UK Flight Delays Chaos: 1,600 Flights Hit at Heathrow & Gatwick Amid Weather and ATC Issues. 1,600 flights are delayed at Heathrow and Gatwick because of bad weather and problems with air traffic control.
AirHelp, a passenger rights group, said that more than 1,600 planes were late in Europe in just 24 hours this week. London Heathrow and Gatwick had the worst on-time performance. As of April 10, average delays at Heathrow were 45 to 60 minutes and at Gatwick they were 55 to 75 minutes. This affected the travel plans of about 240,000 people. The backlog started when heavy rain and changing winds hit the UK, which made air traffic controllers slow down the flow of planes on the runways. There was no buffer because there were always too few controllers, therefore morning delays got worse throughout the day. Long-haul operators had much more trouble since they had to reroute around Middle Eastern airspace limitations. The timing is bad for corporate mobility teams because the EU’s new EES standards imply that missed connections can now oblige passengers to complete biometric re-registration on re-routed itineraries, making it harder to prepare for duty of care. Companies that use “hand-carry” couriers to move high-value goods have also had to pay storage fees when planes missed their slots.
AirHelp says that EC 261 compensation won’t usually apply because bad weather and air traffic constraints are considered “extraordinary circumstances.” But airlines still have to provide meals, places to stay, and rebooking. Smart travel managers are utilising AirHelp-style systems to streamline refund checks. Forecasts say that delays will stay high until at least April 15, when timetables will be back on track. Travellers should keep their connections to at least two hours and check airline apps for gate adjustments.