Gatwick And Heathrow Airports Affected By Harsh Winter Weather

Over the Christmas period of 2010, Gatwick and Heathrow Airports were in complete disarray because of the heavy snowfall, forcing them to shut their airport runways, leaving thousands of travellers stranded, seething with anger and demanding answers. Airport operating giant BAA have also reported losses of £24 million because hundreds of their flights were forced to stay grounded. However, the big question on everyone’s mind is could this have been avoided?

Concerns were raised as to why sufficient preparations weren’t made to equip Heathrow and Gatwick Airports with an adequate number of snow ploughs to be able to deal with the demand and volume of snowfall. Perhaps instead of wasting £24 million on compensation payouts, providing travellers with food, drink and accommodation, the money would be better spent preparing for the heavy snow by purchasing snow ploughs and ensuring the airports are staffed to a good standard.

And, it wasn’t just passengers that were enraged by the lack of preparation, Virgin Atlantic Airlines refused to pay the £4 million they owe BAA in airport charges until a full investigation has been made into the reasons why this happened, claiming that BAA’s “handling of the snow event fell well short of what is expected of an international airport operator”.

Another blow to airports all over the UK was the drop in passengers, compared to the Christmas period of 2009, which was only exacerbated by the airport shutdowns across the UK as the heavy snowfall hit. Most airports were showing approximately a 10% drop in passengers since last year but Edinburgh was the worst hit with a shocking 18.4% drop; that’s almost a fifth of their total passenger count last year.

In an attempt to win back the public, BAA are currently undergoing a £1 billion a year investment programme which will include upgrades to the terminals, airports and general improvements to make passenger journeys a happier experience. However, it might take a while to convince people that the same issues aren’t going to happen again next year.

By: Nicole Monks

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

To read more information about the recent events of the aviation industry, visit Heathrow airport parking to read about Heathrow fee increases or visit Gatwick airport parking to book airport parking with Carefree Parking.