Christmas in Cyprus

[BoD]

.. hopefully not . Flight from Sing to LHR, mysteriously stopped in Cyrus. Now 'relaxing' in the delightful Palm Beach hotel.

[Kooky]

.. hopefully not . Flight from Sing to LHR, mysteriously stopped in Cyrus. Now 'relaxing' in the delightful Palm Beach hotel.

Aw, here's something to cheer you up. Maybe...

[BoD]

That'll teach me to type more carefully?

Should I book a flight from Cyprus to Paris for tomorrow morning? Running the risk of course that CDG freezes overnight

[Spike]

That'll teach me to type more carefully?

Should I book a flight from Cyprus to Paris for tomorrow morning? Running the risk of course that CDG freezes overnight

If I were you I'd just come back here and have Christmas Day by the pool in your swimmies instead of by the M25 in your wellies and bobble hat.

[Kooky]

Well with my vast experience in these matters I would say yes, don't sit it out as you might be there a fortnight - try to keep moving in the right direction and have a Plan B. In your case that's unlikely to be a train but maybe a ferry and then a train?

Or how about a tourist flight to the North of England? Spoke to my sister this morning (our time) and she said they don't have snow. Teesside? Leeds? Birmingham? East Midlands?

[Kooky]

Not Birmingham, according to Aunty Beeb.

[Kooky]

So it would seem there's now 5 inches of snow in the North East. If you're heading to Paris anyway, try for that I guess.

[Tack]

Tack minor is meant to have arrived now but is stuck in transit in Chicago, his flying visit to the UK was only going to be 6 days anyway, now he is rebooked to land LHR Tues evening He and his girlfriend are gutted, they won't see each other again for 6 months.

[Fat Bob]

Anywhere in France, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium or Netherlands will do you, all have good train links to the Eurostar services.

[Queenie]

At least we are in Europe. My friend's parents' plane took off from Hong Kong but turned back after flying over Russia as they were told all UK airports were closed. Our captain said he was 'promised' Heathrow will open at 10am and obviously that did not happen. Got to wonder how ill-prepared BAA is despite the long preparation!

[Morrolan]

just spoke to my parents in the south of the Netherlands and they had 10 cms of snow and it's still minus 5C now. no trains or planes in NL. according to the local news 5,000 people stuck on Belgian airports that were hoping to get to London. Scotland expecting minus 20C.

[BoD]

Well BA are putting us on a Cyprus Air flight to Paris tomorrow morning. If it all works out, we will actually end up in Paris only an hour later than planned. Lets hope CDG is open tomorrow

[cromasaig]

Frankfurt airport's been closed too. My Dad is supposed to be flying from Scotland to Frankfurt via Heathrow on Tuesday. I don't see that happening. If he were less stubborn he'd stay there and go to my sister for Christmas, but I'd place good money that he'll insist on getting on a plane to Heathrow if he can, and then spend Christmas on the floor of T5.

For our part, even if he gets here we won't be able to get to the airport to pick him up. The street's impassable.

[Tack]

Crom, I can easily put your Dad up if it comes to that (plenty of rooms ready for guests now not coming to see Tack Minor). Tuesday's looking ok for LHR being open, whether domestic flights will operate is the question i suppose as they are always the first to be dropped to free up space. Please, please let it be open for transatlantic flights. And then we have the nervewracking situation of him being able to leave on 25th morning, he has a research ship to board in Hawaii on 27th. But more snow forecast in our and LHR area at the end of week.

Edit: spelling

[Fat Bob]

and then spend Christmas on the floor of T5.

He might not get that lucky, I thought Frankfurt and domestic flights were in and out of T1/2.

[cromasaig]

Crom, I can easily put your Dad up if it comes to that (plenty of rooms ready for guests now not coming to see Tack Minor). Tuesday's looking ok for LHR being open, whether domestic flights will operate is the question i suppose as they are always the first to be dropped to free up space. Please, please let it be open for transatlantic flights. And then we have the nervewracking situation of him being able to leave on 25th morning, he has a research ship to board in Hawaii on 27th. But more snow forecast in our and LHR area at the end of week.

An incredibly kind offer, Tack, thank you. Hopefully it won't come to that. I'm so sorry to hear about T Minor's problems too.

The additional few inches we got this afternoon has now turned into a full-on snow dump, with those huge, heavy clumps of snowballs. Still, as long as the UK clears slightly, we can function at this end.

Fingers crossed for you BoD, Tack and everyone else affected. Right, where's that Glühwein..?

[Kooky]

If I were T Minor I'd head straight for Hawaii. There will be other trips home (sorry, T!) but how much is it going to f&^% things up if he doesn't make it out to the ship?!

[Tack]

That was my suggestion too K but it didn't go down well..at all.

[Morrolan]

Amsterdam airport is open again, but has huge backlog obviously. no mention of Paris, but Heathrow isn't even bothering to clear the runways because of continuing snowfall.

[Tas]

my boss is stuck solid, and the description of the 2 days of different transit to Heathrow are not worth mentioning it's so depressing (but included 2 lots of 9+hr, train break downs, dumping passengers in middle nowhere, double decker buses and <5km/hr speeds and that's just a few points) poor guy had hoped to get to Aus for Xmas and at this stage is looking a tad doubtful.

[Addadude]

SIA is arranging to bus us from Heathrow T 3 to Manchester tomorrow and then a flight from manchester to Singapore via Munich I think.

[daffodil]

Good luck everyone, hope you get to your destinations relatively painlessly!

[Fat Bob]

I hope the snow doesn't stop me getting to Raffles on Xmas Day.

[Tas]

Hey Daff - hopefully being stuck in Singers is 100x better than stuck in the Pinnes? Hoping you've got a nice place to stay and of and away by weekend.

[daffodil]

Cheers Tas, QANTAS say I'll be away at 0030 tomorrow but to check every couple of hours beforehand just in case Heathrow implodes even further.