 Poster: A snowHead
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From the Sleazyjet website at 1500 today. http://easyjet.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/5137
"The Metrological Office have predicted that London Gatwick Airport will have snow fall of 5-10cm between 03:00 and 06:00 tomorrow morning. It is then expected the snow fall will increase after 06:00 to a depth of between 10-20cm.
In light of this information and in consultation with Gatwick Airport we have cancelled all flights to and from the airport between 06:00-10:00, 18 December.
We will continue to review the situation at the airport and strongly advise that all passengers flying from Gatwick over the weekend check the status of their flight using our flight checker service before travelling to the airport.
While the circumstances are outside of the airline’s control, we apologise for any inconvenience caused and would like to reassure passengers that we are doing everything possible to minimise the disruption."
To cancel everything 15 hours in advance is putting a lot of trust in a forecast and says you have no faith at all in LGWs ability to handle snowfall. Given that few people will be able to rebook to get away before Christmas it's a very bold move by EJ. It's not really doing everything possible to help your customers is it?
So says someone hoping to leave at 0655 next Friday!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Quote: |
To cancel everything 15 hours in advance is putting a lot of trust in a forecast
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yes it is, isn't it? I don't think I've seen that kind of pre-emptive mass cancellation before. Miserable for those involved. I think I'd be inclined to turn up anyway and just try to get on the first flight out.
However, few normal airports could cope with 20 cms of snow - Geneva certainly can't, it was closed this morning, apparently with a lot less than that.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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What do they do in Canada and Alaska.... heated runways??
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Snows now not meant to arrive properly in lgw until 1000 according to the aviation forecast !
Easyjet have got it badly wrong, I do hope the press gets hold of this.
Easyjet's management are terrible !
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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I can't believe they cancelled flights over 18 hours in advance. Just continue operating and play it by ear.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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No snow in Brighton overnight, LGW operating normally, BA and charter flights leaving happily with some minor delays. I feel so sorry for those people who's Christmas holiday has been ruined by the shisters at SleazyJet. It really is a scandal.
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I think I heard on the BBC news just now though that BA have also cancelled 50 short haul flights in and out of Heathrow this morning. As someone else has said, either here or the other travel thread, such a sense of deja vu as this time last year the travel on this weekend was dire. We were sitting in Les Gets perfectly ok but wondering if the rest of the family would eventually get to join us. Last year there was also the issue of BA striking at Gatwick, or not,...
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Steve Sparks, it's probably headed your way - we are in south east Hampshire and had a little when we woke, and it's now absolutely chucking it down. My mother in law, in west Hampshire, has several inches already. I would be reluctant to have to drive to Gatwick this morning, even with snow tyres and chains to hand (I'd be more than happy to drive anywhere, obviously, if all the others were off the road, but......). My mother in law, son and family from Somerset, have all called off their trips - if enough of us with non-essential travel planned cancel it, some of those couriers including the one bringing my OH's Ski Mojo might be able to get through!
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| Steve Sparks wrote: |
| No snow in Brighton overnight, LGW operating normally, BA and charter flights leaving happily with some minor delays. I feel so sorry for those people who's Christmas holiday has been ruined by the shisters at SleazyJet. It really is a scandal. |
I'm one of those mate...
http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=70810
But according to the airport twitter feed - most is running smoothly currently - http://twitter.com/gatwick_airport - it's actually a sensible use for twitter for sure...
I'm rebooked from Luton but according to the Beeb heavy snow is forecast there in the arvo...
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pam w, Just been for a run on the downs and it came on strong whilst up there - have cancelled my trip to Poole today.
bertie bassett, Sorry to hear that mate. It does seem that EJ could have got at least 4 hours worth of flights away, but I hear that BA have cancelled all at LHR despite BAA saying that they're operating normally.
Imagine if the railways were working, but the train operating companies said that they weren't going to run any trains because they were worried that they may end up in the wrong place.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Thornyhill wrote: |
| What do they do in Canada and Alaska.... heated runways?? |
I've been on a flight to Calgary that was diverted because of heavy snow.
Presumably, however well prepared and accustomed to it you are, it must reach a point where it's just not safe.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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| elgrego wrote: |
| Thornyhill wrote: |
| What do they do in Canada and Alaska.... heated runways?? |
I've been on a flight to Calgary that was diverted because of heavy snow.
Presumably, however well prepared and accustomed to it you are, it must reach a point where it's just not safe. |
Heavy snow anywhere in Canada and Alaska is maybe 10 inches an hour. Shutting down for 5 inches in a day is cr4p. The airlines and airports just don't want to invest for the one day a year when there is too much snow..... but HELLO.... it isn't one day a year, it is 10 days from the last 20, and similar in January. Same with the roads. It would cost UK PLC around 600 million (one off investment in machinery) to gear up to keep road and rail open through any snow conditions. Apparently it costs 1 billion every day we have a snow shutdown. I am tryng to work out if the politicians are stupid or really stupid
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Thornyhill I couldn't agree more with you.
I'm sure they said Gatwick had had an enormous 7cm of snow today, if they cant cope with that there is something going badly wrong, although it does give the enormously Southern biased media something to talk about I suppose.
and the pilot on our aforementioned flight did say it was VERY heavy snow in Calgary 
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You know it makes sense.
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| Steve Sparks wrote: |
| To cancel everything 15 hours in advance is putting a lot of trust in a forecast and says you have no faith at all in LGWs ability to handle snowfall. |
Or it may say that if you pre-emptively cancel flights, you can at least ensure the planes and crews are in the right place to reinitiate the schedule with the less disruption to the service and , of course, with lower re-initialisation costs, than you would have been able to, had you been forced, at short notice, to cancel in an unplanned way.
| Thornyhill wrote: |
| It would cost UK PLC around 600 million (one off investment in machinery) to gear up to keep road and rail open through any snow conditions. Apparently it costs 1 billion every day we have a snow shutdown. I am tryng to work out if the politicians are stupid or really stupid |
It's simple really. The people who would pay for the machinery and infrastructure are not the same people who lose out if said machinery and infrastructure are not purchased.
QED (from a number crunching point of view), what’s the point in me spending when it’s other people that are going to lose out.
Sorry but out late last night so have woken up with a cynical head this morning. 
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Wayne,
| Quote: |
Or it may say that if you pre-emptively cancel flights, you can at least ensure the planes and crews are in the right place to reinitiate the schedule with the less disruption to the service and , of course, with lower re-initialisation costs, than you would have been able to, had you been forced, at short notice, to cancel in an unplanned way.
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Sadly the evidence is that that didn't happen, they cancelled flights which could have got away and were then buggered for the rest of the day because the snow came later than the forecast indicated. It's not been a purple patch for southern English airports and airlines.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| Steve Sparks wrote: |
Wayne,
| Quote: |
Or it may say that if you pre-emptively cancel flights, you can at least ensure the planes and crews are in the right place to reinitiate the schedule with the less disruption to the service and , of course, with lower re-initialisation costs, than you would have been able to, had you been forced, at short notice, to cancel in an unplanned way.
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Sadly the evidence is that that didn't happen, they cancelled flights which could have got away and were then buggered for the rest of the day because the snow came later than the forecast indicated. It's not been a purple patch for southern English airports and airlines. |
It's got to be said that BA's forecasting was better than Easy - BA ran flights out of LGW (when they could upto c. 10am), EJ just screwed us all over by cancelling in advance...
The email I got from EJ telling me my second flight was cancelled arrived at 01:35am, some 7 hours after the planned departure time...
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Snow Friday at LHR came down in a half hour blizzard and was a few cms tops. With adequate deicing equipment they could have got the majority of flights away but of course they didn't have enough provision so stands were blocked by outbound flights which then ran out of crew hours so inbounds couldn't get a stand. Saturday obviously a bit more snow but nothing a Canadian airport would have blinked at. BA in T5 yesterday evening when I went to try to collect baggage had plenty of staff around but no-one could rebook and staff could only offer sympathy not solid information or assistance and with all hotels for miles around fully occupied plenty of punters just bunked on the floor indefinitely. Lots of water, sandwich, snack drops around so eating wasn't a problem. Somewhat laughably only rebooking option was a single phone number which was impossible to connect to. Roads round LHR clear and fine.
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