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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
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| BA confident of normal schedule | BA confident of normal schedule |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| UK flights are finally returning to normal after dense fog caused days of disruption for thousands of travellers. | UK flights are finally returning to normal after dense fog caused days of disruption for thousands of travellers. |
| British Airways said it was expecting all of its scheduled services to depart as normal from UK airports. | British Airways said it was expecting all of its scheduled services to depart as normal from UK airports. |
| The heavy fog lifted on Saturday, enabling airlines to begin clearing the backlog of passengers, although there were still some cancelled flights. | The heavy fog lifted on Saturday, enabling airlines to begin clearing the backlog of passengers, although there were still some cancelled flights. |
| Airport operator BAA has asked people not to arrive too early for flights as this increases congestion in terminals. | Airport operator BAA has asked people not to arrive too early for flights as this increases congestion in terminals. |
| BBC transport correspondent Andrew Winstanley said some travellers had "panic travelled" during the disruption and arrived five or six hours ahead of their flights at Heathrow. | |
| Mark Bullock, BAA Heathrow managing director, said the volume of traffic at the airport on Christmas Eve was expected to be around 30% less than Saturday, which is traditionally its third busiest day of the year. | Mark Bullock, BAA Heathrow managing director, said the volume of traffic at the airport on Christmas Eve was expected to be around 30% less than Saturday, which is traditionally its third busiest day of the year. |
| "We can expect to see normal services resume by the end of [Sunday]," he said. | |
| TRAVEL ADVICE British Airways customers should contact 0800 727 800 or check the www.britishairways.com website to see if their flight is still operating | TRAVEL 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 |
| Operator BAA said out of a daily total of 1,300 flights from its airports on Saturday, 74 domestic and short-haul flights were cancelled. | Operator BAA said out of a daily total of 1,300 flights from its airports on Saturday, 74 domestic and short-haul flights were cancelled. |
| This compared with 284 cancellations on Friday and 350 on Thursday. | This compared with 284 cancellations on Friday and 350 on Thursday. |
| More than 1,000 flights have been cancelled around the UK over recent days. | More than 1,000 flights have been cancelled around the UK over recent days. |
| Worst affected was Heathrow, where air traffic control placed restrictions on flights landing and taking off because of the low visibility in the fog. | Worst affected was Heathrow, where air traffic control placed restrictions on flights landing and taking off because of the low visibility in the fog. |
| BA said at least 6,000 passengers at Heathrow had been affected by disruption on Friday. The airline put on 30 replacement buses to destinations in the UK and northern Europe. | BA said at least 6,000 passengers at Heathrow had been affected by disruption on Friday. The airline put on 30 replacement buses to destinations in the UK and northern Europe. |
| 'Not early' | 'Not early' |
| Mr Bullock said on Saturday that the biggest problem airport staff now faced was passengers turning up too early for flights. | Mr Bullock said on Saturday that the biggest problem airport staff now faced was passengers turning up too early for flights. |
| "If I could offer some advice, it would be to passengers: please check with your airline before departing for the airport, to check that your flight is still going. And please, do not turn up early." | "If I could offer some advice, it would be to passengers: please check with your airline before departing for the airport, to check that your flight is still going. And please, do not turn up early." |
| Meanwhile, in Manchester passengers on a Monarch Santa Special flight from Lapland staged a sit-in after refusing to continue the journey to Gatwick by bus. | Meanwhile, in Manchester passengers on a Monarch Santa Special flight from Lapland staged a sit-in after refusing to continue the journey to Gatwick by bus. |
| The passengers eventually continued their journey on another aircraft. | The passengers eventually continued their journey on another aircraft. |
| A Monarch spokeswoman said: "Due to a technical problem with another aircraft in the Monarch fleet, the decision was taken to keep the aircraft from Ivalo at Manchester, in order to fly a service from Manchester to Alicante that was already delayed. | A Monarch spokeswoman said: "Due to a technical problem with another aircraft in the Monarch fleet, the decision was taken to keep the aircraft from Ivalo at Manchester, in order to fly a service from Manchester to Alicante that was already delayed. |
| "Some passengers protested and refused to leave the plane. We were able to offer them a later flight to Gatwick because the aircraft that had originally developed a technical fault came back into service. | "Some passengers protested and refused to leave the plane. We were able to offer them a later flight to Gatwick because the aircraft that had originally developed a technical fault came back into service. |
| "It was not a question of us caving in to the protesting passengers." | "It was not a question of us caving in to the protesting passengers." |
| BBC weather forecaster John Hammond said on Saturday the fog had finally lifted from Heathrow as well as the country's other major airports, adding that the weather was "back to normal". | BBC weather forecaster John Hammond said on Saturday the fog had finally lifted from Heathrow as well as the country's other major airports, adding that the weather was "back to normal". |
| "Conditions generally are very cloudy and misty but nothing untoward," he said. | "Conditions generally are very cloudy and misty but nothing untoward," he said. |
| "This is set to prevail over the next two or three days, meaning a grey Christmas, not a white one." | "This is set to prevail over the next two or three days, meaning a grey Christmas, not a white one." |