Answers demanded over airline chaos

17 Dec 2009, 7:16 am   -   Source: AAP
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6,500 Virgin Blue passengers were stranded in Melbourne after a computer fault (AAP)

6,500 Virgin Blue passengers were stranded in Melbourne after a computer fault (AAP)

Virgin Blue is demanding a "please explain" from Telstra after a computer crash left 6,500 passengers stranded in Melbourne.

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Virgin Blue is demanding a "please explain" from Telstra after a computer crash left 6,500 passengers stranded in Melbourne.

The airline had to find hotel accommodation overnight for hundreds of angry passengers, hand out thousands of food vouchers and take another blow to its brand and reputation after a damaged Telstra cable brought down its computers at lunchtime on Tuesday.

Virgin Blue spokeswoman Amanda Bolger says it will be asking Telstra for a full explanation for what happened.

"We will be asking for a full please explain as to what the issue was and why it happened," Ms Bolger told AAP.

She said the backlog of passengers was clearing quicker than expected and all passengers would reach their destinations by late Wednesday.

"We expect all affected guests from yesterday to reach their destination today following a good response from our call out to crew on days off to operate flights to aid our recovery ability," Ms Bolger told AAP.

Complicated fault

Telstra said it was alerted to the fault on Tuesday afternoon and had repaired it by 11pm.

"Our most senior and experienced technical people are treating this issue as their highest priority," a Telstra spokesperson said.

"The problem involves a complex set of interconnected issues across a combination of Telstra and Virgin Blue's systems."

The spokesperson said the exact cause of the fault was not clear cut and remained under investigation.

"While services have resumed, Telstra's senior engineers and executives continue to monitor the situation and work with Virgin Blue to understand what happened and why," the spokesperson said.

Frustrated passengers

A Virgin Blue manager Theo Glavis said many staff "pulled double shifts" and worked until 3am to cope with frustrated passengers.

One fed-up passenger told Network Ten that Virgin Blue "kept changing the goalposts" as it struggled through the chaos.

"They were under pressure but they just kept changing the goalposts - it was just terrible," he said.

The airline put on an extra plane to take passengers to Hobart after every seat on other airlines flying to Tasmania was filled.

Ms Bolger did not want to say if Virgin Blue would be seeking compensation from Telstra, saying the main focus was to get the remaining passengers to their destinations around Australia.

"Most people understand it was a Telstra cable issue - we are as frustrated as what our guests were," Ms Bolger said.

A transport analyst said the computer crash was outside Virgin Blue's control and you would expect most people would not blame them.

"In terms of reputation, it would depend on how they dealt with the situation and how they dealt with customers," Deutsche Bank analyst Cameron McDonald said.

"But you would expect most people to be reasonable and understand that it was an event outside the airline's control."

Strike action

Meanwhile, Qantas and Jetstar engineers from Sydney, Brisbane and Avalon Airport near Melbourne have started a strike today over a pay and condition dispute, but say they won't disrupt flights.

The engineers say Qantas is refusing to negotiate a new collective agreement and hasn't agreed to fatigue management demands or company-sponsored professional development.

They say they're overworked and are often getting less than four hours sleep between jobs.

Senior Industrial Officer Alison Rose says the strike won't see flights cancelled or planes grounded.

The action could continue for up to five business days with more industrial action planned throughout the month and into January.

And in London, British Airways and union leaders have agreed to resume talks to avert a strike, which could throw the Christmas holiday plans of one million travellers into chaos.
 

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