Call for an instant quote 0345 90 80 161
Open Mon to Fri 09:00 - 17:30 | Sat 09:00 - 16:00 (GMT)
Or call 0345 90 80 161
05 January 2015 09:29
Stansted airport: a power failure led to massive queues
The Christmas getaway was delayed for thousands of passengers after a power failure a Stansted airport.
The delays began on Monday afternoon (December 22) after the power to a track transit and satellite building was cut. Planes remained able to land and take off, but the queues brought what one Tweeter described as 'ugly scenes' as police held back crowds who were reportedly disgruntled at a lack of information.
The Essex-based airport's officials said that neither the runway nor its main terminal were affected and travellers were being ferried to flights by bus.
Peace of mind
The glitch demonstrates how easily a holiday can start or finish on a low note. Passengers can give themselves peace of mind to guard against this by taking out trusted travel insurance, which can cover you in the event of unforeseen circumstances.
Another Tweeter complained of 'holiday craziness', 'useless staff', an 'appalling' situation and 'no information'.
The electricity, which went off at about 3pm, came back on roughly two hours later, but passengers were warned to expect further knock-on delays.
Two years running
This is the second successive year that electrical failures have hit festive travel plans at English airports. Last Christmas Eve flooding brought serious hold-ups at West Sussex's Gatwick Airport, with numerous flights cancelled due to power failure.
4 million Brits make the Christmas getaway
The Stansted glitch comes as some 4 million travellers were expected to jet off for sunnier climes over the Christmas period, according to Abta.
A total of 430,000 passengers were expected to fly out of Stansted between December 19 and January 3.
The peak airport travel date nationwide is likely to be December 28 after two busy days last weekend (December 20-21).
The most popular festive destinations for Brits this Christmas are:
Winter sun worshippers :
:: Tunisia
:: Canary Islands
:: Cape Verde Islands
:: Morocco
For long-haul flyers, Egypt, Cuba and Mexico proved popular.
19 March 2019
Looking for adventure? Create your perfect Scandinavian weekend with these alternative city break ideas.
[more...]
Lower your blood pressure with these fresh, healthy foods you can add to your diet.
02 March 2019
A Flybe flight was forced to abort take-off due to the cabin filling with "smoke" while it was accelerating along the runway at Exeter Airport.
01 March 2019
Holidaymakers will soon be able to take advantage of the first direct flight from London to Scotland's Western Isles after Loganair announced three new routes.
28 February 2019
Over one in five women in the UK wrongly think a smear test can detect ovarian cancer, new research has revealed.
27 February 2019
One in 10 UK adults over the age of 40 is living with Type 2 diabetes, new analysis suggests - but the real figure could be much higher.
26 February 2019
British Airways has revealed the second of its series of retro liveries being recreated as part of the airline's 100th birthday celebrations.
23 February 2019
The price of a prescription in England is set to rise again, the Government has announced, in a move some campaigners have called disappointing.
22 February 2019
Just half an hour of exercise every morning could be as effective as drugs at lowering daily blood pressure, research suggests.
21 February 2019
A British man accidentally used the wrong passport to fly from Prague to the UK, leaving his friend stranded in the Czech capital.
19 February 2019
Hundreds of passengers have had their travel plans cancelled following the collapse of airline flybmi.
16 February 2019
Holidaymakers were left fuming after a "lack of clarity" over Brexit led a Romanian airline to cancel flights from Liverpool's John Lennon Airport.