Winter wonderland or travel nightmare in the UK?

There is always two sides of every coin, two perspectives and two sides to the story. This applies just as much to the wintery situation happening across the United Kingdom this week. Here’s your update on airports and air travel in the UK.

With every day bringing more flurries and more squalls of snow, we’ve got a travel nightmare on our hands right now. Earlier this week Glasgow and Edinburgh shut their doors while airports further south near London stayed open with minimal delays. The situation has changed though, now that Gatwick and Heathrow have suspended, delayed and cancelled flights until the end of the week.

• Gatwick Airport (LGW): British Airways has cancelled many of its flights today departing from Gatwick and advises passengers to NOT travel to the airport today. The airport was expected to be re-open this morning at 6:00. Confirm with your airline before departing for the airport.

• Heathrow (LHR): Heathrow has a reduced service today and into the weekend. Before heading to the airport, confirm that your flight is operating. Many short-haul flights have been cancelled due to regional airport closures in the UK. Long-haul flights don’t appear to be affected.

• London City Airport (LCY): London City was closed for the majority of yesterday but did open later in the day. There are numerous delays and more cancellations are expected. Check online at flight delays before heading to the airport.

• Edinburgh Airport (EDI): Opened yesterday at 14:00 in the afternoon. The airport is currently dealing with a backlog of passengers. If you do not wish to fly because of the weather, rebook your flight from Edinburgh with your airline on an alternative date.

This is the worst air traffic shut down since the infamous ash cloud took over England’s skies. Other continental European airports also closed this week including Frankfurt and Geneva.

All passengers expected to travel in the new weeks are advised to confirm departure times with their airlines before leaving for the airport. EasyJet says passengers with cancelled flights should rebook online or using the airline’s call centre.

For some, this is everything but a travel nightmare! With many schools closed this week and terms ending early because of the weather you can imagine how happy some are to see London and all of England turn into a winter wonderland. We might certainly have a white Christmas after all!

Do you have a flight cancelled by the wintery weather? Know what you’re entitled to!

Img: Flickr cc. james7 / vegaseddie