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Heathrow hit by computer glitch
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Officials at the UK's biggest airport were working with airlines to reunite about 3,000 bags with their owners after a computer glitch caused travel chaos at a busy terminal.
The problem affected the baggage and check-in system at Heathrow airport's Terminal 3 (T3) and led to delays and cancellations on Thursday night.
At one point, up to 6,000 passengers were prevented from entering the terminal building after check-in was suspended. Heathrow operator BAA said that two flights had been cancelled, while several were delayed and that about 3,000 bags had missed their flights.
A BAA spokesman added: "We are working with the airlines to rectify this problem. We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience caused to passengers."
T3 is primarily a terminal for long-haul flights for airlines such as Virgin Atlantic, Cathay Pacific, Singapore Airlines and two giant US carriers American Airlines and United.
The problem at T3 comes ahead of a Competition Commission (CC) report due next week into BAA's ownership of Heathrow and six other UK airports.
The CC has already published - in April this year - its "emerging thinking" report on BAA which said that BAA's common ownership of seven airports in the UK "may not be serving well the interests of either airlines or passengers".
The commission added that there was concern about BAA's "apparent lack of responsiveness to the differing needs of its airline customers, and hence passengers, and the consequences for the levels, quality, scope, location and timing of investment and levels and quality of service".
There were also worries about "BAA's approach to the system of planning airport development".
In next week's report, the CC could call for a break-up of the "monopoly" enjoyed by Spanish-run BAA which has faced severe criticism from airlines, passengers and politicians. The commission will also set out its possible remedies which could include the sale of one or more of BAA's seven airports.
