The beloved saying 'To travel is to live' faces a major setback in Australia, as recent nationwide IT malfunctions have resulted in utter chaos at airports.

The day started like any other, with excited travellers embarking on their journeys to various planned destinations.

Little did they know the unexpected chaos that awaited them.

On Thursday, multiple reports emerged, revealing extensive delays at international flight check-in points across Australian airports. The culprit? A major outage of the passport processing system.

Travellers reported lengthy delays at check-in for international flights at Australian airports nationwide due to a major outage. Credit: Shutterstock.

Holidaymakers were stranded in long queues, waiting for their passports to be processed.

An Australian Border Force spokesperson provided some insight into the unusual hold-up, confirming it was the service provider's issue who manages the Advanced Passenger Processing systems.

For those wondering, it's the nifty system that cross-checks and validates if a traveller possesses the proper documents and authority to leave the country before boarding.

'The system outage is affecting the APP in all international check-in points,' the spokesperson informed a news outlet.

Considering the magnitude of the issue, immediate measures were initiated. 'We are working with the service provider to assist with resolving the matter urgently.'

The ripples of this situation reached far and wide. Certain spots reportedly experienced an hour-long wait due to this unexpected glitch. Amidst the turmoil, Brisbane Airport managed to provide an update on Thursday evening.

They revealed that Border Force was tirelessly working to rectify 'a global issue with their Advanced Passenger Processing System which is affecting the speed of check-in'.

For those with plans to jet off amidst this chaos, remember to take a lesson from this recent hiccup. 'International passengers travelling today should arrive three hours prior to departure. Check flight status with your airline,' Brisbane Airport recommended.

Meanwhile, not letting the waiting periods dampen their spirits, some flyers shared their experiences on social media.

One traveller leaving Brisbane named it the 'nationwide outage of the passport system' and expressed uncertainty about their flight delay period. Another holidaymaker reported 'long queues' forming on Thursday morning at Melbourne Airport.

Amid the chaos, Australian Border Force staff are doing what Aussies do best: keeping calm and carrying on. They are manually processing passengers where applicable. However, it remains unclear how long this situation will last.

Key Takeaways

• A major outage caused lengthy delays at check-in for international flights at Australian airports nationwide.
• The outage affected the Advanced Passenger Processing systems, which confirms a traveller's authority to leave the country.
• Delays of up to an hour were experienced at some locations.
• Australian Border Force staff had to manually process passengers where applicable as efforts were made to resolve the situation.

So, if you have a flight coming up, remember to give yourself some extra time, stay in the loop about any delays, and, most importantly, keep that trusty passport within arm's reach!

Have you ever encountered any delays during your travels? We'd love to hear from you in the comments section below! Share your stories and any helpful advice that could make life easier for fellow travellers.

 

[Ricki]

The beloved saying 'To travel is to live' faces a major setback in Australia, as recent nationwide IT malfunctions have resulted in utter chaos at airports.

The day started like any other, with excited travellers embarking on their journeys to various planned destinations.

Little did they know the unexpected chaos that awaited them.

On Thursday, multiple reports emerged, revealing extensive delays at international flight check-in points across Australian airports. The culprit? A major outage of the passport processing system.

View attachment 24561

Travellers reported lengthy delays at check-in for international flights at Australian airports nationwide due to a major outage. Credit: Shutterstock.

Holidaymakers were stranded in long queues, waiting for their passports to be processed.

An Australian Border Force spokesperson provided some insight into the unusual hold-up, confirming it was the service provider's issue who manages the Advanced Passenger Processing systems.

For those wondering, it's the nifty system that cross-checks and validates if a traveller possesses the proper documents and authority to leave the country before boarding.

'The system outage is affecting the APP in all international check-in points,' the spokesperson informed a news outlet.

Considering the magnitude of the issue, immediate measures were initiated. 'We are working with the service provider to assist with resolving the matter urgently.'

The ripples of this situation reached far and wide. Certain spots reportedly experienced an hour-long wait due to this unexpected glitch. Amidst the turmoil, Brisbane Airport managed to provide an update on Thursday evening.

They revealed that Border Force was tirelessly working to rectify 'a global issue with their Advanced Passenger Processing System which is affecting the speed of check-in'.

For those with plans to jet off amidst this chaos, remember to take a lesson from this recent hiccup. 'International passengers travelling today should arrive three hours prior to departure. Check flight status with your airline,' Brisbane Airport recommended.

Meanwhile, not letting the waiting periods dampen their spirits, some flyers shared their experiences on social media.

One traveller leaving Brisbane named it the 'nationwide outage of the passport system' and expressed uncertainty about their flight delay period. Another holidaymaker reported 'long queues' forming on Thursday morning at Melbourne Airport.

Amid the chaos, Australian Border Force staff are doing what Aussies do best: keeping calm and carrying on. They are manually processing passengers where applicable. However, it remains unclear how long this situation will last.

Key Takeaways

• A major outage caused lengthy delays at check-in for international flights at Australian airports nationwide.
• The outage affected the Advanced Passenger Processing systems, which confirms a traveller's authority to leave the country.
• Delays of up to an hour were experienced at some locations.
• Australian Border Force staff had to manually process passengers where applicable as efforts were made to resolve the situation.

So, if you have a flight coming up, remember to give yourself some extra time, stay in the loop about any delays, and, most importantly, keep that trusty passport within arm's reach!

Have you ever encountered any delays during your travels? We'd love to hear from you in the comments section below! Share your stories and any helpful advice that could make life easier for fellow travellers.

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