Disruption has ensued at some of the UK’s busiest airports after thick fog blanketed the country.
Flights at Stansted Airport have been affected by the weather conditions, while live departure boards showed delays at Heathrow, Gatwick, Luton and Manchester airports.
On Saturday, 19 flights at Heathrow were cancelled with another 455 delayed, while at Gatwick, 320 were delayed and 16 cancelled.
Although the fog is likely to dissipate on Sunday, disruption is set to continue with Nats, the UK’s main air traffic control provider, keeping temporary air restrictions in place in areas with low visibility.
A Nats spokesperson said: “Restrictions of this sort are only ever applied to maintain safety.
“We continue to monitor the situation and have a Met Office expert embedded within our operation to ensure we have the latest available information.”
Sunday is expected to be Gatwick’s busiest day during the holiday period, with 769 flights planned.
Apologising for inconvenience, a spokesperson for Gatwick Airport added: “Temporary air traffic restrictions have been put in place due to fog causing poor visibility.”
Key Points
- How can you claim for a delayed flight?
- 72 per cent of all flights departing Heathrow delayed
- Fog starting to clear, Met Office says
- Thick fog continues to cause flight disruption at some of UK’s busiest airports
Full report: Fog grounds dozens more Heathrow and Gatwick flights on one of the busiest weekends of UK winter
Saturday 28 December 2024 22:31
Jabed Ahmed
How can you claim for a delayed flight?
Saturday 28 December 2024 21:31
Jabed Ahmed
Each airline should enable you to fill out an online form, but these are sometimes difficult to track down. The pages for three leading airlines are here:
- British Airways (click on “submit a new claim”)
- EasyJet
- Ryanair
Compensation must be paid by bank transfer (or cheque), except if the airline obtains the prior signed agreement of the passenger to pay with vouchers for future travel.
For example, an airline might offer a 30 per cent uplift if you accept vouchers that are valid for a year – so a choice between £350 in cash or £455-worth of flights.
How do I qualify for a cash payout if my flight is delayed?
Saturday 28 December 2024 20:31
Simon Calder
If you are flying from a UK/EU airport or on a British/ European airline and are delayed in arrival by at least three hours, the presumption is that you are owed hundreds of pounds in compensation.
The payment depends on distance:
The only way the airline can avoid paying out is by demonstrating “extraordinary circumstances” were responsible.
extraordinary circumstances refers to “political instability, meteorological conditions incompatible with the operation of the flight concerned, security risks, unexpected flight safety shortcomings and strikes”.
In the UK and Europe, what can I expect if my flight is delayed?
Saturday 28 December 2024 19:29
Simon Calder
For delays of under two hours you have no rights (unless a short delay in the UK triggers a missed connection and much later arrival at your final ticketed destination – see below).
For longer delays, the airline should provide refreshments as appropriate after a specified length of time. This applies regardless of the cause of the delay.
The time at which the duty of care kicks in depends on the distance you are flying:
- Short flights (up to 1,500km): refreshments after two hours.
- Mid-haul journeys (1,500 to 3,500km): three hours.
- Longer trips: four hours.
Note that if the airline believes providing the care would further delay the flight, it need not deliver.
If the delay extends overnight, the airline is obliged to find and pay for a hotel room. In practice, carriers often say, “too difficult”, and invite the passenger to book their own and reclaim later.
While this practice does not comply fully with the rules, aviation authorities tend to turn a blind eye to it.
72 per cent of all flights departing Heathrow delayed
Saturday 28 December 2024 19:25
Jabed Ahmed
On Saturday, 19 flights at Heathrow have been cancelled so far with another 455 delayed, while at Gatwick, 320 are delayed and 16 have been cancelled.
Fog starting to clear, Met Office says
Saturday 28 December 2024 18:55
Jabed Ahmed
Senior forecaster Craig Snell said the situation should improve on Saturday night.
“Tonight, we should start to see a little bit more in the way of breeze developing, so that should start to disperse some of the poorer visibilities across the rest of the UK,” he said.
“So we might start to see some of the fog and low cloud begin to lift as the night goes on, but generally with plenty of cloud around we’re not really expecting any issues with frost or anything like that.”
On Sunday, south-east England could have a “dull start which is expected to brighten with highs of 12C predicted, he added.
Former pilot and author explains why fog causes havoc for modern airports in epic X thread
Saturday 28 December 2024 18:30
Barney Davis
Scott Bateman has sought to explain how the thickest fogs can cause flight disruptions which saw 20,000 passengers affected by delays or cancellations.
Lots of chat about #FogUK today and how this impacts airports. The question that many ask is, “why can’t we just continue as normal as modern aircraft shouldn’t be impacted by fog?… this isn’t wrong but let me try and explain, in a small thread, why it’s not as easy as that… pic.twitter.com/bUHvGOaF4q
— Scott Bateman MBE (@scottiebateman) December 28, 2024
Met Office map shows unsettled weather over New Year
Saturday 28 December 2024 17:30
Barney Davis
The Met Office issued a yellow weather warning for snow and rain in Scotland next week, warning that heavy downpours may bring “significant disruption” in the build-up to Hogmanay.
The alert is in place for most of Scotland, apart from Orkney and Shetland, on December 30 and 31 during which 50-70mm of rain is possible, with up to 140mm in the west.
Snow is likely in areas north and east of Perthshire, with between 10 and 20cm expected to accumulate on higher ground, according to the forecaster.
A yellow weather warning for wind in northern England on Monday has also been issued – with gusts of up to 60mph possible which may cause travel delays and power cuts.
The warning, in place from 11am to 6pm, covers areas including Durham, Northumberland, Cumbria and North Yorkshire.
The weather is set to turn widely unsettled as we see out the last few days of 2024, with potentially some wet and very windy weather at times
— Met Office (@metoffice) December 28, 2024
Weather warnings are already in force for Monday and New Year's Eve across parts of the north ⚠️ pic.twitter.com/fEoUrCGXkL
Roundup: Thick fog continues to cause flight disruption at some of UK’s busiest airports
Saturday 28 December 2024 16:55
Jabed Ahmed
Disruption is continuing at some of the UK’s busiest airports as thick fog blankets the country.
Flights at Stansted airport have been affected by the weather conditions, while live departure boards showed delays at Heathrow, Luton and Manchester airports.
Passengers at Gatwick airport on Saturday morning were warned to expect disruption because of the poor visibility and told to contact their airline for updated information.
Patches of thick fog could reduce visibility to just 100 metres in some areas, the Met Office said.
A spokesperson for the Gatwick said: “Temporary air traffic restrictions have been put in place due to fog causing poor visibility.
“Some flights may be delayed throughout the day.”
Sunday is expected to be the airport’s busiest day during the holiday period, with 769 flights planned.
Nats, the UK’s main air traffic control provider, said temporary air restrictions would remain in place on Saturday in areas with low visibility.
A spokesperson added: “Restrictions of this sort are only ever applied to maintain safety.
“We continue to monitor the situation and have a Met Office expert embedded within our operation to ensure we have the latest available information.”
Edinburgh’s Hogmanay celebrations under threat by fog
Saturday 28 December 2024 16:35
Barney Davis
There is a yellow warning in place for heavy rain and snow in parts of Scotland for Monday and New Year’s Eve on Tuesday.
Edinburgh’s Hogmanay celebrations could face “significant disruption” from rain, with organisers warning audiences to “prepare for all weather, wrap up warm and double-check with your travel operator for the latest updates”.
Flight delays: What rights do you have to compensation if your plane is late?
Saturday 28 December 2024 15:30
Barney Davis
Fog to turn to snow and heavy rain as New Year flood warning issued
Saturday 28 December 2024 14:52
Barney Davis
With the fog that has smothered the country over the Christmas period expected to lift soon the Met Office has warned of snow and heavy rain causing potential flooding until the New Year.
The forecaster has issued an upgraded yellow heavy rain and snow warning across parts of Scotland kicking in on Monday and lasting until midnight on New Year’s Eve.
In pictures: Yorkshire town shrouded in mist
Saturday 28 December 2024 13:43
Barney Davis
Low-lying fog over Huddersfield, Yorkshire. The murky weather has shrouded much of the country over the past few days and shows little sign of abating yet.
Couple forced to prolong Christmas stay with family after flights cancelled
Saturday 28 December 2024 13:25
Barney Davis
Kiera Quayle, from Colchester, Essex, was due to fly from Isle of Man Airport to London Gatwick on Friday evening with her husband after visiting his family – but their flight was delayed by three hours before eventually being cancelled at around 10pm, with their next available journey on Sunday.
“Our five days has turned to seven, it looks like,” Ms Quayle, 30, said.
“It’s frustrating and stressful but I overheard a few families who are now missing holidays and work who have it worse at this point.
“We’re frustrated about the lack of communication – we all knew the flight would likely be cancelled, but just putting it as delayed in an airport where the only food was crisps from the bar wasn’t fair.
“We are splitting our time between in-laws houses as people go back to work and their routines after Christmas – we’re trying not to impose too much at this point and we’re grateful we have places we can stay that aren’t hotels.”
Flight advice for delayed passengers
Saturday 28 December 2024 12:55
Barney Davis
Passengers for flights delayed more than two hours may be entitled to assistance with providing food and drink or overnight accommodation if necessary, an expert from consumer website Which? said.
Jo Rhodes, Which? travel expert, said: “If your flight is cancelled, you also have the choice of being refunded or rerouted on the next available flight.
“If you choose the latter, then your airline must get you to your destination as soon as possible – including with a rival carrier, if necessary.
“Airlines can sometimes be reluctant to buy you a ticket with their competitors, so don’t be afraid to remind them of this rule if another flight could get you where you need to go quicker than they can.”
Planes emerge from thick mist ahead of landings
Saturday 28 December 2024 12:40
Barney Davis
A plane lands in the mist at Cardiff Airport. The murky weather has shrouded much of the country over the past few days and shows little sign of abating yet.
In some areas, thick fog patches could reduce visibility down to just 100 metres.
Map shows UK shrouded in mist
Saturday 28 December 2024 12:25
Barney Davis
The fog will linger long into the afternoon in the South East, the Met Office has warned in its latest update.
Remaining grey and murky for many parts of England and Wales this afternoon, with some fog lingering in places
— Met Office (@metoffice) December 28, 2024
Scotland and Northern Ireland will see a band of patchy rain sink south, with brighter skies following pic.twitter.com/ustDz6n902
Foggy night at Gatwick leaves passengers delayed - some for 9 hours
Saturday 28 December 2024 12:10
Simon Calder
Passengers to and from London Gatwick airport experienced severe disruption overnight.
Forty-eight flights to and from the Sussex airport were grounded on Friday, half of them on easyJet.
Gatwick is the busiest single-runway airport in the world, and as such is susceptible to disruption.
Many passengers endured long delays as the evening wore on, many flights were around three hours late. The most extreme case was Turkish Airlines from Istanbul, which was nine hours late when it touched down at 6.34am on Saturday.
EasyJet passengers from Nantes arrived at Gatwick five hours behind schedule, at 2.30am.Another easyJet flight, 8556 from Antalya, left the Turkish airport two-and-a-half hours late and diverted to Bari. It is not known what caused the diversion.
A Tui arrival from Sharm el Sheikh ended up in Birmingham.
On Saturday, easyJet cancelled the morning trip from Gatwick to Belfast City and back and an evening flight to Geneva, while Vueling did the same with Barcelona and Valencia rotations.
British Airways cancelled five round-trips from Gatwick on Saturday, which were scheduled for Algiers, Faro, Innsbruck, Malaga and Salzburg.
Snow warning across Scotland issued
Saturday 28 December 2024 11:40
Barney Davis
The Met Office has upgraded a yellow snow and rain warning.
The forecaster says on Monday in the North and east of Perthshire, precipitation is likely to fall as snow, especially over high ground, with 10-20cm accumulating above 150-200 meters.
As milder air pushes in, snow will turn back to rain, and any rapid snow melt will contribute to flooding in places.
⚠️ Yellow weather warning updated ⚠️
— Met Office (@metoffice) December 28, 2024
Heavy rain and snow across parts of Scotland
Monday 0000 - New Year's Eve 2359
Latest info https://t.co/QwDLMfRBfs pic.twitter.com/TuuKVnA6ZS
British Airways grounds dozens of Saturday flights
Saturday 28 December 2024 11:03
Simon Calder
British Airways began the day with 18 cancellations to and from London Heathrow, but that number has sharply increased.
The Independent has now identified 40 grounded flights, including departures to Vienna, Oslo, Barcelona, Rome and Geneva.
Single domestic links to Edinburgh and Glasgow are also cancelled.
Air traffic controller posts thick fog rolling over Heathrow
Saturday 28 December 2024 10:58
Barney Davis
An air traffic controller has shown how flights continued despite visible fog swirling over Heathrow in an amazing timelapse video taken this morning as the sun rose.
It tried its best but we didn’t quite get into #fog at #HeathrowAirport today#avgeek #avgeeks #aviation #Heathrow #timelapse pic.twitter.com/2IecC6hG3W
— Mib (@BT77W) December 28, 2024
Widespread fog causing air traffic restrictions
Saturday 28 December 2024 10:49
Barney Davis
At Manchester airport, 16 departures and 27 arrivals are being delayed due to thick fog between 10.30am and 1pm on Saturday.
National Air Traffic Services (NATS) said: “As widespread fog continues to affect some UK airports today, temporary air traffic restrictions remain in place at locations with low visibility.
“Restrictions of this sort are only ever applied to maintain safety... Our teams are working closely with the airports and airlines to minimise disruption.”
60mph winds expected as yellow warning issued
Saturday 28 December 2024 10:38
Barney Davis
The Met Office has issued a yellow wind warning to go alongside two rain warnings early next week.
The forecaster says from 11am Monday westerly winds will be strong and gust at times. Gusts of 50-60mph are possible over high ground around northern England.
The Met Office also issued two yellow weather warnings for most of Scotland next week and said heavy rain could bring “significant disruption” in the build-up to Hogmanay.
Rain warnings are in place for much of Scotland on December 30 and 31 apart from Orkney and Shetland.
According to the forecaster, 50-70mm of rain is possible over the two days in many areas, while some places may see 100-140mm – with these higher totals most likely over western Scotland.
Some areas may also see snow, especially in northern Scotland and over high ground, while strong winds could bring further disruption, particularly on New Year’s Eve.
Christmas travel chaos as thick fog sparks mass delays and cancellations at UK’s busiest airports
Saturday 28 December 2024 10:28
Barney Davis
Cancellations and delays at Heathrow ongoing
Saturday 28 December 2024 10:28
Barney Davis
On Saturday, 20 flights at Heathrow have been cancelled so far with another 29 delayed.
Fog is expected to cause further disruption to flights at one of the UK’s busiest airports.
Thick fog patches could reduce visibility to just 100 metres in some areas across the country, the Met Office said.
In pictures: Fog smothers UK
Saturday 28 December 2024 10:13
Barney Davis
The murky weather has shrouded much of the country over the past few days and shows little sign of abating yet.
A man takes an early morning run under the Angel of the North in Gateshead as another misty morning breaks over Durham Cathedral.
Five tips for driving in fog - Met Office
Saturday 28 December 2024 09:52
Barney Davis
Fog and low cloud will continue to give some poor travelling conditions today
— Met Office (@metoffice) December 28, 2024
Here are some tips for driving in fog from @TheRAC_UK and @NationalHways pic.twitter.com/d1PpjyTt3E
Residents in Devon complain of ‘week long fog'
Saturday 28 December 2024 09:48
Barney Davis
As fog and low cloud continues to give poor travelling conditions today spare a thought for those in Devon who claim to have been living under thick shrouds for around a week.
Still in the fog today in N Devon. Been like this for about a week now. I'm trying not to be a conspiracy theorist but a week long fog does seem a bit unusual pic.twitter.com/eoj2rQgtB2
— LucyLocket (@lucylocket1700) December 28, 2024
No fog disruption so far in Manchester despite flight restrictions
Saturday 28 December 2024 09:24
Barney Davis
Better news for travellers in the North West as Manchester Airport is not seeing the kind of disruption that is causing flight delays in London.
A Manchester Airport spokesman said: “Air traffic controllers have kept a restriction in place this morning covering a number of UK airports including Manchester.
“At the moment though it’s not causing any disruption.”
Manchester airports saw 22 cancellations, including six departures and arrivals serving Amsterdam on Friday.
Is my train running today?
Saturday 28 December 2024 09:22
Barney Davis
After Christmas, millions of people are on the move around Britain. But anyone planning to travel by train during the remaining four days of 2024 faces possible disruption due to a combination of rail engineering work and strikes.
Even though most stations and routes have reopened after two days of closure, the UK’s two busiest stations – Liverpool Street and Paddington in London – remain shut.
What is fog?
Saturday 28 December 2024 09:12
Barney Davis
Fog is essentially a cloud at ground level that causes a reduction in visibility to less than 1000 metres.
It becomes a much more noticeable thick fog when the visibility drops below 180 m, while severe disruption to transport occurs when the visibility falls below 50 m over a wide area (referred to as dense fog)
Fog is caused by tiny water droplets suspended in the air. The thickest fogs tend to occur in industrial areas where there are more pollution particles in the air allowing water droplets to coalesce and grow.
Gatwick expects more delays as thick fog causing poor visibility
Saturday 28 December 2024 08:50
Barney Davis
Gatwick Airport is currently showing as many as 54 delays on their departure boards.
A London Gatwick spokesperson said: “Temporary air traffic restrictions have been put in place due to fog causing poor visibility. Some flights may be delayed throughout the day.
“London Gatwick apologises for any inconvenience. Passengers should contact their airline for further information.”
In some areas, thick fog patches could reduce visibility down to just 100 metres overnight and into Saturday, the Met Office said.
“It’s that time of year when people are travelling around the country a lot and there are a lot of people on the roads,” Met Office meteorologist Liam Eslick said.
“There is a lot of fog covering much of England, mainly the South East and central England, but the rest of the country is seeing quite a bit of thick fog too.
“It will be pretty murky on Saturday morning and there will still be fog patches that will take a little longer to clear.”
Diversions to different countries as fog disrupts flights
Saturday 28 December 2024 08:48
Barney Davis
Hundreds of airline passengers are waking up where they did not expect to be after thick fog disrupted flights on Friday.
The most extreme experience was at Teesside airport in northeast England.
Of the six scheduled arrivals on Friday, two landed with delays. Two diverted to Newcastle, 38 miles away. One went to Aberdeen.
The final flight of the day, on Ryanair from Alicante in Spain, circled hoping to land but then diverted to Dublin.
At London Heathrow, a Qatar Airways Airbus A350 diverted to Paris CDG. It eventually continued to its intended destination, arriving over three hours behind schedule, with the return leg to Doha consequently delayed by several hours – meaning missed connections for many passengers.
Four London City flights went to Gatwick and one – KLM from Amsterdam – touched down in Southampton.Manchester airport did relatively well with only one diversion: Jet2 from Tenerife, which went to East Midlands.
Rail chaos as two of London’s most used stations closed for engineering
Saturday 28 December 2024 08:43
Simon Calder
The UK’s two busiest stations, London Liverpool Street and Paddington, are both closed due to engineering work.
On the West Coast main line, which connects London Euston with the West Midlands, northwest England, North Wales and southern Scotland, the electricity supply has failed between Watford Junction and Milton Keynes Central.
National Rail says: “Trains may be cancelled, revised or delayed by up to 40 minutes. Disruption is expected to continue until 12 noon.”
Also, there is disruption on the West Coast main line between Glasgow and Motherwell. Avanti West Coast says Do Not Travel north of Preston before 10am.
20,000 passengers hit by flight cancellations on Friday
Saturday 28 December 2024 08:26
Simon Calder
At least 20,000 passengers hoping to fly to, from or within the UK had their flights cancelled on Friday, as airlines struggled to keep their schedules on track in heavy fog.
The worst-affected airport was London Gatwick, where 48 departures and arrivals were grounded, half of them on easyJet.
Upwards of 40 flights were cancelled at each of London City and London Heathrow, with British Airways grounding most of them.
Manchester airports saw 22 cancellations, including six departures and arrivals serving Amsterdam on KLM.Saturday has dawned with more cancellations.
British Airways has grounded 18 services to and from European destinations, including a holiday flight to Tenerife. At London City airport, Luxair and Swiss have grounded flights to and from Luxembourg and Zurich respectively.
Under air passengers’ rights rules, the cancelling airline must provide an alternative flight on any carrier as soon as possible – though bookings are extremely heavy. Passengers must be given means and, if necessary, hotel rooms while they wait.
