Why is Gatwick the first to close?
17 December 2010, 05:11 PM
#31
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We have a girl coming from Poland tomorrow and her flight (to Gatwick) was just cancelled. Stupid and irritating. There isn't even very much snow there are the moment ...
Steve
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17 December 2010, 05:52 PM
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17 December 2010, 06:00 PM
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Remember flying into Boston in about 89 , feet worth of snow around and no delays as far as i remember then travelled 150 miles north and still ok , it was -15 tho
Probably the right kind of snow
Probably the right kind of snow
17 December 2010, 06:42 PM
#38
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Well my boy's flying in from Dublin on Christmas eve so it had better all have been and gone by then
Plus I drive an old Volvo estate RWD which must be about the worst car in the world for coping in the snow. Swedish design - that's a joke
D
Plus I drive an old Volvo estate RWD which must be about the worst car in the world for coping in the snow. Swedish design - that's a joke
D
17 December 2010, 07:02 PM
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Sleasyjet have already cancelled all flights from Shatwick in the morning.
Could be a real bummer for all the skiers planning to travel tomorrow morning, a lot of tour operators fly from there.
Could be a real bummer for all the skiers planning to travel tomorrow morning, a lot of tour operators fly from there.
17 December 2010, 07:10 PM
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My wife just got back last night from Vasteras (near Stockholm) and said all the motorways were covered in compacted snow but nothing ground to a halt.
Her taxi was bombing it's way to the airport with no trouble at all.
All due to the tyres.
18 December 2010, 11:00 AM
#41
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Well, all BA and Easyjet flights are cancelled. My visitor is rescheduled for tomorrow )Easyjet's website making it very easy to do this) although I doubt that will happen.
Steve
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19 December 2010, 10:19 AM
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Well I just think it's funny that the poster picked up on the 'poor' skiers when thousands of people can't get home for Christmas or can't go about their business affairs.
It is them I feel sorry for not some load of pretentious hoorays going 'skiing' which really amounts to not much more than posing and getting pissed!!!
Last edited by f1_fan; 19 December 2010 at 10:21 AM.
19 December 2010, 10:21 AM
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Where is Cameron btw? He told us last year this would not happen on his watch!!! LOL .... quite amusing in that respect really
19 December 2010, 10:50 AM
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Yes LOL
Well I just think it's funny that the poster picked up on the 'poor' skiers when thousands of people can't get home for Christmas or can't go about their business affairs.
It is them I feel sorry for not some load of pretentious hoorays going 'skiing' which really amounts to not much more than posing and getting pissed!!!
Well I just think it's funny that the poster picked up on the 'poor' skiers when thousands of people can't get home for Christmas or can't go about their business affairs.
It is them I feel sorry for not some load of pretentious hoorays going 'skiing' which really amounts to not much more than posing and getting pissed!!!
As for the airports, couldn't believe that BA cancelled flights BEFORE the airport was shut, just because it would *probably* shut later. If I'd been due to fly on one of those flights I'd not be a happy bunny!
But hey, don't worry, the government have it all in hand .... http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/de...llers-stranded ...
"... The transport secretary, Philip Hammond, said he had asked the government's chief scientific adviser to assess whether the country was experiencing a "step change" in weather patterns due to climate change and whether it needed to spend more money on winter preparations. ..."
Dave
19 December 2010, 11:03 AM
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Sorry, but it is not the same as people trying to do business or get home to their families.
19 December 2010, 11:06 AM
#52
I think BA did the right thing; it give folks plenty of advanced notice so when they make checks they know they should stay at home. Which saves them battling the elements to get to the airport only to find after sitting around for several hours, that its then cancelled.
Which is far better than it being cancelled three to four hours before departarture so people are either already stranded at the airport or still on-route to get there (and therefore difficult to phone/check internet to clarify).
It also gives its passengers who are already at the airport a head start to find a free hotel to stay or taxi home before the mass rush starts when the whole airport shuts and every passenger from every other airline tries to go elsewhere. Clever thinking IMO- BA obviously had no faith in the ground crews to cope with the forecast conditions, so made a good judgement call based upon it.
As for goverment contingency: Cameron is currently in talks with Blowfeld to launch a satelite that can change the weather and burn off excess snow on UK by firing laser beams from orbit.
Which is far better than it being cancelled three to four hours before departarture so people are either already stranded at the airport or still on-route to get there (and therefore difficult to phone/check internet to clarify).
It also gives its passengers who are already at the airport a head start to find a free hotel to stay or taxi home before the mass rush starts when the whole airport shuts and every passenger from every other airline tries to go elsewhere. Clever thinking IMO- BA obviously had no faith in the ground crews to cope with the forecast conditions, so made a good judgement call based upon it.
As for goverment contingency: Cameron is currently in talks with Blowfeld to launch a satelite that can change the weather and burn off excess snow on UK by firing laser beams from orbit.
Last edited by ALi-B; 19 December 2010 at 11:07 AM.
19 December 2010, 01:58 PM
#53
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I'm in the Dominican Republic with my Mrs on honeymoon and can't wait to get home, we're due to land on the 24th at 5am in Manchester. We had problems on the way out here due to a few accidents on the road meaning that staff and around 150 passengers couldn't get to the airport, we took off with the minimum amount of staff needed and 6 passengers didn't fly, we were there the recomended 3 hours before the flight and were delayed 4 hours. I really hope that Manchester is open for our return flight as I don't want to spend christmas trying to get home to see our families plus the fact that I am self-employed and have work booked in between christmas and new year and I'm a plumber and winter/the big freeze is the busiest time for me
500 & JenniP1 want a propper meal and are sick of being bitten already!
500 & JenniP1 want a propper meal and are sick of being bitten already!
19 December 2010, 02:32 PM
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I'm in the Dominican Republic with my Mrs on honeymoon and can't wait to get home, we're due to land on the 24th at 5am in Manchester. We had problems on the way out here due to a few accidents on the road meaning that staff and around 150 passengers couldn't get to the airport, we took off with the minimum amount of staff needed and 6 passengers didn't fly, we were there the recomended 3 hours before the flight and were delayed 4 hours. I really hope that Manchester is open for our return flight as I don't want to spend christmas trying to get home to see our families plus the fact that I am self-employed and have work booked in between christmas and new year and I'm a plumber and winter/the big freeze is the busiest time for me
500 & JenniP1 want a propper meal and are sick of being bitten already!
500 & JenniP1 want a propper meal and are sick of being bitten already!
20 December 2010, 12:59 AM
#55
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1. You may be meeting people at the destination, they can't get a refund.
2. There will be ancillary costs, taxi, parking, hotels, etc. that will not be refunded.
3. You may have got a deal which is not available when you rebook using your refund.
4. If you have booked to travel in school holidays you may not be able to get an equivalent holiday until later in the year.
5. If you have a key job you may not be able to just rebook the holiday at a time convenient to you.
6. If your originmal booking was well in advance you may now not get the accommodation or flight times that you prefer.
etc., etc.
20 December 2010, 08:20 AM
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4" of snow in 3 hours caused this. Despite the airfield being deiced before it fell. The volume of snow overwhelmed the glycol and then as the temps fell it all froze. The southern runway wad 3" of solid ice yesterday. As was T1 and T4 and the stands. It's hard to depart aircraft when the tugs can't get enough grip to push them back. And if the stands are full of stuck aircraft you can't accept arrivals.
20 December 2010, 09:11 AM
#57
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Heathrow remained open throughout the snow in Nov/Dec, so why dint you stop talking bull****?
4" of snow in 3 hours caused this. Despite the airfield being deiced before it fell. The volume of snow overwhelmed the glycol and then as the temps fell it all froze. The southern runway wad 3" of solid ice yesterday. As was T1 and T4 and the stands. It's hard to depart aircraft when the tugs can't get enough grip to push them back. And if the stands are full of stuck aircraft you can't accept arrivals.
4" of snow in 3 hours caused this. Despite the airfield being deiced before it fell. The volume of snow overwhelmed the glycol and then as the temps fell it all froze. The southern runway wad 3" of solid ice yesterday. As was T1 and T4 and the stands. It's hard to depart aircraft when the tugs can't get enough grip to push them back. And if the stands are full of stuck aircraft you can't accept arrivals.
Genuine question, not having a pop.
Dave
20 December 2010, 10:09 AM
#58
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And another question.....
They said that aircraft wheels were "stuck" to the ground. OK so why don't they have have something like a golf cart with a big drum of saline solution and pump which buzzes around spraying around the wheels to free them? Sounds a practical idea to me?
dl
They said that aircraft wheels were "stuck" to the ground. OK so why don't they have have something like a golf cart with a big drum of saline solution and pump which buzzes around spraying around the wheels to free them? Sounds a practical idea to me?
dl
20 December 2010, 10:38 AM
#59
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Wow so it stayed open once .. woo hoo. Have flown at least three times from Manchester to Heathrow with three times the amount of snow at Manchester to be diverted elsewhere because Heathrow was struggling with its 10mm LOL!
20 December 2010, 10:39 AM
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Don't know why I'm biting but even if you get a full refund immediately:
1. You may be meeting people at the destination, they can't get a refund.
2. There will be ancillary costs, taxi, parking, hotels, etc. that will not be refunded.
3. You may have got a deal which is not available when you rebook using your refund.
4. If you have booked to travel in school holidays you may not be able to get an equivalent holiday until later in the year.
5. If you have a key job you may not be able to just rebook the holiday at a time convenient to you.
6. If your originmal booking was well in advance you may now not get the accommodation or flight times that you prefer.
etc., etc.
1. You may be meeting people at the destination, they can't get a refund.
2. There will be ancillary costs, taxi, parking, hotels, etc. that will not be refunded.
3. You may have got a deal which is not available when you rebook using your refund.
4. If you have booked to travel in school holidays you may not be able to get an equivalent holiday until later in the year.
5. If you have a key job you may not be able to just rebook the holiday at a time convenient to you.
6. If your originmal booking was well in advance you may now not get the accommodation or flight times that you prefer.
etc., etc.