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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Whiteboards used as Gatwick flight information screens fail | Whiteboards used as Gatwick flight information screens fail |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Staff at Gatwick Airport are having to write flight information on whiteboards because of a technical problem with the airport's digital screens. | Staff at Gatwick Airport are having to write flight information on whiteboards because of a technical problem with the airport's digital screens. |
| Vodafone provides the service, and said a damaged fibre cable was to blame. | Vodafone provides the service, and said a damaged fibre cable was to blame. |
| "Our engineers are working hard to fix the cable as quickly as possible. This is a top priority for us," it said. | "Our engineers are working hard to fix the cable as quickly as possible. This is a top priority for us," it said. |
| An airport spokesman apologised to passengers affected by the issue, adding that a "handful of people" had missed their flights. | An airport spokesman apologised to passengers affected by the issue, adding that a "handful of people" had missed their flights. |
| Passengers have been advised to use the temporary flight information boards in the departure lounges or listen for airline flight announcements. | Passengers have been advised to use the temporary flight information boards in the departure lounges or listen for airline flight announcements. |
| A spokesman said the information boards stopped working "earlier this morning" but was unable to give a precise time. | |
| A statement said "tens of thousands of people have already departed on time". | |
| Passengers have taken to social media to vent their frustration at the loss of the flight information screens. | |
| Helen Walsh tweeted that the situation was "absolute carnage", while CheerfulChappy said Gatwick Airport was "an embarrassment to the UK, letting a simple IT problem knock out all of the departure info screens". | |
| Elizabeth Humphries tweeted that the situation was "appalling". | |
| "Thank goodness I have eagle-vision and can read messy writing from a distance," she said. | |
| But actress Kirsty Malpass praised the airport staff, saying a lot of people were "scurrying around with markers and erasers" and it was "surprisingly calm and ordered". |