British Airways came under fire yesterday after it cancelled hundreds of flights in response to the weekend’s snowstorm, despite other airlines continuing to fly.
The carrier grounded about 400 flights to or from Heathrow, leaving thousands of passengers queuing for information, sleeping on the terminal floor or stranded abroad.
Many travellers told of being stuck on grounded aircraft waiting for de-icing trucks to arrive, although the airline denied there was a shortage of equipment.
The comments added to widespread complaints about the UK’s response to the weather, the heaviest snowfall for four years in some areas, The Times reported.
BA said it was returning to “near normal” schedules following the adverse weather conditions across the UK and parts of northern Europe on Sunday and Monday.
“On Tuesday 12 December we are aiming to run our normal operations at London Gatwick and London City and the vast majority of flights from London Heathrow,” the airline said.
“Affected flights on Tuesday have been updated in our systems, and we recommend that all customers please check the status of their flight before leaving for the airport.
“Safety is always our priority, and as temperatures remain low, we are having to de-ice significant numbers of aircraft at many airports before they depart and this adds additional time and complexity into our schedules.
“We are very sorry for the difficulties that have caused by the poor weather and have brought in additional staff who are re-booking customers onto the next available flights and offering hotel accommodation for those who require it.”
Heathrow urged travellers to check the status of their flight and not travel to the airport if it is cancelled.
The airport said: “The safety and comfort of our passengers is always our first priority and we are working closely with our airlines to ensure affected passengers are looked after.
“We apologise to those whose travel has been impacted and regret the inconveniences that have been caused.”
Flybe cancelled 14 flights to and from Amsterdam Schiphol airport yesterday, blaming poor winter weather at the Dutch hub.