This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-37007908

The article has changed 11 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 6 Version 7
Delta blames power cut for worldwide flight delays Delta: Thousands of passengers stranded by power cut
(about 2 hours later)
US airline giant Delta has blamed a power cut for its decision to suspend flights worldwide and leave hundreds of passengers stranded around the world. Thousands of air passengers around the world have been left stranded after a power cut forced the US airline Delta to suspend flights.
A company statement said the outage caused its computer systems to crash. The incident caused delays across the US and in Japan, Italy and the UK.
Delta now says the grounding of its flights has been lifted and planes will resume flights on a limited basis. Airport check-in systems, passenger advisory screens, the airline's website and smartphone apps were affected by the systems failure on Monday.
But it has warned passengers due to fly still to expect delays and cancellations because of the knock-on effect of the earlier disruption. After six hours, Delta said flights had resumed on a limited basis but warned of continuing delays and cancellations.
"[The] ground stop has been lifted & limited departures [are] resuming following power outage in Atlanta that impacted Delta computer systems," the company tweeted. The airline suspended dozens of departures early on Monday, with airport agents forced to write out boarding passes by hand.
Delta ranks third in the world in terms of most passengers carried, according to industry body the IATA. "Our systems are down everywhere," the company at one point told its customers on Twitter.
The airline has advised customers to check the status of their flight before heading to the airport while the issue is being addressed. Passengers around the world complained of long check-in queues, with many sleeping on the floor.
Inbound flights have not been affected. A Delta statement said the power cut caused its computer systems to crash.
After the problem was resolved, the airline warned that many passengers still faced delays and cancellations because of the knock-on effect of the earlier disruption.
Delta ranks third in the world in terms of passengers carried, according to industry body the IATA.
The airline has advised customers to check the status of their flight before heading to the airport.
The overnight power failure took place in Atlanta, near Delta's headquarters, the company said.The overnight power failure took place in Atlanta, near Delta's headquarters, the company said.
London's Heathrow airport said: "Delta flights from Heathrow are experiencing delays due to the worldwide technical issue with their computer systems." It will damage Delta's reputation for punctuality and lack of cancellations, USA Today commented.
"Check-in is currently operating using a back-up system and airport staff are on hand to assist any passengers that are impacted by the delays." One passenger told the BBC he was waiting with "several hundred" fellow stranded passengers at San Francisco airport, after being asked to leave a plane he had boarded.
One passenger told the BBC he was waiting with "several hundred" fellow stranded passengers at San Francisco airport, after being asked to leave a plane he had already boarded. "We were ordered off the plane after approximately an hour or more," said Dick Ginkowski, who said that tempers were starting to get strained.
"We were ordered off the plane after approximately an hour or more," said Dick Ginkowski.
"Tempers are starting to get just a little bit strained at this point," he added. "They aren't able to rebook anyone on other carriers."
Delta has been responding to unhappy customers on Twitter.Delta has been responding to unhappy customers on Twitter.
Delta serves about 180 million customers a year, employing over 80,000 people, its website says. It began in the 1920s as a crop-dusting company. The airline serves about 180 million customers a year, employing over 80,000 people, its website says.
The airline is the latest to suffer computer problems, with Southwest Airlines last month forced to cancel more than 2,000 flights after an outage prevented travellers checking in. It is the latest carrier to suffer computer problems, with Southwest Airlines last month forced to cancel more than 2,000 flights after an outage prevented travellers checking in.