Passengers denied compensation after Stansted and Heathrow disruptions

Passengers at Stansted and Heathrow have been left out of pocket after being prevented from reaching departure gates by airport problems, but told they cannot claim compensation from the airports. At Stansted, one traveller, JF, said a fire in a departure lounge closed the terminal.

He and others waited outside in the early hours for nearly two hours, then faced a further hour before security reopened. Their flight left empty to maintain schedules and they were rebooked for the next day, incurring more than In a separate incident at Heathrow, FN and her husband missed a flight to Istanbul after a software upgrade to traffic lights closed the road tunnel serving Terminals 2 and 3.

She described being kettled on an overcrowded station forecourt for over an hour, with lifts continuing to bring more passengers, a non-functioning public address system and staff who appeared unprepared. They were unable to find an alternative flight and abandoned their trip. Both airports refused compensation claims.

Stansted advised affected travellers to claim from their airline or insurer, saying the incident was "beyond our control" and that decisions on departures rest with airlines. Heathrow said the tunnel closure was temporary, denied passengers were held for an hour and said contingency measures were in place to manage flows.

Key Topics

Tech, United States, Business, Airports, Flight Delays, Compensation, Caa