Angry airport passengers demand compensation after backup-system failure

Stacy Shi

The backup system at Hong Kong International Airport failed to function effectively during a computer system failure on Sunday morning.

A board member of the Airport Authority confirmed that the glitch caused the airport's electronic displays, website, and mobile app to stop showing flight information for at least five hours, leading to flight delays.

The authority said that all displays, including those in the departure halls, arrival halls, boarding gates, and baggage reclaim areas, as well as the airport's website and app, were restored to normal operation after a thorough examination in the early hours.

They advised passengers to refer to the latest flight information and allow sufficient time to check in, as flights were continuing to operate normally.

"Flights continue to operate normally but passengers are advised to refer to the latest flight information and to allow sufficient time to check in," the authority said.

However, lawmakers and experts criticized the unsatisfactory performance of the backup system.

Lawmaker Ben Chan Han-pan, who chairs the Legislative Council's transport panel, said the backup system used a different display format, preventing its information from being projected onto main screens.

Francis Fong Po-kiu, honorary president of the Hong Kong Information Technology Federation, said that a backup system should be able to take over at least 70-80 percent of the original system's operations.

He deemed it unsatisfactory that the airport ultimately resorted to using handwritten whiteboards as an emergency response.

Some passengers missed their flights because they were unaware of their boarding gates. A traveler from Macau who missed his flight to Cebu, Philippines was rebooked on a flight the next morning, but he still had to pay for a hotel room in Hong Kong overnight, and the additional accommodation costs in Cebu were not refundable.

Lawmaker Rock Chen Chung-nin, who is also a member of the Airport Authority Hong Kong, said the airport should offer appropriate compensation to the affected passengers.