Passengers delayed all morning by the snowy conditions at Bristol Airport have described the ‘disarray’ in the departure lounges as thousands of people waited for hours. Some passengers said conditions were ‘absolutely packed’, with nowhere to sit.
Many of the restaurants and cafes were closed, and a passenger claimed they saw elderly people forced to sit on the floor as they waited for the snow to clear and flights to resume. The airport has apologised for the disruption and confirmed at 10.45am that the airport was open and operational again, but "disruption across airline networks has resulted in some ongoing flight disruption".
All departures were postponed from first thing this morning, Wednesday, March 8, as continuing snowfall at Bristol Airport left the runway snowbound and arrivals diverted to other airports. While many berated the airport for not being able to operate with what appeared to be barely more than an inch of snow, others were more concerned with the conditions inside the departure lounge.
Updates: Flights grounded at Bristol Airport amid snow and icy conditions
Some complained that the airport was still allowing people to check-in and go through security to get to the departure lounge, even though it was already full. Philip Keith, a mortgage advisor from Bristol, tweeted about conditions in the departure lounge.
“Bristol airport absolutely packed airside,” he said. “Nowhere to sit, floor space at a premium yet they’re still allowing people to check in and come through!!”
With the early morning snow heavier than predicted, and Bristol Airport sitting at 600ft above sea level, the snow was deeper than in other areas nearby. So even though the roads and railways in and around Bristol were clear and running normally, flights could not take off or land without the snow stopping and being cleared first.
Bristol Airport apologised for the delays caused by the weather, and some passengers praised the staff who were on duty in the departure lounge, saying they were ‘doing wonders’. “You need to get 'all hands' on deck and open the restaurants and facilities,” tweeted Gareth Wood, who was delayed waiting to take off.
“I have queued an hour and a half for breakfast, it's (in) disarray. Your staff are doing wonders, but they need to have direction."
And another passenger, Carol, claimed there were elderly people having to sit on the floor. “You need to put an announcement out for those younger people occupying seats in the airport to give them up for the elderly sat on the floor!” she tweeted to Bristol Airport.
Read next:
- Full list of school closures as snow falls in Bristol
- Man sentenced after being drunk on flight from Dublin to Bristol
- Snow forces Bristol Airport to ground flights
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