[MartynSinclair]

Sky News reporting that Heathrow’s snow preparations include cancelling some 80 flights. I understand about separation for landing and take off, but why is it, every year, when the forecast suggests snow, Heathrow goes into panic and appears totally unprepared.

Get the de icers ready, check the snow ploughs work, ensure there is sufficient manpower and keep the airport fully operational please….

http://news.sky.com/story/snow-and-sleet-move-in-as-uk-temperatures-dip-10725492

[openfly]

BA grabbing the opportunity to cancel flights because there MIGHT be a little snow later. Lightly loaded flights are dumped…who cares about inconveniencing a few passengers, and passengers cannot claim EU261 because it’s weather-related. I hope that I am wrong and being cynical. We’ve seen it all before, many times!

[Gin&Tonic]

Hi Martin, I used to commute for years between Man and LHR and used to dread these winters days. I gave up in the end and as soon as I saw any possible snow in the forecast would just head for Euston. The domestic flights we’re always the first to be cut, which I don’t mind if the snow or ice we’re so bad but not against a forecast.
I am not suggesting LHR needs to invest in a similar amount of equipment as some snow bound airports need to, but like you I expect common sense to be used before someone hits the panick button.

[AlanOrton1]

I am sat in my office 30 mins west of Heathrow and it is 6c and light rain. Not a sign of snow anywhere….not that I am wishing to Michael Fish the situation.

[canucklad]

Indeed Alan Horton
Just watched the news and over reaction springs to mind!!
IF the bad weather doesn’t materialize the way BA seems to be hoping for, then surely compensation rules must be enforced.
I can understand being pro-active and setting into place contingency plans, but surely contingency plans are just that. A plan if the worst should come to be!

[ImissConcorde]

Poor BA Damned if they do Damned if they don’t. Weather may be OK at Heathrow but what about where the planes are bound for?

[FDOS_UK]

Poor BA? It’s not your favourite aunt, it’s a voracious corporation.

But it’s not just BA, the UK did not become a world power by acting like ‘daiper dampers’ (to quote a US colleague) – time to man up!

Canucklad, I agree about the compo rules – EC261 expressly allows the airline to reclaim the losses from the organisation causing them, so if BAA decide to cancel 80 flights, let ’em pay.

[JohnHarper]

Doesn’t everyone remember how it used to be for travel on bad weather days at LHR?

BA1234 – Glasgow Cancelled
BD002 – Glasgow Airborne
BA1246 – Edinburgh Cancelled
BD052 – Edinburgh Airborne
BA1238 – Glasgow Cancelled
BD004 – Glasgow Boarding
BA1248 – Edinburgh Cancelled
BD054 – Edinburgh Boarding
BA1242 – Newcastle Cancelled
BD332 – Teesside Boarding

So BA over reacting is nothing new and unfortuately there’s now no one to show them up at home but just looking instead at a couple of busy routes LHR-FRA LH operated a full schedule, BA cancelled 40% of theirs and 20% departed late with therefore satisfactory performance on only 40% of flights. Air France operated 100% of their LHR-CDG schedule, BA cancelled 33% of their schedule on the same route.

British Airways – The airline that will let you down and down and down.

[MartynSinclair]

Whilst I am sure it will eventually arrive, 4 days after 80+ flights were cancelled due to a severe weather warning – still no snow in the Heathrow area

Why does Heathrow continually over react and why does our train system crash, when someone shouts “SNOW”?

[FDOS_UK]

I rotated through Heathrow on Friday last and it was sheer hell at 1015, not only snow – but the worst kind of snow – INVISIBLE SNOW that is so difficult to avoid and threatens all forms of life.

You guys were lucky to miss this traumatic experience -I’m still scarred and demand 35 avios in compo for my life being endangered!

[MartynSinclair]

So today, its the freezing fog that is causing up to 100 flight cancelations in the south.

http://news.sky.com/story/freezing-fog-warning-as-uk-goes-back-to-work-10739009

When airport movement capacities are in the high 90’s%, surely this is yet another argument to increase runway’s at BOTH Gatwick and Heathrow to provide added flex when the weather comes in.

[AnthonyDunn]

From my watching of the TV meteo last night, it was my understanding that it would be freezing fog and not snow that would be responsible for NATS implementing departure and arrival control restrictions. But, as has been stated innumerable times over the years, this is what happens when you are operating runways at 99% capacity and there is no slack whatsoever in the system.

[Author]

Posts