Flights cancelled due to storms – as Brits left stuck on planes
BAGGAGE problems, strikes... and now storms have joined the list of problems British holidaymakers need to worry about this summer.
The extreme weather contributed to travel chaos on Wednesday, adding to delays and cancellations.
Thunder, lightning and torrential rain battered parts of the country after amber and yellow weather warnings had been issued by the Met Office.
This meant air traffic control measures had to be brought in, which affected airports across the south of England and some parts of Europe.
Gatwick airport explained via Twitter on Wednesday evening that "Air traffic control restrictions are currently in place across the South of England and parts of Europe due to poor weather conditions.
"This will unfortunately cause delays and cancellations to some flights today."
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Passengers were also sharing their experiences of the problems via Twitter, with many claiming that their flights had been cancelled at late notice.
EasyJet, Ryanair, British Airways, Vueling and Wizz Air were all said to be among the airlines affected.
Passenger Mark Thewlis tweeted that he had been stuck on his plane for three hours before finding out his flight had been grounded.
He said: "We've been sat on the plane at Palermo airport for over 3 hours and they just told us they are cancelling our flight now because of bad weather at London Gatwick."
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Another passenger said their flight to Gatwick from Florence had been cancelled and there had been "no communication, no email, no staff in sight, nobody knows anything. Stranded, confused, angry."
Fans of Danish football club Viborg were also unable to fly to London ahead of their team's Europa Conference League match against West Ham after their flight from Billund was among the cancellations.
In addition to the storms, rail strikes are also expected to have a knock-on effect on air travel this week.
Rail staff are walking out today and on August 20 - meaning Brits heading away for the weekend are being warned against getting the train to the airport.
Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union, Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) and Unite are all involved in the industrial action, after ongoing talks failed to break the deadlocked rows.
On Saturday, RMT members at Network Rail and 14 train operators, TSSA members at seven companies, and Unite members at NR will strike again, along with London United bus drivers.
Airports including Gatwick, Heathrow and Stansted have all warned against using train travel to get to the airport.
A Gatwick spokesperson said: "Due to industrial action, limited trains will serve Gatwick Airport on August 18 and 20, with disruption likely on 19 August due to displaced trains and crew.
"On the strike days (August 18 and 20), a limited number of trains will run between Gatwick and London, and Gatwick and Brighton from 7am to 7pm only, with no service outside of these hours.
"We strongly advise passengers travelling to and from Gatwick Airport to use other transport options where possible and allow extra time to reach the airport."
A Heathrow spokesperson echoed the concerns, warning there will be reduced services.
The Heathrow Express will not be running from 6:10pm this evening until tomorrow morning at 7am, so anyone arriving very late or early tomorrow morning will have to find alternative routes.
On August 20, trains won't run before 7am or after 6:10pm.
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Flash flood warnings were issued earlier this week after torrential downpours ended weeks of hot weather.
A heatwave could arrive for the bank holiday weekend with tropical air expected to bring warm weather.
