Thousands of easyJet passengers due to fly out of Bristol Airport today (Wednesday, March 8) have been informed of cancellations caused by snow chaos. The Bristol area had been forecast a sprinkling of snow but the reality was much heavier, with the city waking up to an unexpected blanket of white and more on the way.
Bristol Airport announced at 6.45am that all flights had been suspended due to the weather conditions, with operations resuming just before 11am after the earlier estimate of 8am was pushed back. Staff had to clear the runway to ensure safety, especially as snowfall continued to impact conditions and visibility.
A spokesperson said at 10.45am: "Bristol Airport is now open and operational but disruption across airline networks has resulted in some ongoing flight disruption. For the latest flight information, please check with your airline."
LIVE UPDATES: Bristol Airport disruption as heavy snow hits
Passengers say the departure lounge is packed, with one person on Twitter saying they saw elderly people sitting on the floor due to the lack of seating as thousands of people awaited an update on their travel schedule. The airport has apologised for the delays and several passengers have also been quick to praise staff for their efforts in controlling the difficult situation.
The departures board shows that more than 30 flights have been delayed this morning and a further 10 have been cancelled completely. Of almost 18 flights originally due to take off between 6am and 8am, none had taken off as of midday and only a handful were listed as 'boarding'.
@WTFalmc tweeted: "Really glad we were told our flight to Bristol was cancelled just as the gate was about to be announced. The worst bit is all the alternate flight prices suddenly increasing once the cancellation came through. One flight changed from £81 to £150~. Should not be allowed."
Another passenger joked that they were glad they had travelled all the way to the airport "for a wee", sharing a photo of the departures board streaked with red where flights had been cancelled or delayed.
As of 12pm, this was the list of cancellations showing on Bristol Airport's departures board. All but one are easyJet flights, with one Lufthansa flight also affected:
| Venice Municipal | easyJet | EZY 3362 | 10:30 | Cancelled |
| Frankfurt | Lufthansa | LH 971 | 11:05 | Cancelled |
| Belfast Intl | easyJet | EZY 443 | 11:45 | Cancelled |
| Newcastle | easyJet | EZY 572 | 14:20 | Cancelled |
| Edinburgh | easyJet | EZY 427 | 15:30 | Cancelled |
| Toulouse | easyJet Europe | EJU 6141 | 15:55 | Cancelled |
| Amsterdam | easyJet | EZY 6167 | 18:05 | Cancelled |
| Paris CDG | easyJet | EZY 6223 | 18:30 | Cancelled |
| Glasgow | easyJet | EZY 407 | 19:00 | Cancelled |
| Geneva | easyJet Switzerland | EZS 3066 | 19:10 | Cancelled |
The same locations were showing as cancelled on the arrivals board. According to easyJet's website, passengers affected by cancelled flights have several options - they will be able to switch to another flight for free, choose a voucher for the full value of the booking, or request a refund.
Read more:
- Bristol Airport reopens after snow chaos grounds flights
- Bristol Airport reopens after snow chaos grounds flights
- Live: Flights grounded at Bristol Airport amid snow and icy conditions
- Met Office hour-by-hour snow forecast for Bristol amid yellow weather warning
- Northern Lights will be more visible from south of England 'for two years'
