British Airways suffered a major IT failure on the last weekend of February 2022, causing flights to be cancelled and leaving passengers stranded all over the world. The airline’s website and app were inaccessible for some hours on Friday evening, preventing customers from checking in online or booking flights. Travel Places' clients, from Formula 1 and Sky, had flown out to Barcelona to take part in the 2022 pre-season track session. The 3-day event concluded on Friday 25th, with a 300+ travelling group due to return home to the UK over the following days.
The first chartered flight on Friday evening was planned and received without any disruption. With a higher probability of flight disruptions caused by the weather at this time of year, the Travel Places' teams were constantly monitoring flight statuses, ensuring any disruption could be communicated to clients immediately. Around 4:30am on Saturday morning, a member of our team became aware of mass cancellations on BA flights for the upcoming day.
As team travel specialists, we are used to dealing with high-stress environments, approaching any unexpected events with a calm and composed manner. With 300+ F1 team employees, support staff, and media personnel in Barcelona, unaware of the last-minute changes to their upcoming day/weekend, our expertise was essential.
