• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
TechAir Travel

Passengers Hit by British Airways Glitches and London City Protest

By
David Meyer
David Meyer
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
David Meyer
David Meyer
Down Arrow Button Icon
September 6, 2016, 7:23 AM ET
British Airways Ahead Of Strike
British Airways employees stand outside Terminal 5 at Heathrow airport in London, U.K., on Monday, May 17, 2010. British Airways Plc and the Unite union representing its cabin crew will meet today as mediators intensify efforts to avert a strike set to begin tomorrow and resolve a six-month pay and staffing dispute. Photographer: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesPhotograph by Chris Ratcliff—Bloomberg via Getty Images

British Airways says it is checking in passengers “as normal” on Tuesday, following massive problems with its check-in systems that seem to have affected customers in North America and Europe since Monday.

The carrier, owned by International Consolidated Airlines Group (ICAGY), had to field complaints from people stuck in long queues at airports from Toronto to San Francisco to London.

On top of that, protesters from the Black Lives Matter U.K. movement gained access to the runway at London City Airport and locked themselves together there, blocking all flights at the airport.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

Many BA passengers took to Twitter to complain about the technical difficulties that were affecting their check-in.

We apologize to our customers for the delay and we appreciate their patience as our IT teams work to resolve this issue.

— British Airways (@British_Airways) September 6, 2016

4 hrs delayed & still @ gate. Baggage loading machine broken. Check in system crashed.@British_Airways you can do better than this. #BA218

— michelle poole (@mishpoole) September 6, 2016

@British_Airways @flySFO almost 2 hours waiting to check in due to apparent global system failure. pic.twitter.com/YPB0v2WpMT

— Mark Theunissen (@marktheunissen) September 6, 2016

Some shared pictures of the handwritten boarding passes they had been given.

From Switzerland to London via #BritishAirways.. and the delay continues on plane too..#manualboaringpass
✈ pic.twitter.com/pRKgaJxNET

— Dndna (@Dnd00n) September 6, 2016

“We are checking in customers this morning as normal, although it may take longer than usual,” BA said in a Tuesday statement. “We would encourage customers to check in online before they reach the airport.”

London City Airport is the capital’s smallest airport, mainly serving business passengers—it’s close to the Canary Wharf financial district.

The Black Lives Matter activists said they were protesting there because it serves a “small elite” while thousands of non-European migrants are dying while trying to cross the Mediterranean.

They also said they were protesting against climate change.

Climate crisis is a racist crisis. Cut emissions. Open borders. #Shutdown. pic.twitter.com/IUOaeaTrmw

— #BlackLivesMatterUK (@ukblm) September 6, 2016

About the Author
By David Meyer
LinkedIn icon
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

Disney’s new CEO is exploring a ‘super app’ for theme park tickets, movies and more
Big TechMedia
Disney’s new CEO is exploring a ‘super app’ for theme park tickets, movies and more
By Thomas Buckley, Lucas Shaw and BloombergMay 2, 2026
4 hours ago
Apple raises Mac Mini’s starting price to $799 after AI frenzy drains supply
AIChips
Apple raises Mac Mini’s starting price to $799 after AI frenzy drains supply
By Chris Welch, Mark Gurman and BloombergMay 2, 2026
5 hours ago
Unionized workers form alliance with rich tech giants on AI data centers, pushing back on local opposition and redrawing political lines
AIData centers
Unionized workers form alliance with rich tech giants on AI data centers, pushing back on local opposition and redrawing political lines
By Marc Levy and The Associated PressMay 2, 2026
5 hours ago
Jensen Huang says some CEOs have a ‘God complex’ when it comes to AI apocalypse warnings, which can create shortages of critical workers
AIchief executive officer (CEO)
Jensen Huang says some CEOs have a ‘God complex’ when it comes to AI apocalypse warnings, which can create shortages of critical workers
By Jason MaMay 2, 2026
10 hours ago
Photo of several people working on a presentation together
AICareers
Big Tech is shelling out up to $1 million for new hires who will never have to write a line of code
By Sydney LakeMay 2, 2026
12 hours ago
dario
CommentaryAnthropic
Anthropic’s most powerful AI model just exposed a crisis in corporate governance. Here’s the framework every CEO needs.
By Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Stephen Henriques, Dan Kent and Holden LeeMay 2, 2026
15 hours ago

Most Popular

Scott Bessent on financial literacy: 'it drives me crazy' to see young men in blue-collar construction jobs playing the lottery
Personal Finance
Scott Bessent on financial literacy: 'it drives me crazy' to see young men in blue-collar construction jobs playing the lottery
By Fatima Hussein and The Associated PressMay 1, 2026
2 days ago
Gen Z is rebelling against the economy with ‘disillusionomics,’ tackling near 6-figure debt by turning life into a giant list of income streams
Economy
Gen Z is rebelling against the economy with ‘disillusionomics,’ tackling near 6-figure debt by turning life into a giant list of income streams
By Jacqueline MunisMay 2, 2026
12 hours ago
A Chick-fil-A worker got fired and then showed up behind the register to allegedly refund himself over $80,000 in mac and cheese
Law
A Chick-fil-A worker got fired and then showed up behind the register to allegedly refund himself over $80,000 in mac and cheese
By Catherina GioinoMay 1, 2026
1 day ago
Current price of oil as of May 1, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of May 1, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerMay 1, 2026
2 days ago
Stop donating to Harvard and the Ivy League. There's a better option that MacKenzie Scott already figured out
Commentary
Stop donating to Harvard and the Ivy League. There's a better option that MacKenzie Scott already figured out
By Ed Smith-LewisMay 2, 2026
17 hours ago
The American household just took an 81% margin cut. Wall Street hasn’t priced it in
Commentary
The American household just took an 81% margin cut. Wall Street hasn’t priced it in
By Katica RoyMay 2, 2026
15 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.