the three days of disruption.

The firm was accused of greed after the GMB union suggested the disruption could have been prevented if the beleaguered airline had not cut "hundreds of dedicated and loyal" IT staff and contracted the work to India in 2016.

But the airline's chief executive Alex Cruz said this was not the case, adding that a full investigation would be conducted into the failure which affected 75,000 passengers.

He told Sky News: "I can confirm that all the parties involved around this particular event have not been involved in any type of outsourcing in any foreign country.

"They have all been local issues around a local data centre who has been managed and fixed by local resources."

Mr Cruz said: "On Saturday morning at around 9.30 there was indeed a power surge that had a catastrophic effect over some communications hardware which eventually affected all the messaging across our systems."

He added: "We will have completed an exhaustive investigation on exactly the reasons of why this happened. We will, of course, share those conclusions once we have actually finished them.

"We have no evidence whatsoever that there was any cyber attack of any sort."

Mr Cruz apologised "profusely" for the hardship caused to customers and insisted a similar incident would never happen again.

He further offered assurances that no customer data or any list, including terror watch lists, had been compromised by the glitch.

Mick Rix, national officer for aviation at the union, said at the weekend: "This could have all been avoided.

"In 2016 BA made hundreds of dedicated and loyal IT staff redundant and outsourced the work to India.

"BA have made substantial profits for a number of years, and many viewed the company's actions as just plain greedy."

BA has said it will run a full schedule at Gatwick on Monday and it intends to operate a full long-haul schedule and a "high proportion" of its short-haul programme at Heathrow.

However, the airports advised passengers to check the status of their flights before travelling.

On Saturday night travellers spent the night sleeping on yoga mats spread on terminal floors after BA cancelled all flights leaving the London hubs, while disruption continued into Sunday with dozens more services from Heathrow axed.

The IT outage had a knock-on effect on BA services around the world, while passengers who did get moving on the limited number of flights to take off from the UK reported arriving at their destinations without their luggage.

The disruption also hit transport systems on the ground, with hundreds of travellers flooding London's King's Cross station in hope of boarding a train north instead.

Experts predict the knock-on effect could continue for several days and BA is facing huge compensation costs, with reports suggesting the bill could top £100 million.

Mr Cruz said the airline was "committed" to following all compensation rules.

British Airways: turmoil continues after IT failure grounds flights

Staff reporter(wp):

Disruption from a major British Airways IT failure that affected more than 1,000 flights on Saturday has continued into a second day, leaving more passengers stranded.

After all the airline’s flights from Heathrow and Gatwick were grounded on Saturday, services resumed but with cancellations and delays.

By 11am, 36 flights from Heathrow had been cancelled and 36 had departed, the BBC reported. There were no cancellations at Gatwick but passengers experienced delays of about 30 minutes.

Both airports advised passengers to check the status of their flights after terminals became congested on Saturday with travellers hoping to get away for the long weekend and half-term school holiday.

Welsh international table tennis player Chloe Thomas, whose 7.30am flight to Germany for the World Table Tennis Championship in Düsseldorf was cancelled at the last minute after she arrived four hours before the scheduled departure time, described chaotic scenes.

“It’s chaos, people are running about all over the place trying to rebook,” she said. “There’s no one to help, no leadership. There are lots of people everywhere. There’s nowhere to sit, so people are just lying on the floor, sleeping on yoga mats.”

She said airport staff had handed out the mats, as well as thin blankets, for people who were stuck there overnight. She added that one of the shops had already sold out of food. Passengers faced long lines to check in, rebook or find lost luggage.

Melanie Ware, who flew in from Los Angeles and was trying to get to Venice on her honeymoon, told Sky News: “We rebooked for Venice for tonight, which they also have cancelled now. So we have no way of getting out of Heathrow and they haven’t compensated us for anything, and we’re stuck and this is the worst honeymoon ever. British Airways has ruined our honeymoon.”

King’s Cross station in London was packed with people trying to make their way north, with travellers queuing out of the doors and on to the platform for the 9am train to Edinburgh.

Those that could not get on ran to the doors of the next service at 9.30am when the platform was announced, but were met with a warning from the train guard that seats could not be guaranteed for all passengers.

Some passengers lucky enough to board one of the few flights taking off on Saturday later found their luggage had not made it on to the plane with them.

Terry Page, 28, from London, flew from Heathrow to Fort Worth, Texas, where he and about 50 other passengers were told they would have to wait until Monday before being reunited with their bags.

BA, which is facing huge compensation costs as a result of the disruption, was unable to say how many flights would be cancelled or how for long the disruption was likely to continue. Experts predict the knock-on effect, with many planes not in the right place, could continue for several days

The airline said it was aiming to operate a near-normal schedule at Gatwick and the majority of services from Heathrow on Sunday.

A spokesman said: “Our focus is on updating customers and doing what we can to get them to their destinations as quickly as possible.”

The glitch is believed to have been caused by a power supply issue and there is no evidence of a cyber-attack, the airline said. It has denied a claim by the GMB union that BA’s decision to outsource hundreds of IT jobs to India last year was behind the problems.

There were issues with its online check-in systems in September and July last year, causing severe delays for passengers.

Cancelled flight? Know your rights

Passengers have some rights under EU law to claim compensation for delayed or cancelled flights for services that departed within the EU or were operated by a European airline.

Delays of more than three hours for short-haul flights (up to 1,500km or 930 miles) get compensation of €250 (£218); while the figure is €400 for medium-haul trips (1,500km to 3,500km).

For long-haul flights (more than 3,500km), delays of between three and four hours have compensation set at €300; for delays longer than four hours the figure is €600.

Airlines are required to give passengers food and drinks for delays of more than two hours, as well as hotel accommodation for overnight delays and transfers.

Police release CCTV pictures of Manchester bomber

Pic:Greater Manchester police handout of of Salman Abedi taken from CCTV footage of the night of the Manchester Arena attack.
Crime reporter(wp):

Pictures of the Manchester bomber on his way to the arena where he carried out Britain’s worst terrorist attack in 12 years have been released by police. CCTV footage shows Salman Abedi, 22, shortly before his suicide attack on an Ariana Grande concert at Manchester arena on Monday night.

The CCTV images show Abedi in glasses, wearing a black puffa jacket, baseball cap, jeans and trainers and carrying the rucksack containing the device that killed 22 people and injured 119 others.

Police believe he assembled his deadly bomb in a rented Airbnb flat in a mansion block on Granby Row in the city centre, near Canal Street. The flat is one of 17 locations searched by forensic experts in the past few days. Fourteen searches were continuing on Saturday night.

Detectives know that Abedi returned to the UK from Libya on 18 May, four days before the bombing. They hope the images will jog the memories of people who may have seen him in the run-up to the attack.

In a statement released on Saturday night, hours after the terrorism threat level in the UK was reduced from critical to severe, Greater Manchester’s police chief, Ian Hopkins, and its deputy assistant commissioner, Neil Basu, said the investigation was making good progress.

Thirteen people have so far been arrested on suspicion of terrorism offences, police said. A thousand people are involved in the investigation to Abedi’s network.

“In the past five days we have gathered significant information about Abedi, his associates, his finances, the places he had been, how the device was built and the wider conspiracy. As a result of the arrests and searches which have taken place, we now have many further lines of inquiry. We already have more than 1,500 actions we are pursuing,” the officers said.

“Since Monday night, Greater Manchester police and Counter Terrorism Policing North-West have been working closely with the national counter-terrorism policing network on what continues to be a large-scale and fast-moving investigation.

“The investigation is making good progress and we know one of the last places Abedi went was the city centre flat, and from there he left to make his way to the Manchester Arena. The flat is highly relevant as a location which we believe may be the final assembly place for the device.”

The latest arrests took place in the early hours of Saturday morning during a raid in Cheetham Hill, a multicultural area of north Manchester. Two men aged 20 and 22 were taken into custody. Neighbours identified Yahya and Mohamed Werfalli, aged 20 and 22, as two of the occupants of the raided house. They were said to be of Libyan descent and part of the same friendship groups as the Manchester bomber.

Shortly after those arrests, armed officers arrived at a terraced house in Boscombe Street, on the Moss Side/Rusholme border, near the site of Manchester City’s old Maine Road ground. Some residents were evacuated as bomb disposal experts from the army carried out investigations in the property.

In their joint statement, the senior officers revealed details on how the investigation unfolded following the bomb, which detonated around 10.30pm on Monday just as the concert finished.

Firearms officers from across the country were deployed to support GMP in case of a further attack. More officers from around the national counter-terrorism policing network across the UK soon arrived. “By early Tuesday morning there was an established pattern, with all officers and staff working on the response to the attack in day and night shifts of approximately 14 hours each,” the senior officers said.Within an hour, GMP had set up a specialist counter-terrorism control room, with a first priority of identifying the attacker. “Specialist counter-terrorist forensic teams were sent to try and identify the attacker and within two hours his identity was known. With this information, officers could begin to establish his movements to try and understand if anyone else was linked or any more attacks planned,” the statement said.

They added: “The whole team are working round the clock. We have around 1,000 people involved in the investigation alone. In addition, there are hundreds of officers and staff from Greater Manchester Police and other forces involved in the security around Greater Manchester.

“This is still a live investigation, which is not slowing down. Our priorities are to understand the run-up to this terrible event and to understand if more people were involved in planning this attack.”

Murder hunt after woman stabbed to death in south London

Crime reporter(wp/es):

A murder hunt was under way today after a woman was stabbed to death in the street in south London.

The woman, who is in her 30s, died at the scene after being attacked in Aubyn Hill, West Norwood shortly after 7pm last night. 

Scotland Yard said there had been no arrests.

Police are seeking an attacker who is understood to be known to the victim.

Sadiq Khan asks Muslims to pray for Manchester bombing victims in holy month of Ramadan

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Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has asked London’s Muslim community to pray during Ramadan for those affected by the “appalling and cowardly” attack on Manchester Arena.

In a video statement to mark the beginning of Islam’s holy month, Mr Khan wished Muslims in London and elsewhere a “peaceful and blessed” Ramadan, adding that: “This year in particular our thoughts and prayers go out to all those affected by the appalling and cowardly attack in Manchester just a few days ago, and of course to those affected by the Westminster attack in March.”

He said: “As Ramadan gets underway, I’d like to take this opportunity to extend my very warmest wishes to Muslims both in London and across the world, as we observe this holy month.

“And I hope that all of those who are fasting during these long summer days will find strength and solace in their daily routine.”

Mr Khan added that charitable donations made during Ramadan as the Muslim community comes together make “a huge difference to the lives of those in need”. 

Striking a tone of openness, ended his address with a plea for good interfaith relations.

“Here in London we show that we don’t simply tolerate different faiths, we respect and celebrate them too,” he said, adding: “Our diversity is what makes London the greatest city in the world.”

Plans to link east and West End with city's first 'healthy street'

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Plans have been unveiled to link the East End and West End with London’s first “healthy street”.

London Cycling Campaign is calling for a radical transformation of the so-called “London Boulevard” route from Old Street to Oxford Street via Clerkenwell Road and Theobalds Road.

It wants to turn central London’s “third busiest” cycle route into a safer and less polluted two-mile stretch, with a “cafe society” alfresco atmosphere. 

Some 7,000 cyclists use the east-west route each day despite high levels of traffic and high collision rates. 

The LCC believes its vision fits Mayor Sadiq Khan’s “healthy streets” policy, which seeks to improve air quality, reduce congestion and make public spaces more attractive.

It would also link with proposals for Old Street roundabout, which would convert one of London’s busiest gyratories into a two-way layout, enabling the centre of the roundabout to be transformed and boosting the area’s status as “Tech City”. Simon Munk, LCC’s infrastructure campaigner, said the aim was to provide support for schemes from Transport for London and Camden and Islington councils.

He said: “Tottenham Court Road station is being transformed by Crossrail and there is the Mayor’s pedestrianisation of Oxford Street to come. This [route] is one of the busiest roads in London but it’s incredibly polluted and insanely noisy. The knock-on effect of pedestrianising Oxford Street is going to be huge. There is a huge opportunity to look again at the streets east of Oxford Street.”

The Mayor has yet to decide if cyclists will be allowed to use the pedestrianised Oxford Street. If cyclists are banned, LCC wants a parallel route. At Old Street, TfL proposals first consulted on two years ago — to create a “peninsula” in the centre of the junction by closing the roundabout’s north-east side — are understood to be moving forward.

Ben Plowden, TfL’s director of surface strategy and planning, said he welcomed ideas that improved conditions for cyclists and pedestrians. 

A mayoral spokesman said extended cycle routes were an important part of their “healthy streets” vision.

Student sentenced to 15 years for planting bomb on London tube

Pic: Damon Smith was found guilty of possession of an explosive substance with intent at the Old Bailey in London
Crime reporter(wp):

An autistic student has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for planting a homemade bomb, built according to instructions in an online magazine linked to al-Qaida, on a London Underground train during morning rush hour.

Damon Smith, 20, constructed the rucksack bomb, which was filled with ball-bearing shrapnel, using a £2 clock from Tesco as an improvised timer, after reading an article titled How To Build a Bomb in the Kitchen of your Mum. It did not go off.

On Friday morning, he smiled in the dock at the Old Bailey in London as the judge, Richard Marks QC, sentenced him to 15 years in a young offender institution, with an extended period of five years on licence. Marks said although Smith had an interest in Islam, he was not motivated by terrorism.

Smith had pleaded guilty to perpetrating a bomb hoax, claiming he intended the device to work as a smoke bomb to stop the train “for a bit of fun”. But after a five-day trial at the Old Bailey, he was found guilty on 3 May of possession of an explosive substance with intent, contrary to the 1883 Explosive Substances Act.

Sentencing him, Marks said: “Quite what your motives were and what your true thinking was in acting as you did is difficult to discern with any degree of clarity or certainty.

“Whatever the position, the seriousness of what you did cannot be overstated, not least against the background of the fear in which we all live from the use of bombs here and around the world, an all too timely reminder of which were the events in Manchester earlier this week.”

Smith has Asperger syndrome and had a keen interest in weapons, which might have been connected to his condition, the jury was told during his trial. He was also interested in gambling and Islam, and had collected photos of extremists, including the ringleader of the 2015 Paris attacks.

He was 19 and studying forensic computing at London Metropolitan University when he left the rucksack containing the bomb on a Jubilee line train on the morning of 20 October 2016. Passengers discovered the device and alerted the driver, triggering a major security alert.

The jury heard that had the bomb worked, it would have detonated as people were being evacuated from North Greenwich tube station.

Smith was Tasered and arrested near Holloway Road in north London the following day. Counter-terrorism officers who subsequently searched his former home in Newton Abbot, Devon, evacuated nearby houses after discovering another possible homemade bomb hidden in the attic.

A search of Smith’s home in Rotherhithe, south-east London, where he had moved with his mother after starting university, found a blank-firing, self-loading pistol and a BB gun, both bought legally, as well as a knuckleduster and a knife that he had showed off in an online video.

Police also found shredded paper with bombmaking instructions on them and a shopping list for “pressure cooker bomb materials” on an iPad he used. The note included a reminder to “keep this a secret between me and Allah #InspireTheBelievers”.

Smith’s barrister, Richard Carey-Hughes QC, said in mitigation that it was a tragic case for Smith and his mother. “This is a difficult climate to ask for mercy for someone convicted of this type of offence,” he said, referring to the suicide bombing at a concert in Manchester on Monday that killed 22 people.

“Nevertheless, we do so and we invite my lord to extend mercy. This case is different. It seems unique and so is this young man.”

In his defence, extracts of a psychiatric report were read out confirming an autism spectrum disorder. Smith had been interested in bombmaking since he was 10 and said it was “something to do when he was bored”.

On the first day of his trial, the judge asked the jury to disregard Smith’s smile as he listened to the prosecution outline the case against him. Smith was “acutely aware that he’s presenting himself in a manner that is odd and unsympathetic”, Carey-Hughes said. On the last full day of his trial, he declined to go into the witness box.

But Marks concluded that Smith was a dangerous offender, telling him: “I am influenced by your history of preoccupation with weapons and bombs, as well as by your condition, which makes it difficult for you to empathise with others and to understand and fully appreciate the very serious potential consequences of your actions, as this incident amply demonstrates.”