EGLL Closed all day

[inchman]

As Yogi Berra would say, "It's deja vu all over again".

London has been closed all day and they won't even issue a snowtam. All on the busiest weekend of the year.

They issued a NOTAM at 1900Z for closure until 0430Z. How do you close an airport for almost 10 hours without even looking at the forecast? Don't they have any fertilizer to spread on the runways?

EGLL 182020Z 25002KT 8000 SCT007 BKN025 M02/M03 Q0992 SNOCLO TEMPO 4000 BR BKN005

TAF EGLL 181701Z 1818/1924 25010KT 9999 BKN020 PROB40

TEMPO 1818/1824 1000 SHSN BKN003

BECMG 1819/1822 01010KT PROB40 1900/1910 3000 BR BKN003

BECMG 1920/1923 3000 BR

Must be the same guy at the BAA who closed European airspace for a chimney fire in Iceland.

(I know I'm under-stating it a bit, and it's easy to say, sitting here but they really gotta get a life over there).

[inchman]

AND...

It hasn't snowed (except for one METAR) for the past 9 hours!

EGLL 182050Z 25004KT 7000 FEW006 BKN039 M02/M03 Q0992 SNOCLO

EGLL 182020Z 25002KT 8000 SCT007 BKN025 M02/M03 Q0992 SNOCLO TEMPO 4000 BR BKN005

EGLL 181950Z 25003KT 9000 BKN011 OVC032 M02/M03 Q0992 SNOCLO TEMPO BKN008

EGLL 181920Z 25003KT 9999 FEW009 BKN039 M02/M03 Q0991 SNOCLO NOSIG

EGLL 181850Z 00000KT 9999 BKN018 BKN039 M02/M03 Q0991 SNOCLO NOSIG

EGLL 181820Z AUTO 00000KT 7000NDV SG BKN011/// BKN016/// M02/M03 Q0991 SNOCLO

EGLL 181750Z 25002KT 7000 -SN OVC014 M02/M03 Q0991 SNOCLO TEMPO BKN008

EGLL 181720Z 25004KT 9999 BKN016 M02/M03 Q0991 SNOCLO NOSIG

EGLL 181650Z 24009KT 9999 FEW009 BKN021 M02/M03 Q0990 SNOCLO NOSIG

EGLL 181620Z 25008KT 9999 BKN018 M02/M03 Q0990 SNOCLO NOSIG

EGLL 181550Z 24008KT 9999 BKN010 BKN017 M01/M02 Q0990 SNOCLO BECMG BKN008

EGLL 181520Z 24008KT 9999 BKN009 BKN012 M01/M01 Q0989 SNOCLO NOSIG

EGLL 181450Z 24012KT 9999 BKN007 BKN019 M01/M01 Q0989 SNOCLO NOSIG

EGLL 181420Z 23012KT 9999 BKN007 M01/M01 Q0989 SNOCLO NOSIG

EGLL 181350Z 22011KT 9999 -RA FEW003 BKN006 M00/M01 Q0988 SNOCLO NOSIG

EGLL 181320Z 19010KT 6000 BKN004 M00/M01 Q0988 SNOCLO BECMG FEW004 BKN008

EGLL 181250Z 11008KT 5000 -SG SCT004 BKN008 M00/M01 Q0988 SNOCLO TEMPO 3000 -SN BKN004

EGLL 181220Z 08010KT 0600 R09L/0600 R09R/0650 SN VV/// M00/M01 Q0989 SNOCLO BECMG 2000 -SN BKN002

EGLL 181150Z 08009KT 0400 R09L/0500 R09R/0550 +SN VV/// M00/M01 Q0989 SNOCLO BECMG 0800 SN BKN001

EGLL 181120Z 09010KT 0300 R09L/0450 R09R/0400 +SN VV/// M00/M01 Q0990 594906// TEMPO 0400 SN

EGLL 181050Z 10012KT 0500 R09L/0750 R09R/0900 +SN VV/// M00/M01 Q0990 TEMPO 0200

EGLL 181020Z 09009KT 0700 R09L/0800 R09R/0750 SN BKN003 M02/M03 Q0991 TEMPO 0300 +SN VV///

EGLL 180950Z 09009KT 3000 SN BKN013 M01/M04 Q0991 TEMPO 0300 +SN BKN002

EGLL 180920Z 09009KT 9999 -SN FEW037 BKN040 M02/M04 Q0991 BECMG 1200 SN BKN005

[Ex 9A Guy]

AND...

It hasn't snowed (except for one METAR) for the past 9 hours!

EGLL 182050Z 25004KT 7000 FEW006 BKN039 M02/M03 Q0992 SNOCLO

EGLL 182020Z 25002KT 8000 SCT007 BKN025 M02/M03 Q0992 SNOCLO TEMPO 4000 BR BKN005

EGLL 181950Z 25003KT 9000 BKN011 OVC032 M02/M03 Q0992 SNOCLO TEMPO BKN008

EGLL 181920Z 25003KT 9999 FEW009 BKN039 M02/M03 Q0991 SNOCLO NOSIG

EGLL 181850Z 00000KT 9999 BKN018 BKN039 M02/M03 Q0991 SNOCLO NOSIG

EGLL 181820Z AUTO 00000KT 7000NDV SG BKN011/// BKN016/// M02/M03 Q0991 SNOCLO

EGLL 181750Z 25002KT 7000 -SN OVC014 M02/M03 Q0991 SNOCLO TEMPO BKN008

EGLL 181720Z 25004KT 9999 BKN016 M02/M03 Q0991 SNOCLO NOSIG

EGLL 181650Z 24009KT 9999 FEW009 BKN021 M02/M03 Q0990 SNOCLO NOSIG

EGLL 181620Z 25008KT 9999 BKN018 M02/M03 Q0990 SNOCLO NOSIG

EGLL 181550Z 24008KT 9999 BKN010 BKN017 M01/M02 Q0990 SNOCLO BECMG BKN008

EGLL 181520Z 24008KT 9999 BKN009 BKN012 M01/M01 Q0989 SNOCLO NOSIG

EGLL 181450Z 24012KT 9999 BKN007 BKN019 M01/M01 Q0989 SNOCLO NOSIG

EGLL 181420Z 23012KT 9999 BKN007 M01/M01 Q0989 SNOCLO NOSIG

EGLL 181350Z 22011KT 9999 -RA FEW003 BKN006 M00/M01 Q0988 SNOCLO NOSIG

EGLL 181320Z 19010KT 6000 BKN004 M00/M01 Q0988 SNOCLO BECMG FEW004 BKN008

EGLL 181250Z 11008KT 5000 -SG SCT004 BKN008 M00/M01 Q0988 SNOCLO TEMPO 3000 -SN BKN004

EGLL 181220Z 08010KT 0600 R09L/0600 R09R/0650 SN VV/// M00/M01 Q0989 SNOCLO BECMG 2000 -SN BKN002

EGLL 181150Z 08009KT 0400 R09L/0500 R09R/0550 +SN VV/// M00/M01 Q0989 SNOCLO BECMG 0800 SN BKN001

EGLL 181120Z 09010KT 0300 R09L/0450 R09R/0400 +SN VV/// M00/M01 Q0990 594906// TEMPO 0400 SN

EGLL 181050Z 10012KT 0500 R09L/0750 R09R/0900 +SN VV/// M00/M01 Q0990 TEMPO 0200

EGLL 181020Z 09009KT 0700 R09L/0800 R09R/0750 SN BKN003 M02/M03 Q0991 TEMPO 0300 +SN VV///

EGLL 180950Z 09009KT 3000 SN BKN013 M01/M04 Q0991 TEMPO 0300 +SN BKN002

EGLL 180920Z 09009KT 9999 -SN FEW037 BKN040 M02/M04 Q0991 BECMG 1200 SN BKN005

This winter has been particularly brutal in Europe, Britain and Ireland. My folks live in Ireland on a narrow single lane road about 800 feet up the side of a mountain and they recently spent over a week "at home" as even in a 4 wheel drive they were not comfortable driving in the snow conditions.

We in Canada are so used to winter and it's challenges that it takes a pretty disastrous snow storm to have any significant effect on our transportation infrastructure. Just look how long it can take for YYZ to recover from a major winter storm and we KNOW it is going to snow here, now imagine it with 1/10 of the equipment, zero experience at an airport of equivalent size where it snows like this maybe once a decade.

Compare this to Britain and Ireland where you could probably not buy winter tires (tyres) even if you wanted to. Hardly anyone has experience driving in winter conditions and the city of Barrie probably has more snow ploughs than the entire UK.

Just trying to put some perspective on it.

[Homerun]

I don't believe LHR has much in the way of de-ice equipment or snowplows for that matter.

[J.O.]

Not nearly enough for the current situation, that's for sure. It's becoming a major disaster for holiday travel and may not get sorted out until Christmas. We have a friend who was supposed to fly home from Scotland today via LHR, he says it will be at least Monday now and maybe longer.

[inchman]

Not nearly enough for the current situation, that's for sure. It's becoming a major disaster for holiday travel and may not get sorted out until Christmas. We have a friend who was supposed to fly home from Scotland today via LHR, he says it will be at least Monday now and maybe longer.

If someone's flight gets canceled anytime in the next week, anywhere, my personal guess at their chance of getting where they want to be before Christmas is just about zero. (With the possible exception of short-haul).

[JW]

Still virtually closed. All AC flights for Sunday cancelled x-LHR.

[inchman]

I find this press release from the BAA Heathrow in November to be somewhat absurd, at least in hindsight, given the events of the past few days. I found it on the Heathrow home page with the leader "Snow team ready for action".

According to this they have more than 60 high tech vehicles to help keep the runways clear... must be Range Rovers for the bosses. Oh... and they have an "army of snow ploughs".

AND... they have 50 highly trained staff to operate the more than 60 vehicles. That's good crew planning . NOT!. Unless that high training includes driving two vehicles at once.

Also on the Heathrow site, they say they got a runway open overnight but the ramps are not safe to move aircraft.

It's one thing to be unprepared, another to say that you are prepared when you're not and quite another to screw up whatever level of preparedness you do have at your disposal.

[Fido]

I am totally anti government running anything. Government tend to do eveything badly........except the running of airports.

The private companies like BAA are the same as GTAA or YVRAA. They have their priorities all screwed up. They like to make sure that the public parking lot is shoveled before the runways and ramps are cleared.

When MOT ran things at our major airports they did concentrate on getting airplanes in and out first.

[mo32a]

I am totally anti government running anything. Government tend to do eveything badly........except the running of airports.

The private companies like BAA are the same as GTAA or YVRAA. They have their priorities all screwed up. They like to make sure that the public parking lot is shoveled before the runways and ramps are cleared.

When MOT ran things at our major airports they did concentrate on getting airplanes in and out first.

The parking lots etc. are a completely different contract than the airside. If the contractor for the parking lots gets there promptly the job is done. Airside is done by airport employees suplemented by contractors doing the ramp areas. Both can do a good job or not.

Re the MOT - the planes left alright, however a lot of the passengers didn't cause they couldn't make it into the airport.

[Fido]

The Bobcats, Graders and Front-end loaders that are in the carparks can be used in and around the terminal too.

From my observations of the Airport Authorities, one of the first things that they did was cut back on the number of people who operated the snow clearance equipment airside and increased the contractors groundside.

The same thing seems to have happened in LHR. The passengers get to the terminal by the thousands but the airplanes cannot move.

[W5]

Snow! Hit the Panic Button

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/24/opinion/24iht-edcohen24.html?ref=global

By ROGER COHEN

Published: December 23, 2010

PARIS — It snows in winter. This shattering discovery has now cast Britain and France into chaos for a week, with London’s dysfunctional Heathrow airport leading British claims to be officially designated a third-world nation.

Brits have been glued to the radio listening to people like the director of Alaska’s Anchorage airport describe how, with the help of vehicles called snowplows and stuff called de-icing fluid, it’s actually possible in the 21st century to keep an airport open after a snowstorm.

As much has proved beyond Heathrow and the U.K. airports operator BAA, whose elaborate Christmas production, “Fiasco,” follow-up performance, “Debacle,” and grand finale, “Collapse,” have left thousands of passengers stranded and tens of thousands fuming at the world’s biggest international hub. Colin Matthews, the BAA chief executive, has decided to “give up my bonus for the current year” to focus on “getting people moving.”

Well, gosh, that’s good of you, sir. It’s true that at a certain point cutting costs to increase BAA margins and so boost your bonus does conflict with “getting people moving,” especially when the cuts mean no investment in the equipment airports need when it snows. British Airways alone has canceled more than 2,000 flights.

Heathrow is the hub that makes you blub.

The French meanwhile have been blaming the government for their own mega-production, “Catastrophe.” Can there really be, in nanny-state France, a government unable to predict snow in winter or deal with it? Pas possible!

What we are witnessing on either side of the Channel is the double whammy of a debt-ridden public sector making cuts wherever it can and a bonus-addicted private sector making cuts wherever it’s profitable — with the resultant disaster foisted on a general public now so cowed and coddled and fearful and risk-averse in the age of terror and technology that an inch or two of snow sends everyone into a blind panic.

Add to that dismal stew a pinch of global warming, which some people, including Matthews, apparently took to mean the end of European winters, and you end up with the current farce. Europe, thy name is pitiful. When the budgetary cuts really bite next year, all bets are off.

I can report, having been there, that it did snow in London last Friday and Saturday. The snowfall bore about the same relation to a blizzard as a gentle breeze does to a gale. It snowed a few inches for a few hours. After that it remained cold, an unreasonable thing in winter, I know, but not unprecedented.

That Friday evening, Dec. 17, my children were leaving on a British Airways flight from Heathrow to New York. They sat on the plane for five-and-a-half hours waiting for it to be de-iced. But they did leave. Others were less fortunate. Jane Weist, on a Miami-bound BA flight that evening, sat for six hours only to return to the terminal. She was still there three days later trying to escape a departure lounge littered with mattresses, blankets, pillows — and the terminally enraged.

“It can’t be beyond the wit of man surely to find the shovels, the diggers, the snowplows or whatever it takes to clear the snow out from under the planes,” suggested Boris Johnson, the mayor of London.

Yes, Boris, it’s beyond the wit of man.

Five days after the above-mentioned snow flurry, Heathrow was still busy canceling flights. As for Eurostar and Eurotunnel, which ferry passengers by train through the Channel Tunnel, they’ve also undergone near-implosion. Delayed six hours at Folkestone awaiting the Eurotunnel service, I was told eight out of 10 trains had broken.

I dared to ask why. “It’s the snow, sir.” This was three days after it snowed — and in a tunnel!

French anger has focused on the Interior Minister, Brice Hortefeux, who has become a laughing stock. In the Parisian gridlock, he declared, there was “no mess, and the proof is it took the prefect three minutes to get here!” That was when it took my colleague Richard Berry 13 hours to drive the 50 miles from office to home. Do the math: that’s an average of about four miles an hour. It would have been about as quick, if chilly, to walk.

Apparently, if you don’t want to blame greed or the cuts or Matthews or the breakdown of the French state, you can blame the North Atlantic oscillation. That, for the uninitiated, is the difference of atmospheric pressure at sea level between the Icelandic low and the Azores high. When the difference is low, Arctic air penetrates Europe. That happened a lot in the 1960s. Now it’s happening again.

This, according to some, is the result of global warming. So if all else fails, blame global warming for the freeze.

Some Brits aren’t buying it. The Guardian’s George Monbiot reported angry calls: “It’s minus 18C and my pipes have frozen. You liar. Is this your global warming?”

Not exactly: It’s the age of pass-the-buck, blame-anybody-but-yourself technology-induced, pasty-faced, initiative-starved helplessness in a Europe that’s forgotten what a shovel looks like.

Happy holidays, everyone. See you in 2011.