Bedding down at Heathrow as 200 flights are axed in the fog

Passengers at Heathrow told today how they spent hours curled up on benches or sleeping on towels after fog led to dozens of flights being cancelled.

The airport axed another 64 flights this morning on top of nearly 150 yesterday. The destinations affected included Manchester, Glasgow, Amsterdam, Brussels and Nice.

Some travellers were forced to spend the night at the airport and even pay for new tickets. Recruitment worker Gizem Yildiz, 20, and her three friends spent more than 18 hours in the airport after their 8.10pm Lufthansa flight to Frankfurt was cancelled.

The group slept on the floor and spent all their money on food after the airline would not provide them with a meal. Ms Yildiz said: "We got here two-and-a-half hours before our flight was supposed to leave to find that it had been cancelled.

"We were given conflicting information by
different people - at first we were told that we could get on an earlier flight at 7pm but that was full. We slept on the floor on towels but we weren't allowed on a 6.15am flight either so we're still here. I was supposed to be going on a business trip from Frankfurt this morning but I've had to cancel it. We're really angry and tired."

Bjorn Birgisson from Iceland was stranded at the airport from 10pm after the cancellation of his flight from Brussels to Heathrow meant he missed his connection to Reykjavik. The 59-year-old said: "Now my flight is not until 1pm and I've had to pay 650 euros for a new flight, which is more than the cost of my initial return ticket, as the second carrier said it was not their fault British Airways had cancelled.

"So who is going to pay my expenses because BA could not get me here on time? I arrived here six hours after I was supposed to... I'm furious."

Conditions improved this morning and officials said there would be no further restrictions on flying, though more misery was expected for other areas of the country after the Met office issued a severe weather warning.

Ten departing flights at London City Airport were also cancelled today while one flight scheduled to leave Leeds Bradford Airport was also axed.
A Heathrow spokeswoman said: "There are currently no delays to flights but we advise passengers to check with their airlines before travelling."