Virgin Blue flights delayed after Telstra cable malfunction

Several Virgin Blue flights have been cancelled this morning with thousands of passengers stranded after a computer system malfunction restricted the airline’s ability to access its check-in software.

The system malfunction occurred yesterday afternoon but delays will continue this morning as the airline rushes to find replacement flights for stranded passengers.

Passengers at both Melbourne and Sydney airports have been warned to expect delays with passengers whose flights were cancelled yesterday being given first preference.

The system crash was reportedly caused by a damaged Telstra cable, forcing employees to check-in and board passengers manually. Telecommunications technicians were working until late last night to fix the problem.

“Telstra rectified the problem at 10.30pm AEST last night so we can access our systems and that’s all back on track,” spokeswoman Amanda Bolger said in a statement.”We anticipate some delays today with the flow-on impact of the flights that were cancelled.”

About 50 flights have reportedly been cancelled, leaving over 4,000 passengers in need of alternative travel arrangements.

Hundreds have been forced to find emergency accommodation, including pilots and airline crews, while the company has said extra staff have been brought on to help handle the debacle.

Bolger also said there have been a number of cancellations this morning due to different crews being in the wrong location. However, she said the airline is currently working to clear the backlog and shorten delays.

“Those who are based in Melbourne have gone home and will, hopefully, be placed on flights (today),” she told the ABC. “We’re still processing passengers but it’s very slow. It’s very unfortunate but we are working around the clock to alleviate the backlog.”

Bolger also said Virgin Blue staff were calling passengers yesterday in order to inform them of the delays and discuss alternative travel arrangements, hopefully reducing the delays expected to occur today.

The delay comes after Qantas had similar problems last month, with the engineering union threatening to ground planes if demands were not met. However, the company then denied any aircraft would be affected by the action.