Snow wreaks chaos across Europe

Snow wreaks chaos across Europe
By admin


Adverse weather conditions continue to impact European airports, with London Heathrow Airport warning further cancellations are "inevitable".

Although Heathrow yesterday confirmed its airfield is now "fully operational" with all runways, taxiways and stands clear, ongoing visibility issues saw the airport cut its schedule by 10%.

"Low visibility means that, for safety reasons, there needs to be a bigger gap between aircraft. Because Heathrow runs at almost 100% capacity, there is no slack in the system and flights unfortunately have to be cancelled," a spokesperson said.

"Further cancellations are inevitable given the adverse weather conditions at other airports around Europe."

Germany's Frankfurt airport reported 203 cancellations yesterday, while Munich cancelled 200 flights. Paris airports Charles de Gaulle and Orly cancelled 40% of total scheduled flights.

Heathrow advised passengers to check the status of their flight before setting off for the airport and has laid on 200 additional staff to assist customers.

However, the airport has come under fire for failing to reduce flight schedules ahead of the heavy snow which fell on Friday, causing widespread disruptions over the subsequent four day period.

Meanwhile, British Airways notified passengers due to travel on January 22 and 23  that they can change the date of their flight free of charge for travel until February 12.

Cathay Pacific confirmed last night that it is closely monitoring the situation.

"Based on the current weather forecast, we expect to operate flights to and from London Heathrow as normal but still subject to change," a statement said.

It has implemented a waiver of rebooking and rerouting charges for bookings involving LHR made on or before January 19, for travel between January 19 and January 21.

Qantas has extended its waiver to cover flights in and out of affected European ports today.

 

Latest News

  • Aviation

Low-cost Indian carrier SpiceJet continues to burn cash

It’s not just low-cost Australian carriers that are facing hardship. SpiceJet, India’s version of Bonza, recently announced a 72 per cent reduction in its net loss versus last year. But, despite this improvement, the airline has posted losses for six straight years. But it has secured board approval to raise up to INR 30 billion […]

  • Attractions

SAKA Museum recognised in TIME magazine’s World’s Greatest Places 2024

AYANA Resort Bali’s newly-opened cultural and events centre, SAKA Museum has been recognised in TIME magazine’s World’s Greatest Places list for 2024. Part of AYANA Bali’s resort destination, the museum integrates Bali’s rich history with state-of-the-art facilities, making it the centrepiece for the island’s spiritual and cultural heritage. TIME magazine’s inclusion of SAKA Museum in […]

  • Cruise

Silversea taps Barbara Biffi as senior vice president for global sales

Ultra-luxury and expedition cruise travel brand, Silverseas, has announced Barbara Biffi as its new senior vice president of global sales. Biffi joined the company in 2007, holding numerous positions and gaining a deep understanding of the brand, the preferences of its guests and its strategic goals, the company said. An Italian national with a wealth […]

  • Technology
  • Travel Agents

Amadeus welcomes FCM Travel as new reseller partner of Cytric Easy

Cytric Easy, the travel management tool embedded in Microsoft Teams, is to be integrated into FCM Travel portfolio. Amadeus and FCM Travel have extended their Cytric distribution agreement to include Cytric Easy. With this new agreement, global travel management company FCM Travel, becomes a reseller of the innovative travel management collaboration solution embedded into Microsoft […]