Chaos has today descended on a number of Britain's airports, as appalling weather conditions have grounded hundreds of flights.
Yesterday (December 20) saw 350 Heathrow flights cancelled and airport operator BAA expects a similar number to remain grounded today. British Airways has been more affected than most and has been forced to cancel all domestic flights as well as many short-haul flights to Europe.
The Met Office has now warned that freezing fog is set to linger until at least the weekend, throwing the festive plans of millions of people into turmoil.
While Stansted is currently unaffected, a number of flights have been cancelled at Gatwick and flights that are operating are facing delays of up to 90 minutes. Flights into and out of Southampton are also being delayed as a result of poor visibility and there have been several cancellations at the airports in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen.
Flights from Coventry Airport have also been cancelled, meaning that holidaymakers have instead been forced to take flights from Birmingham. Cancellations from Manchester and Cardiff have also been reported, as hopes of a smooth Christmas getaway have been tossed into disarray.
The bad weather could hardly have arrived at a worse time, with the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) indicating that as many as three million people will leave the country over the Christmas and New Year period.
The Canary Islands, Florida and the Caribbean have apparently been some of the most popular destinations with Christmas travellers, but the ABTA has found that North Africa has also sold well this year.
Many have also decided to guarantee a white Christmas by booking holidays in the Alps or in the ski resorts of Canada and the US, while New Year revellers are hoping to jet off to the likes of Paris, Amsterdam, Dublin and New York.
Unfortunately, given the horrific weather conditions, tomorrow (December 22) will be the busiest travel day of all.
© Adfero Ltd
