FLIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS
Gatwick drone chaos delays hit 250,000 passengers as families reveal the disappointment of missing festive trips
BRITAIN faces days of travel meltdown amid fears the Gatwick “drone wolf” could remain at large over the year’s busiest period.
More than 120,000 passengers saw flights delayed, diverted or cancelled at the UK’s second busiest airport yesterday with all scheduled services grounded.
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Up to 250,000 more fliers could be stranded today and tomorrow as the Christmas getaway hits its peak.
The knock-on effect of families waiting to drop off and collect passengers meant millions were caught up in the chaos.
Tens of thousands of fed-up passengers remained camped at Gatwick yesterday.
Hundreds of devastated children hoping to visit Santa in Lapland saw their flights cancelled.
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Hollie Smith, due to fly with her five-year-old twin nieces Gracie and Sofia, posted online: “Who will be the one to break the news to them? Sat in departures with no information. Twelve-plus hours to take down a drone is laughable.”
A pilot posted a picture of himself sat frustrated in the cockpit waiting for permission to move.
Families slept on terminal floors while one woman grabbed some shut-eye perched on a trolley.
Mum Yulia Hristova, who was meant to fly to Istanbul via Kiev at 3am, said she had suffered an “emotional disaster” with her daughter, eight, and son, three.
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She added: “I’m so tired, I’m so upset, we’ve had no information. We were standing for hours, nobody’s been on the desk. It was so cold.
“We were sleeping on the floor, me and my children. I lost my son during the night, and a policeman brought him back. I want to give up right now.”
Newlywed Hope Lauren Eder, due to fly to New York for her honeymoon, told the BBC of shambolic scenes in the check-in lounge.
She said: “I saw a woman crying, someone had collapsed at the bottom of the escalator, it’s just an absolute shambles.
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Boy's Christmas heartbreak as family's Lapland trip is cancelled over Gatwick drone chaos
“No one’s really saying what’s going on. They’re just checking you in and then once we’re through you’ve just got to wait.”
British Airways staff handed out 22,000 bottles of water, 4,000 cans of soft drinks, 1,000 slices of cake, 3,000 biscuits, 3,600 packets of crackers and 1,800 bags of crisps.
Passengers with other airlines complained of receiving only a £12 food voucher after waiting hours.
Dozens of flights were diverted as transport chiefs warned the UK’s South East airports had reached saturation point.
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One flier delayed for hours after their diverted plane landed at Stansted opened an external door while another claimed he was a terrorist - forcing police to step in.
Passengers stranded at Gatwick desperately tried to rearrange plans while others saw their Christmas dreams shattered.
George White, 74, was due to fly to Mauritius with his wife yesterday for a two-week festive getaway.
He was faced with finding a hotel last night before more drone uncertainty in the morning.
What to do if you're hit
By Lisa Minot, Travel Editor
FLIERS have rights despite the Civil Aviation Authority calling the crisis extraordinary and ruling out compo.
Rights kick in for trips diverted, axed or delayed by at least two hours if short-haul, three if medium-haul and five if long-haul.
First, check airline websites or call centres. Most explain what to do. If you are stuck at Gatwick or abroad, airlines must provide food, drink and two phone calls.
If held up overnight, you can get a hotel.
You can apply for a refund for axed flights. If you insist on flying, the airline must reroute you on one of its planes or another airline’s.
If your flight is part of a package, your tour firm must rearrange. If it cannot, you can get a refund.
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George said: “I had heard about the problems but my travel company said I should come to the airport in case the later flight is allowed to leave. Nobody knows what is going on, I just don’t understand why nobody blows these drones out of the sky.”
Magni Bernahrdsson, 44, and three kids, aged 16, 13 and ten, spent 12 hours at Gatwick yesterday after leaving Iceland on Wednesday.
Magni, who planned to spend Christmas in Marrakesh, said: “We flew from Reykjavik and circled around Gatwick before they diverted us to Liverpool. We then drove to Gatwick to find our flight wasn’t going anywhere.
“We have now made plans to drive instead to Luton, where we will hopefully get on a plane. I completely hate drones right now and I didn’t even like them before.”
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Another passenger, who would only give his name as Jonathan, was furious at missing a chunk of his trip to Goa.
The 50-year-old said: “We are having to miss three days out of our holiday because the police can’t eliminate a toy from the sky.
“It is utterly ridiculous. If this was the US they would have shot it down already.
“We are now driving back to Somerset and then coming back on Saturday. It is a total disaster.”
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Sisters Nicki and Rochelle Godfrey, 28 and 31, saved for six months to fund their £3,000 trip to Antigua only to see their Virgin Atlantic flight cancelled yesterday.
Nicki, of Hackney, East London, said: “We’re just really sad now - not even angry any more.”
An EasyJet spokesman said: “We expect disruption to continue into tomorrow and so advise all customers flying to and from London Gatwick tomorrow to check the status of their flight.”
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