Text on Text

Oddly enough this was something I was wondering today, wouldn't be it awful on confusing if you had to get a plane the night the clocks went back? For non-UK readers, the slightly archaic practise of putting the clocks back an hour so farmers and other morning people can work in the light persists here. And it happened this Sunday. The actual change comes at 3AM in order to minimize disruption, though of course the aeroplanes are still flying. You can understand how confusing that would be, say, around half two. Have you missed your 2:15 flight or is it in 45 minutes at the 'next' 2:15? Anyway you'd assume there is some flawless procedure to prevent such confusion. Gatwick airport decided instead, however, to heighten it.

Apparently a "glitch" meant that the clocks weren't set back at all in Gatwick. This meant all flights were displayed as an hour late. And just inside Gatwick, Gatwick's information is send directly to Ceefax and Teletext for display as well as there own website. See there's the tenuous link to teletext. Considering most people still use it to check on aeronautical comings and goings it no doubt did cause serious disruption, or at least muddled confusion.

Technological types are speculating that the computer's clock was simply set to the wrong country, therefore didn't know about daylight saving time. Seems too simple but I suppose you should never overestimate the competence of management or underestimate the laziness of workers.