Tis the season to be jolly, but due to recent snowstorms throughout Europe, thousands of holiday travelers have been stranded and stalled at the airport, forced to wait and watch, sleeping on the floor amid a sea of suitcases. In the wake of the storm, travel agents have been struggling to resurrect their clients’ itineraries, rescheduling flights and trying to bypass the storm with alternate destinations.
Happily, due to recent above-freezing weather, Lufthansa has reported that a “return to normal flight operations” is expected Wednesday with all long-haul and domestic flights taking place on schedule, with the exception of destinations where bad weather is restricting landings. Although Lufthansa remains confident in its ability to maintaining its flight schedules, agents should remind their clients to get to the airport three hours prior to their departure.
As for British Airways, the airline also reported that they “aim to run a full schedule at Gatwick and London City airports today,” following unprecedented chaos, not only with flights but the airfields and the surrounding roads. The second runway has finally reopened which has been closed since this weekend.
The Telegraph reports that the mounting frustrations of delays and seeming utter unpreparedness of the world’s most congested airport, has resulted in a public outcry against BAA Chief Executive Colin Matthews. Matthews has agreed to forgo his annual bonus due to the disastrous disorder suffered by more than one million passengers.
Apparently Matthews has been paid more than £1 million this year, which is twice the amount the company spent preparing for the prospect of bad weather this winter.
Get more storm updates here and read more about Matthews’s bonus relinquishment here.
