UK NEWS

MISERY CHRISTMAS FOR MANY AS MORE FLIGHTS AXED

The effects of the fog is shown on flight boards at Heathrow.

Monday December 24,2007

By Nikki Barr and Nicola McCafferty for express.co.uk

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PASSENGERS planning last-minute Christmas getaways are facing further disappointments today as more flights are delayed.

Despite yesterday's fog having lifted and flights returning to a normal service this morning, a knock-on effect has meant that 30 flights were cancelled at Heathrow and a further 12 were cancelled across other London airports.

A spokesman for Heathrow said today: “We don’t have a fog warning but as a knock-on effect from yesterday, we have 29 departures cancelled, of which the majority are British Airways European flights.

“The situation will improve as the day goes on.”

The cancelled flights were due to depart from terminals one and four to destinations including Newcastle, Dublin, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Paris, Barcelona, Rome and New York.

On average, 1,250 flights arrive and depart Heathrow each day.

There were also six cancellations at Gatwick and six at London City Airport. London’s other main airport - Stansted - was operating with delays.

The weather reeked havoc last night as more than 80 flights from Heathrow were cancelled following the heavy fog with a similar number of arrivals being turned away and diverted.

By 8pm last night, 88 outbound flights had been cancelled, along with a similar number of arrivals.

The cancellations left thousands of passengers sleeping under blankets in the airport as hotels in the area booked up in a matter of minutes.

Two 24-hour strikes have been announced for January 7th and 14th with a further 48-hour strike on January 17th at Heathrow.

The temperatures climbed with the fog this morning and predictions for a high of 11C on Christmas day have been made, as Britain heads for a wet, rather than white, Christmas.

AND YOU THOUGHT YOU COULD ESCAPE THIS CRAP COUNTRY

25.12.07, 1:33am

With a plane ticket but Ha Ha the fag came down, never mind join the rest of us stuck in this dump.

• Posted by: CAN • Report Comment

FLIGHTS DELAYED.

24.12.07, 7:24pm

Oh for heaven´s sake, learn how to spell!!! It is "wreaked havoc" not "reeked". What hope is there if a journalist and whoever checks the copy can´t get it right!!

• Posted by: KatieW • Report Comment

RAIL HIKES AND PLANE STRIKES

24.12.07, 1:13pm

Extract from
THE CHRISTMAS BINGE
by Jane Air

Travelling is a nightmare
With a winter white fog wrapping
Itself around the Lincolnshire Wolds
Encasing the hills in woolly caps
And festive, congestive traffic trapped
Clogging up the roads slowed
And rail tickets hike
And soon the plane strike ...

...And on Christmas Day
A magical quiet
Takes hold of the roads
And for one day of the year only
The shops are closed