Passengers are being warned of widespread flight and transport chaos today as Storm Eunice rolled into the UK packing forecast winds of up to 90mph.
A rare highest level red warning was issued by the Met Office covering London, the south-east and parts of eastern England in addition to an existing red alert for South Wales and the north coast of western England.
According to aviation analytics firm Cirium, 436 flights had been cancelled across the UK as of 1pm today (Friday, February 18).
Of those cancellations, 20% were to and from Heathrow – making it the hardest hit UK airport for cancellations. London City flights accounted for 16% of those cancelled, and flights in and out of Manchester made up 10% of the cancellations.
BA and Virgin
A raft of British Airways flights from Heathrow were cancelled, including departures to Aberdeen, Belfast, Dublin, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Manchester, Newcastle, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Milan, Rome, Verona. Aer Lingus also cancelled a departure to Cork.
In an updated statement, a BA spokesperson said: “Due to the extreme weather conditions across the UK and resulting restrictions on the number of aircraft that can take-off and land each hour, we, like other airlines, are experiencing significant disruption.
“We’re operating as many flights as we can and putting on larger aircraft where possible. Customers due to travel on a short-haul service today can rebook for free on ba.com. Those whose flights have been cancelled are being contacted to offer options including a full refund.
“Safety is always our priority and we’re encouraging customers to check the latest flight information on ba.com before heading to the airport.”
BA has put in place flexible rebooking options for anyone travelling short-haul today which allows passengers to change their flight free of charge.
The airline also still has its ‘book with confidence’ policy in place for anyone wanting to request a voucher for future use until September 2023.
Virgin Atlantic flights from Heathrow to Las Vegas, New York and San Francisco were grounded.
A Virgin Atlantic spokesperson said: “Due to weather warnings and expected strong winds caused by Storm Eunice, we are working with airports and partners to minimise disruption but unfortunately some flights will be subject to cancellations and delays.
“We recommend that all customers due to travel to or from London Heathrow and Manchester airports over the next 48 hours check the status of their flight on virginatlantic.com before going to the airport.
“Our flexible rebooking policy allows customers who would prefer to rearrange their travel to do this with no change fees, using a self-serve webform, or to convert their booking to a voucher.
“We’re grateful for customers’ understanding while our teams work to arrange alternative travel and provide support at airports. More information on the options for customers are available on the Virgin Atlantic help centre on our website.”
A Heathrow spokesperson said: “Storm Eunice is forecast to cause poor weather conditions across the UK and Europe today.
“We have additional colleagues on-hand in the terminals to support our passengers, and we are working in close collaboration with our airline and air traffic control partners to get people safely away on their journeys as quickly as possible. High winds and poor weather can cause last-minute delays, but we will do everything in our power to minimise any disruption.
“We encourage passengers to check their flight status with their airline for the latest information.”
Gatwick delays and cancellations
Gatwick warned of delays and flight cancellations due to expected “very high winds”.
The airport said: “We advise passengers to allow plenty of time to get to the airport and to check the status of their flight with their airline.”
Twelve flights from Belfast City airport were cancelled throughout the day by BA, Aer Lingus, EasyJet and KLM.
Bristol airport urged passengers to check with their airlines and cautioned about likely flight disruption.
“The wind is forecast to reach 70-80mph at times,” the airport said. “Please take precaution when travelling to and from the airport.”
Cardiff airport said: “The extreme weather is likely to effect travel-related activities in the region where Cardiff airport is situated.
“Passengers on flights travelling on Friday bare advised to check regularly with their airlines for the latest flight information.
“The safety of our customers and staff remains our number one priority at all times and we recommend that precaution is taken when travelling to and from the airport.”
Loganair was offering passengers booked to fly today the option to change flights without penalty.
The Scottish regional carrier said: “In view of the forecasted high winds on Friday 18th February 2022 across England, Ireland and Wales and potential for travel disruption, we are offering customers travelling on this day the opportunity to adjust travel plans without charge.
“We plan to fly all our scheduled services and we have standby aircraft and crews in place to help recover any disrupted services as soon as reasonably possible once weather conditions permit.
“If you choose to remain with your original travel plans, please rest assured that we will do everything that we safely can to fly you to your intended destination as close to the scheduled time as possible.”
UK Civil Aviation Authority commends aviation industry during Storm Eunice #StormEunicepic.twitter.com/3pukhI8WFK
— UK Civil Aviation Authority (@UK_CAA) February 18, 2022
The British Airline Pilots Association (Balpa) said: “There are strict procedures and limitations for operating in severe weather. Pilots use this knowledge to ensure passengers are kept safe through the storm.”
London City Airport said all morning flights have been cancelled, stating airlines are keeping afternoon and evening operations ‘under review’.
Kyle Haughton, managing director of City Cruises UK, said: “As storm Eunice continues, we have made the decision to cancel all our evening dining cruises in London – this means a cancellation of 78 cruise operations today.
“The safety of our customers and our staff is paramount and all customers impacted by this decision will be offered refunds, free amendments and are being contacted by our reservations team directly.
“The City Cruises team is at every location keeping an eye on all boats to ensure they are safely moored.”
Rail and ferry disruption
Many rail services across the south-west of England and Wales have been suspended with a warning that others, including on lines to and from London, could be cancelled at short notice.
Irish Ferries and Stena Line have cancelled all departures from Pembrokeshire and Fishguard.
Stena has also cancelled or delayed ferries departing from Holyhead.
Transport for Greater Manchester urged people to “please consider whether your journey is essential today and take care if you are out and about”.
The operator said Storm Eunice is “likely to cause significant disruption due to extremely strong winds today” across the region from 5am until 9pm.