Quote:
Originally Posted by Scott
Because this has to do with weather I really don't think it's anyones responsibility to give out accommodations or credits for people to stay in a hotel, or feed them. When it's snowing at 1ft per hour, it's really not the airports fault they can't keep the runway clean. It's for the safety of everyone that the plane remains on the ground.. This is something no one can control. It's not like the airports do this stuff for fun. It has to be pretty risky before they are willing to call it off, because when they do they instantly start to loose money.
I can understand everyone is probably angry, but if your angry at the airports or airlines then your directing it in the wrong place. No one can control mother nature. The only compensation that should happen in a case like this is a refund of the flight, because they didn't fly at the time they expected to. Nothing more, nothing less.
I can't say I wouldn't be very angry if this happened to me but logic would eventually take over and give me a nice back hand. No one controls the weather and while your plane might be fine on take off and/or flying, if something does happen, there are 100 families waiting in line to sue everyone responsible, because they should have delayed the flights in the first place.
People are funny like that.
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On the accomadation I can only speak as of the Swedish regualations.
But snow clearing is another thing:
I can understand if it was 1ft per hour but it was a total of 3in in one day, this took two days to clear, during these two days there ware no snow fall. If an airport can't clear that amount in less the two days it's appauling.
Not doing a thing untill it's too late is also a failure. You don't wait to clear the snow first when it's stoped snowing, then there's nothing else to do but close the airport. It's better to have a delay of 30 min to clear the runways and de-ice the planes then to close the whole airport down.
These 8cm (3in) was reported by heathrow as "unprecedented", they also exadriated the snow fall claiming alot more then it really was to make it look alot worse so their failure would be lessened. I saw fotage a passanger had taken showing one single plow running around heathrow, they have over 50!
I'm aware that they can't have the same redyness we have here on Swedish airports as they don't have winter half the year but they should be able to clear a bit of snow and ice when they have all the equippment for it, it should also be done quicker the two days. It's a massive failure for heathrow in my book. Maybe I have too high standards? I really doubt that though.
