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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.
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