Airports

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Can anyone tell me what is actually going on at the Airports at the moment, particularly Heathrow? The news reports on line say everything is closed, nothing moving anywhere, doom, gloom, end of the world, etc.

BUT Heathrow arrivals site indicates all flights bar one landed on time from Helsinki today.

They can't both be right, so what is happening?

[Hetzer]

The central runway at Heathrow was supposed to be open from 6.45pm according to the BBC earlier this evening. I guess it opened then.
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"There's the horizon! Ride hard, ride fast and cut down all who stand in your way!"

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Cheers, even the BBC's own website contradicts that, but then I would never trust anything they say anyway. I'd rather stay home than end up diverted or stuck on a plane waiting for a gate (or even stuck in Helsinki departures waiting to go).

[Tonka]

They had the 'Travel Guy' on the BBC on yesterday and he said it was chaos - he had top contacts at the airports/airlines and was struggling to get any sense out of anyone. When he finally received a 'statement' it then contradicted either previous advice, someone else's advice or the websites!

I thought that the Heathrow issues had been limited to BA only and that Gatwick had been all good to go until a massive load of snow got the better of the clearing crew in the middle of the day.

It's snowing
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'The core of a man's spirit comes from new experiences'
Suzuki SV650S (Clean); Yamaha XT250 Serow (Dirty)

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Just going to have to wait and see, as usual. I am not really bothered about xmas, would rather spend my free time here at home (despite forecasts of -25 and colder next week), but I have a new bass AND a set of leathers at the house in Oxfordshire and need to get them back here.

[Tonka]

AFAIK there is no more heavy snow forecast just now, so if you're travelling in the next few days you should be ok as they'll have got the airport sorted, it's just whether they can get the backlogs sorted!

I'm not sure if the info we get here is any more updated or reliable than what you can get there TBH but you can always ask and we can seek on your behalf!

EDIT: Weather forecast is for sunny days but cold nights for the next three days down South so if you're lucky they will clear the snow and keep the ice at bay for you to fly!
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'The core of a man's spirit comes from new experiences'
Suzuki SV650S (Clean); Yamaha XT250 Serow (Dirty)

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Thanks, Tonk, I suspect the info I get is pretty much the same, as it's all off the net anyway, but as it is so contradictory, I was hoping someone on BCF might work at one of the big airports or have travelled in the last day or two.

I have absolutely no faith at all in what the TV pumps put, to the point of refusing to have one. I worked for BBC TV (mostly News) and feel the same about their output as a worker in a sausage factory does about their's.

[G]

Keep an eye on the Heathrow website and their twitter.
Call your airline for specific details
.
https://www.heathrowairport.com/

https://twitter.com/#!/heathrowairport

They are responding to people on twitter fairly promptly it seems; but general their advice is 'call your airline'.
My aunt was supposed to be flying in yesterday and I was to give her a lift to Manchester. She was held in the airport for five hours or so before being told it was cancelled.

Heathrow's runways were entirely closed for most of yesterday.

Arrivals list:
https://www.heathrowairport.com/portal/page/Heathrow%5EGeneral%5EFlight+information%5EHeathrow+arrivals/

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[Jodie]

Well good luck Dave, you may have big probs getting to your house in Witney if you make it, we're nr Enstone and it was bad yesterday, cars abandoned everywhere.

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[Jodie]

Does't look good Dave but haven't ventured out yet, I know gritter trucks got stuck too but hopefully the main roads have been done.

My fellas sis is supposed to fly to Australia from Heathrow today too, she set off at 8 I think for her 30 mile trip to Heathrow, flight supposed to be at 6 this evening.

Good luck

[G]

I reckon stuff will be calmer today.
In Reading the traffic was much much lighter than I'd expect for the Saturday before Christmas in the afternoon. A bit congested in the morning, but everyone was staying in after abandoning their cars or whatever.

However, motorways etc may well still get blocked as people crash etc and everthing's going to be much slower I expect.

Looks like hardly any flights are coming in so doubt you've got a choice for today - my aunt's flight is cancelled, so I can go sledging and go out to practice in my truck .

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[Hetzer]

Metcheck says heavy snow tonight (south coast, Eastbourne).
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"There's the horizon! Ride hard, ride fast and cut down all who stand in your way!"

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[Hetzer]

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[G]

This may be useful: https://www.raintoday.co.uk/
You have to pay for it to show what type of precipitation, but it gives you a good idea of what's going on NOW and thus shortly in the future; as opposed to out of date predications.

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Yup, that IS useful, thanks, looks like the bulk of the heavy stuff is sweeping along the south coast, so Heathrow might have a chance to get its act together and sweep the snow out of the way.

It will be -25 here on Tuesday, and we have the heaviest December snowfalls since 1965, but no one has suggested that anything will stop because of the weather. The roads near my house (I live in the countryside, have to drive along a network of dirtroads to reach this place) had not been cleared and the snow was drifting badly, but the good old Subaru charged through the drifts. Sticks at the edge of the road were the only way of telling where the road ended and the (5 or 6 foot deep!) ditches began.

[Paivi]

Reminds me of about ten years ago when I was flying back to LHR from HEL just after Xmas, and there was a blizzard at LHR. In those days, the BA flight left ten minutes before the Finnair flight, and initially the BA flight wasn't allowed to leave, as it wasn't allowed to land at LHR, and then it was allowed to depart, but was diverted to Manchester. Finnair, Air Canada and SAS were allowed to land at LHR, though, and as I fly on blue & white wings, as we say, I got home in normal time.

We need snow more often in the UK and much more of it, too.
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My other bike's a Monster...

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Looks like none of them are going today.

BTW, for Päivi:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nR5SIgtcXY4

[Paivi]

[G]

My Aunt's flight is rescheduled for Tuesday now; not that it means much.

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Total disinformation from the airports, Heathrow arrivals' site says today's flight in the slot I am booked for tomorrow is 'on schedule', Helsinki says not left yet, 1½hrs after scheduled departure time, more info at 18.00. How can any of them be believed?