Train operator LNER has stepped in to offer delayed airline passengers free standard class rail travel after an Air Traffic Control (ATC) fault has meant flights have been cancelled and severely delayed.
Holidaymakers have been offered an alternative by rail giant LNER in response to thousands of flights either being cancelled or delayed due to the fault that affected both arrivals and departures to and from the UK.
The fault was detected by operators early on Monday, August 28, which quickly saw UK airports forced to delay their flights leaving thousands of passengers waiting in airports.
By 3:15pm yesterday, the National Air Traffic Services (NATS) confirmed the fault had been fixed but disruption is set to continue for “days” as airports scramble to return their flight schedules back to normal.
Read more: Newcastle Airport: Air traffic tech fault affects flights
Travellers will now only have to show their boarding pass to claim the offer that will run today (August 29).
The LNER statement reads: “Following a UK Air Traffic Control technical issue on Monday 28 August 2023, some customers may need to return home earlier than originally planned.
“LNER is offering free Standard Class travel for those affected and for anyone whose flight back to the UK has resulted in them landing at a different airport, or who is travelling on a different date than originally planned, meaning their journey home will involve a trip along the LNER route.
“Customers will be asked to present their airline ticket or boarding pass to make use of this offer, which will run across the 28th and 29th of August 2023.”
Newcastle International Airport issued a statement following the fix, advising customers to check their airline and the status of their flight before they travel.
A Newcastle International Airport spokesperson said: “We understand that the technical issue with National Air Traffic Services is now resolved, but it will take some time for operations to get back to normal.
“There will continue to be significant disruption, and we advise passengers to contact their airline to check the status of their flight.”
Asked about the nature of the incident, Transport Secretary Mark Harper told GB News: “This was a technical fault. We do not think this was a cybersecurity incident.
“And what will happen now with an incident of this magnitude is there will be an independent review.
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“The Civil Aviation Authority will be putting together a report in the coming days, which obviously I will take a look at to see whether there are lessons to learn for the future, to see whether we can reduce the impact of this again.
“It’s nearly a decade since there was a significant issue like this.
“We want to make sure it doesn’t happen again, because of all the disruption that’s been caused to passengers across the country.”
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