Just looking at the weather on the news, more snow is expected in the South on Monday evening. :eek:. I think people should consider, don't go on holiday and get the hell home. What if this happens again straight after Christmas like last year, then the same people won't be able to get back.
He was in a bit of a panic over his medication as he's running low (he's been stranded there for a few days now on what was supposed to be a short trip and he's got kids to buy presents for, etc.). I tried to calm him down by pointing out that Finland is hardly a Third World country and he should ask someone in the airport for advice on how to get a prescription sorted and the location of the nearest Toys'r'us or whatever the Finnish equivalent is.
I think the stress is getting to him a bit, poor guy. He's not used to business travel. He should try going to a warzone, that would give him a reality check, it certainly did me .
Finland is hardly Afghanistan as you say - its more first world than the UK. The airport probably has a medical service to help out - and a pharmacy too. Also plenty of shops too.
I'm due to fly from Heathrow tomorrow to Las Vegas at 3.25pm.
I have checked in online and the website says the flight is due to go - fingers crossed.
But if its cancelled as long as I know before I leave home then what can anyone do - just one of those things.
Good luck to anyone travelling.
I'm due to fly from Heathrow tomorrow to Las Vegas at 3.25pm.
I have checked in online and the website says the flight is due to go - fingers crossed.
But if its cancelled as long as I know before I leave home then what can anyone do - just one of those things.
Good luck to anyone travelling.
It annoys me when people start saying "don't go on holiday!" - some people are trying to get home! A couple of very good old friends of mine have been at Heathrow since yesterday morning, trying to get home to New Zealand to their family for Christmas. They have been over here for a couple of months, doing some work, visiting elderly parents, and friends, and now they want to go home. They're not selfishly off on an exotic holiday, they're going home.
I'm due to fly from Heathrow tomorrow to Las Vegas at 3.25pm.
I have checked in online and the website says the flight is due to go - fingers crossed.
But if its cancelled as long as I know before I leave home then what can anyone do - just one of those things.
Good luck to anyone travelling.
The airlines won't know yet what can or can't operate into (the aircraft you travel on has to come in from somewhere) or out of the airport. There are hourly meetings to get updates, and then the website is updated with cancellation info as and when it's found out. They will update the wrbsite as fast as they can, but unles BAA come out with a 'everythign is cancelled' message, it will take time to work out which flights to operate/cancel, whereis the aircraft, where are the crew for the aircraft, can they crew it (can the crew get to LHR). It all takes time.
I think the problem at LHR is that the aircraft simply froze on the spot - being a few miles north of LHR, I know what they mean. I had to deice my car this afternoon. It took ages, and there were large embedded bit of ice on it. I only had to drive the blimmin thing - I wouldn't want to have to fly an aircraft anywhere without knowing it was completely de-iced, and I don't think they can do it fast enough. Plus there are more aircraft on the ground than normla, so they need to get rid of some before they can take any arrivals.
It annoys me when people start saying "don't go on holiday!" - some people are trying to get home! A couple of very good old friends of mine have been at Heathrow since yesterday morning, trying to get home to New Zealand to their family for Christmas. They have been over here for a couple of months, doing some work, visiting elderly parents, and friends, and now they want to go home. They're not selfishly off on an exotic holiday, they're going home.
Even if they were going on holiday it is not selfish. It is up to the individual what they do during Christmas
Flightradar24 currently shows Gatwick, Luton and Stansted still pretty busy with take-offs and landings. Very occasional landings at LHR, and some flights in and out of London City despite the late hour for them.
Flightradar24 currently shows Gatwick, Luton and Stansted still pretty busy with take-offs and landings. Very occasional landings at LHR, and some flights in and out of London City despite the late hour for them.
It frustrates me when people say "but countries in Scandinavia, Canada cope, etc." They cope because not only do they have the clearing operations already in operation before the snow hits. But the airports are located with topography in mind so that they are as close to the warmest point of that region (averagely the coasts) and at sea-level so that height doesn't become a factor.
The UK airports were predominantly built over airfields already built hastily in WW2, so are exposed to the elements and are in open-fields away from Residential Areas. The majority of the International HUBS (Gatwick, Heathrow, Manchester) are inland, thus take the brunt of combined factors of height & dew points.
Working a few years ago at Manchester myself landside & airside I can say don't rely on customer management once you arrive to the airport. They are already contending with thousands of other passengers and will not prioritise anyone. The people already at the airport (ground staff, shop management, airfield maintenance) would already be under enough stress working all-hours trying to keep operations going with the backlog in mind, nevermind the already thousands of people complaining to individuals whose job roles has nothing to do with the booking departments. All you can really do is either ring up the handling agency, or avoid the situation altogether & await for compensation.
Finland is hardly Afghanistan as you say - its more first world than the UK. The airport probably has a medical service to help out - and a pharmacy too. Also plenty of shops too.
Hope he is ok!
He says he's OK and in a rather nice hotel. Work have told him that there will be no trouble getting any expenses reimbursed if the airline decide to wriggle out of paying for things. I think he's enjoying himself now his meds have been sorted (apparently the doctor at the hotel was very attractive) and he's seen how nice the hotel is!
Comments
Excellent news. More time off work in the hot sun
Gatwick Christmas day for me. Hopefully it will be all over by then.
Finland is hardly Afghanistan as you say - its more first world than the UK. The airport probably has a medical service to help out - and a pharmacy too. Also plenty of shops too.
Hope he is ok!
Hopefully some will, but may not get back.
IIRC, some of it is stuck elsewhere because they can't deliver it because of ... snow.
LGW is doing it's best, but people (not you) will moan.
Location - or are BAA aiports being found out here?
I have checked in online and the website says the flight is due to go - fingers crossed.
But if its cancelled as long as I know before I leave home then what can anyone do - just one of those things.
Good luck to anyone travelling.
Good luck!
I think the problem at LHR is that the aircraft simply froze on the spot - being a few miles north of LHR, I know what they mean. I had to deice my car this afternoon. It took ages, and there were large embedded bit of ice on it. I only had to drive the blimmin thing - I wouldn't want to have to fly an aircraft anywhere without knowing it was completely de-iced, and I don't think they can do it fast enough. Plus there are more aircraft on the ground than normla, so they need to get rid of some before they can take any arrivals.
It's a mess.
Even if they were going on holiday it is not selfish. It is up to the individual what they do during Christmas
LHR looking really dead at the moment. I haven't seen anything move for ages.
http://casper.frontier.nl/egkk/
Well yes, absolutely, but I was just pointing out that not everybody flying somewhere at the moment is going on holiday.
And BA 247 is off to Sao Paolo
The UK airports were predominantly built over airfields already built hastily in WW2, so are exposed to the elements and are in open-fields away from Residential Areas. The majority of the International HUBS (Gatwick, Heathrow, Manchester) are inland, thus take the brunt of combined factors of height & dew points.
Working a few years ago at Manchester myself landside & airside I can say don't rely on customer management once you arrive to the airport. They are already contending with thousands of other passengers and will not prioritise anyone. The people already at the airport (ground staff, shop management, airfield maintenance) would already be under enough stress working all-hours trying to keep operations going with the backlog in mind, nevermind the already thousands of people complaining to individuals whose job roles has nothing to do with the booking departments. All you can really do is either ring up the handling agency, or avoid the situation altogether & await for compensation.
He says he's OK and in a rather nice hotel. Work have told him that there will be no trouble getting any expenses reimbursed if the airline decide to wriggle out of paying for things. I think he's enjoying himself now his meds have been sorted (apparently the doctor at the hotel was very attractive) and he's seen how nice the hotel is!
My mum & dad are due to fly into heathrow from ireland on thursday.
I'm trying not to get my hopes up too much