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Winter weather strands Christmas travellers:
Snow closes Heathrow
UK: Hundreds of Christmas travellers faced a third day stranded at
London’s Heathrow airport Monday as arctic conditions sparked fresh
flight delays and cancellations.
Heavy snow and thick ice all but closed Heathrow, the busiest
international passenger air hub in the world, over the weekend and
forced holidaymakers to set up camp at the airport on Saturday night.
But there was little respite for people trying to get away for the
festive period at Heathrow and other airports across the country, with
operators admitting that the chaos was set to stretch into Christmas
week.
Britain’s roads and railways were also hit by the harsh winter
weather, with some roads made impassable after drivers abandoned their
vehicles in heavy snow and passengers being ejected onto freezing
platforms from broken-down trains.
With forecasters predicting this month could be the coldest December
for a century, Britain braced for further problems Monday with up to 20
centimetres (eight inches) of snow expected in some places. At Heathrow,
disappointment turned to anger and frustration for Christmas travellers
as their wait dragged on.
Some said they running out of money, while others reported lengthy
queues for toilets and plug sockets for mobile phones. Trevor Taylor,
who had been waiting with his wife and two young sons for a flight for
Singapore for two days, described conditions at Terminal 5 as “absolute
mayhem”.
“Frustration is building up. I’ve been sleeping on a knobbly marble
floor and every space you can see is taken,” the 37-year-old said.
Although passengers were advised to leave the airport if their flight
had been cancelled, treacherous conditions on the roads and fully booked
hotels meant some had no option but to stick it out at the airport, he
said.
There were a handful of arrivals and departures from Heathrow on
Sunday, and the airport warned that disruption was set to continue.
A statement from Heathrow, which is operated by BAA, said the airport
would operate a limited service from 0600 GMT Monday, but warned of
knock-on effects from the weekend shutdown.
London,Monday, AFP |
