This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/uk/6202349.stm

The article has changed 18 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Air travel chaos enters third day Fog travel chaos hits third day
(about 3 hours later)
Thousands of air passengers face a third day of misery as fog is set to lead to more cancellations and delays. Christmas travellers face a third day of misery as thick fog leads to more flight cancellations and delays.
A spokesman for airports operator BAA said that "fairly significant problems" were expected for Friday.A spokesman for airports operator BAA said that "fairly significant problems" were expected for Friday.
British Airways said all domestic flights into and out of Heathrow would be cancelled. The airport has been badly hit with 40,000 people delayed. More than 300 flights have been cancelled at Heathrow, including all British Airways domestic flights, with 40,000 people expected to be affected.
In Manchester, the fog cleared on Thursday but passengers faced a backlog of flights. Motorists are also being warned to expect hold-ups on roads, and train services are reaching capacity.
Services from Gatwick, Manchester, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Norwich, Coventry Airport and Cardiff have also been disrupted. Low visibility had caused air traffic control to place restrictions on flights landing and taking off at Heathrow, where 300 passengers slept at the airport overnight.
About 350 flights out of Heathrow were cancelled on Thursday, a 40% reduction in services. Hundreds of domestic flights and some international flights were grounded. They were offered blankets, sleeping mats, food and hot drinks by staff.
Low visibility
Low visibility had caused air traffic control to place restrictions on flights landing and taking off at Heathrow.
TRAVEL ADVICE British Airways customers should contact 0800 727 800 or check the www.britishairways.com website to see if their flight is still operatingTRAVEL ADVICE British Airways customers should contact 0800 727 800 or check the www.britishairways.com website to see if their flight is still operating
There is regular travel information on BBC News 24, BBC Radio Five Live and the BBC's local radio and regional TV news.There is regular travel information on BBC News 24, BBC Radio Five Live and the BBC's local radio and regional TV news.
This website will have updated advice and there are links to the BBC's travel and weather web sites below.
Travel advice at-a-glance BBC Travel BBC Weather		This website will have updated advice and there are links to the BBC's travel and weather web sites below.
Travel advice at-a-glance BBC Travel BBC Weather
One traveller said: "I've been here basically since Wednesday night, and I got rebooked three times and all my flights have been cancelled so far.
"So right now it's Friday morning and I don't know how much longer I'm going to stay here."
BA has laid on coaches for 3,000 people to help them get to alternative airports.
Services from Gatwick, Manchester, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Norwich, Coventry Airport, Cardiff and Southampton have also been disrupted.
Geoff Want, BA's director of ground operations, said: "The weather across much of the UK is regrettably showing little sign of improvement for Friday and therefore we have no option but to make some more cancellations."Geoff Want, BA's director of ground operations, said: "The weather across much of the UK is regrettably showing little sign of improvement for Friday and therefore we have no option but to make some more cancellations."
BA also announced it would be operating a reduced short-haul schedule because of the fog on Friday. He apologised to customers and said that the airline was "working around the clock" to try to get people to their destinations.
BMI's Chief Executive Tim Bye said if necessary the airline would fly on Christmas Day to get people back home. BA announced it would be operating a reduced short-haul schedule because of the fog on Friday, and passengers on long-haul services were warned they may also face delays of several hours.
"Heathrow which has clearly been the worst affected by things like slot delays and flow rates we've had to cancel about a third of our flights, so about 27 out of 80 departures we have and we will aim to get all of our passengers away as quickly as we can," he said. Backlog
BMI, Heathrow's second-busiest airline, has cancelled eight flights so far, adding to the 40 scrapped on Thursday.
The airline's chief executive Tim Bye said if necessary the airline would fly on Christmas Day to get people back home.
We have fundamental capacity constraints at Heathrow Simon Baugh, BAA Why fog causes air chaos Anger at Heathrow
But Simon Baugh from airports operator BAA told the BBC's Today programme that the main problem at Heathrow was one of capacity.
"I don't believe there is any airport in the world that is processing 1,300 flights a day, on two runways, in dense fog," he said.
He added: "The difference with Heathrow is, it's the world's busiest international airport, we only have two runways, when if you compare our main competitors in Europe, Frankfurt has three, Paris has four, Amsterdam has five.
"We have fundamental capacity constraints at Heathrow."
Extra runway
With flights cancelled, many travellers have turned to trains to complete their journeys.
WHY FOG AFFECTS FLIGHTS Spacing in air above Heathrow increased between planes from three miles to six milesThis means planes land less frequentlyRunway capacity reduced by 40%Domestic flights cancelled because rebooking or alternative travel easier
Virgin Trains, which runs services between London and Scotland, has lifted restrictions on saver tickets for Friday and is running seven extra trains to help ease the travel chaos.
GNER, which also runs between London and Scotland, has also announced it will be offering extra trains.
Network Rail said there were still some seats available on other services and advised passengers to contact National Rail Enquiries.
Eurostar said its services to Europe were running as usual, but passengers were also warned to contact the company before travelling to check if seats were available.
Road jams
Meanwhile forecasters are predicting fog in England and Wales could persist during the holiday period.Meanwhile forecasters are predicting fog in England and Wales could persist during the holiday period.
BBC weather forecaster Darren Bett said "right until Christmas and even beyond there's the risk of fog".BBC weather forecaster Darren Bett said "right until Christmas and even beyond there's the risk of fog".
WHY FOG AFFECTS FLIGHTS Spacing in air above Heathrow increased between planes from three miles to six milesThis means planes land less frequentlyRunway capacity reduced by 40%Domestic flights cancelled because rebooking or alternative travel easier href="/1/hi/uk/6200527.stm" class="">Why fog causes air chaos href="/1/hi/uk/6199613.stm" class="">Anger at Heathrow href="/1/hi/uk/6199289.stm" class="">Millions in Christmas getaway People who have opted to travel by car could also face jams on major routes as last-minute Christmas-shoppers and people travelling home for the festive break head for the roads.
Many passengers on cancelled flights are choosing to travel by rail instead. The RAC said an estimated 18m people were expected to be driving over the next few days with the rush hour on Friday expected to start at 2pm and last until 7pm.
John Gelson from the rail company GNER told the BBC that the company was coping well but asked passengers to avoid peak hour journeys if possible, in order to minimise overcrowding. Delays are expected in Kent as the M20 is closed coastbound between Ashford North and Ashford South, because of a serious accident.
The Association of British Travel Agents said about three million people are set to go abroad over Christmas and New Year, with southern Spain, north Africa, Paris, Amsterdam, Dublin and New York among the top destinations.
Meanwhile, the RAC said an estimated 18m people were expected to be driving on Britain's roads over the next few days.