f1_fan

iTrader: (9)

While I sympathise with the conditons and the difficulties arising from them I do find the fact the media are banned from the terminals and from interviewing the stranded passngers a little bit OTT.

To me it is an admission the airport has f**ked up and given they have now said there is a there is a significantly reduced service until at least Friday now it really does look a bit shambolic and like they don't want to face up to the mess.

Lord knows how much money this has cost the economy

DYK

So they will have nothing to report about now then..

Better go do some work and find something quick

Funkii Munkii

BAA have been a shambles imho, you can lay the blame solely at their door for this debacle, totally screwed every airline up, passenger and cargo wise.

I wonder if they'll get the southern runway operating today, they clearly cant clear an airfield of 3 inches of snow I guess they'll rely on the thaw to do their work for them.

Leslie

Did not know they were doing that. Not a very impressive thing to try to hide what is happening.

Les

Rescue Dude

iTrader: (11)

They better pull their fingers out as my brother is flying home from India tomorrow morning!!! (touch wood)

hodgy0_2

my little man, Orlando (11yrs) is stuck in Washington DC, was supposed to be back via Heathrow yesterday, he has been on a choral tour in the US with Jesus College Choir

now due to fly Xmass eve back Xmass day

David Lock

Chap on the radio was saying that O'Hare, Chicago, had never had to close due to weather. Third busiest in world. Christmas forecast is snow and down to -10.

? ?

dl

boxst

A few news channels yesterday were encouraging people to call anyone stuck in the terminals to video the chaos and email it to them.

Steve

Ant

That's ****

FlightMan

Some real BS being quoted on here. Funkii you should know better mate.

Ask the handling agents how much de-icer they have left for the aircraft. Not much good having two runways if there's not enough for a full schedule is it?

The media has about 10% of this story right. The rest is slightly wrong, partially wrong, totally wrong, and Scoobynet wrong.

Markus

There has been a bit of a **** up on the snow clearing front, however, don't forget that this is the UK, so we're not used to such a large volume of snow, and so aren't prepared for it. I reckon last years storms were written off as a bit of a freak, but now it's happened two years in a row, perhaps they'll see it could be normal and should be better prepared.

Other airports mentioned are, I think, in areas where there is usually at least one large snowstorm during winter, and a lot of snow hanging around, and so they are, and have been, for many years, prepared for it all.

I do agree it's a little off banning media from the airport, but I'm sure tempers are very frayed and having a reporter who isn't stuck trying to get somewhere, shove a microphone in your face could be more than slightly annoying, and that might be one of the reasons, but the main one is probably to avoid the bad press they are getting.

tarmac terror

iTrader: (2)

it would seem they cant get anything right. Passengers could easily voice their comments and concerns on a web page or a social networking site from their phone laptop and LHR management have now given the media another headline grabbing news story. Their media and PR department really must earn their wage!!!!

David Lock

http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/feature...illation.shtml


Simples

dl


Roughly translated as "We haven't a fecking clue"......

Gear Head

iTrader: (2)

So do BAA have control of the weather now?
Some **** on bbc news called in the other day to give his opinion from inside the airport. He was moaning about crisp packets and water bottles on the floor for **** sake!
If he was so bothered by it, pick the rubbish up yourself you lazy ****.

RA Dunk

I bet the media are on the hunt for celebs now after this, Whats Amy Winehouse up to this week? wheres Gazza?

Tomorrows headlines will be something like 'Amy Winehouse on drug and alchohol fuelled binge' or 'Gazzas seven day bender' or something equally pointless.

No doubt they will find something to milk dry.

f1_fan

iTrader: (9)

While I am hardly a supporter of our media with respect how can they get the story right if they aren't even allowed to enter the terminal buildings?

Further serious question why is Manchester Airport (with more snow and simialr temps) still operating? That is not a dig, I really would like to know.

ChrisB

Flightman,

What's the situation with letting people off the plane? Over the weekend there were a couple of stories. I think one plane landed but then passengers weren't let off for five hours, the other was this.

At what point does somebody in charge realise the plane isn't going anywhere and sort out what is needed to get the poor suckers off the plane?

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

Reports on this morning's radio of queues already over 1km long at St Pancras by 0730.

Trout

iTrader: (1)

BBC has just been broadcasting from LHR

FlightMan

Can't reply now. I'm busy picking up crisp packets and water bottles.

Funkii Munkii

FM, employed by BAA ?

There are lots of planes still waiting to get back into LHR, cant do so because there is only one runway open and there aren't enough slots, probably being used by flights trying to leave.

Why is the Southern runway still closed ? surely they cant say they dont need it right now because the airlines ran out of de icer, it's now 4 days after a small amount of snow, why are they banning all media from the terminals, why did the BAA CEO like a right prat on the news last night, because they've stuffed up big time, not to mention the way stranded passengers have been left to fend for themselves BAA and the airlines should share that responsibility.

Have a look at LGW, their owners decided to buy 2 snow ploughs after the last lot of snow and they had the place open after 4 hours.

FlightMan

Responses above.

Rescue Dude

iTrader: (11)

Can't they give all those stranded passengers a shovel? That'd sort the problem out.

Funkii Munkii

(LGW)After Nov/Dec they bought their ploughs, closed last night because they had another bout of snow but fully operational today.

Why you cant talk about the stranded flights needing to get into LHR security ?

Agreed 4 inches in 2 hours a is a lot, the point was how long do you need to clear it especially when your colleagues have been "working around the clock" ?


Do you suggest that the media had it in their minds to go for BAA due to the fact they were at LHR waiting for the snow ? they also happened to be on the railway network and the road network exposing their failings also, merely highlighting that once again the UK is crap at handling adverse weather, although after the last 2 winters you'd have thought we'd sussed it by now.

What do BAA use on the runways and taxiways for de-icing?, obviously not salt, is it a liquid something like the de-icer the airlines use ?.

Whatever your loyalty to BAA (which I understand) they have done an awful job and the guy they wheeled out to the media last night was like a lamb to the slaughter, utterly clueless and destroyed by the questions, with what appears to be little or no briefing thus making BAA look even worse, especially when his stock answer is "There are lessons to be learned", not unlike the past 2 winters no ?

Ant

According to the BBC the government have offered the army and baa have turned it down

Funkii Munkii

Just been chatting to a friend at an airline who will remain nameless, mentioned that their flight was going but BAA closed the doors of the terminal and said no one else allowed in (H&S I would imagine) the airline involved advised they had passengers they wanted to get away and were told the doors stay shut, staff had to go out a side door and call out passengers names and did their best to get those they found away.


FM, whats the deal with the de icers, having spoken to a few people from various airlines they're saying de icing is subbed out and you call them in as required with BA getting priority over everyone else, as they allegedly pay more, how many de icing units has LHR got ?

mart360

It would appear that as the country & its inhabitents , generations get older, thsy they have lost the "can do" approach.

Now nothing can be done without,

Risk assessments
Elf and saftey
insurance
training
dayglo vests, and mandatory hard hats

lol


What happen to "runways closed guys, grab you coats and shovels and lets go"

Personally i think, a few hundred gallons of avcat sprayed liberally over the

runways and lit would have done the job in half the time

Mart