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Scots Families Caught Up in Flight Cancellation Misery

Posted on: Friday, 12 August 2005, 15:00 CDT

THOUSANDS of Scots travellers were also badly hit today by the flight cancellations.

Around 4400 Scots passengers have been affected since yesterday.

Today 27 flights from Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen were cancelled due to the problem, which affected almost 3000 passengers.

Yesterday, seven flights in total to Heathrow were cancelled from Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen, affecting around 1400 passengers.

For some their journeys were just beginning, but for hundreds it was a nightmare end on the final leg of their return journey.

One flight from Boston had to be diverted from Heathrow to Glasgow and a New York flight was diverted to Prestwick late last night.

Passengers were piled onto buses and taken to hotels in Glasgow city centre for an overnight stay.

Today they turned up at the airport hoping to find a way home.

Holidaymakers Faith and Harry Bloch flew into Glasgow at around 8pm last night after their Boston to Heathrow flight was diverted.

Mrs Bloch, from London, said: "We were put up in a hotel overnight.

We would rather have gone home, but at least we had somewhere to stay for the night."

Other travellers affected included the Roche family, who have lost 24 hours of a trip to visit family in the south of England.

Sally, husband Sean and their daughter Becky, 17, were flying from Boston to London. They were due to meet family last night, but instead were put up in Glasgow.

Mrs Roche said: "We have been given an alternative flight from Glasgow to Southampton and hope to be there soon.

"There were around 300 people trying to get off the plane last night, so it was quite chaotic."

Friends Mandy Scott, 16, and Megan Greenhouse, 16, were flying back to Vermont today after staying with friends in Barrhead for a couple of weeks.

Mandy said: "We didn't know what else to do but turn up at the airport.

"We've actually ended up with a better route and are now flying to Bristol and then on to Newark, New York, which means we have one less stop to get home."

TIMELINE WEDNESDAY Morning: Catering company Gate Gourmet brings in 130 temporary workers after sacking hundreds of its staff in a row over working practices.

Morning: Sacked staff stage sit-in.

Afternoon: Manager uses a megaphone to sack workers on the afternoon shift.

Evening: BA cancels four flights.

THURSDAY AM: BA gives passengers food and vouchers before they board flights.

Early afternoon:

Some BA staff stop work in sympathy with sacked workers.

5.30pm: BA stops short-haul flights.

6.15pm: BA stops long-haul flights.

10.30pm: BA cancels all Heathrow flights until at least 6pm today.

Source: Evening Times; Glasgow (UK)

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