The family of Thorunn Johannesdottir from Vinterbro outside Oslo was hit hard by the flight chaos at the German airport in Frankfurt on Wednesday. The family, which consists of two adults and four children aged 2 to 16, is on its way to Mexico. The journey, which was supposed to take around 18 hours, will take at least 36. And they have to stop by South America. DIGGING HELL: The data problems began when four of Deutsche Telekom’s data cables were destroyed during digging in connection with railway development at Frankfurt-am-Main airport on Wednesday morning. Photo: TIMM REICHERT / Reuters Data cables torn Both ticket orders, check-in and boarding came to a complete standstill for Lufthansa after data cables were torn over in connection with digging. At the airport, which is one of Europe’s busiest, over 200 flights were cancelled. It had ripple effects around the world. On Wednesday evening, the error was corrected. Air traffic has started again, but there are still major delays. DELAYED: Two of the children and dad Christopher Israel Millán Calderón are finally on board the plane to Brazil. Photo: Privat Was offered candy, but no information Departures to and from Norway were also affected by the computer error. The family of Thorunn Johannesdottir met at Gardermoen shortly after 06:00 on Wednesday morning. After being in and out of the Lufthansa plane twice, they finally got off at 12 o’clock. When the family landed in Frankfurt, many hours late, they were met by an information vacuum. – At the airport, all counters were closed when we arrived. The airport was packed. Nobody knew anything. We were met with trolleys with water bottles and sweets, but no information about what happened, she says. Finally they gave up and left the terminal. – Fortunately, we met some journalists outside who helped us get in touch with customer service. 18-hour “detour” via Brazil The offer from Lufthansa was a four-day wait for a new flight to Mexico. They rejected that. The solution was instead that they booked on a flight to Brazil, and on from there with Aeroméxico. After traveling since 6 o’clock Wednesday morning, the family got on the plane to São Paulo just before 10 p.m. That trip takes 10 hours. Then there are four hours of waiting, before the last stretch of six hours from to Mexico City awaits. According to the plan, they will arrive at 18:00 Norwegian time on Thursday – after having been traveling for 36 hours. – We are quite patient, but this has been a test. The lack of information has been the worst, says Johannesdottir. Now wait 2.5 weeks in Mexico. There they will meet grandparents for the first time since before the pandemic. For the youngest, it will be the first meeting with grandfather and grandmother. TASTEFUL: Airline passengers queuing in Terminal 1 in Frankfurt on Wednesday. Photo: Arne Dedert / AP Chaos around the world The story of the Norwegian family should not be unique. In total, around 230 Lufthansa flights were affected by the mining error. Before air traffic resumed, the departure halls were packed. The airport had to reject landings to avoid further chaos and congestion. The failure affected all of Lufthansa’s subsidiaries; Germanwings, Eurowings, Lufthansa Regional and Lufthansa City Line. Over 200 flights were canceled on Wednesday. Here, several planes are waiting on the ground in Frankfurt. Photo: KAI PFAFFENBACH / Reuters Strike at seven airports on Friday – hundreds of flights canceled On Friday there will be new problems for German aviation. Then seven airports will be affected by strikes. New chaos is expected when the labor organization Verdi takes out ground crew and security personnel on strike at the airports in Frankfurt, Munich, Bremen, Dortmund, Hamburg, Hannover and Stuttgart. They demand higher wages and point to increased living costs. The strike comes on the same day that the international security conference in Munich starts. Exceptions will be made for private planes carrying international leaders going to the conference, the airport said in a statement reproduced by the AFP news agency. Many waited in uncertainty in the departure halls while the troubleshooting took place. Photo: KAI PFAFFENBACH / Reuters Passengers have rights Passengers affected by cancellations and delays are advised to contact the airline’s customer service. – The airline is responsible for getting its passengers from their place of departure to their destination, says Sigmund Clementz, who is head of communications at If and European Travel Insurance, to news. – Therefore, contact the airline first to clarify what you are entitled to as a traveler in such a situation, he says, and refers to the Consumer Council’s information page.
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Computer problems at Lufthansa led to a family having a 36-hour flight – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
