Qantas cancels flight as Europe freezes

Qantas has cancelled another flight from London, as chaos reigns at Heathrow airport with arctic conditions and extensive flight delay.

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Qantas has cancelled another flight from London, as chaos reigns at Heathrow airport with arctic conditions and extensive flight delay.

Three flights from London were expected to arrive in Australia today, while four services are to depart this evening.

However QF0030, due to leave Heathrow Airport after midday UK time, has now been cancelled, trhe ABC reported.

With temperatures dipping to minus-10 degrees in London and snow forcing runway closures, scores of flights out of Heathrow have been cancelled or delayed, creating a backlog of passengers days before Christmas.

Some lucky few travellers from the UK arriving in Sydney this morning spoke of their relief at being back home.

"It was like a scene from a film," said Stephanie Lake of the chaos at Heathrow on her arrival in Sydney on Wednesday morning.

"I'm one of the lucky ones.

So many people were turned away ... you couldn't actually get into the airport unless your flight was confirmed, so there were people outside in that freezing cold, wrapped in silver foil sheets," she told AAP.

A fellow British Airways passenger, who gave his name as Todd, said he couldn't wait for some warmth and a beer after spending two days "juggling" bookings from Heathrow to anywhere in Australia after three of his flights with other airlines were cancelled due to the freezing British weather.

"It's such a bloody relief to be home," he told AAP.

Passengers aboard Virgin flight VS200 into Sydney said "media hype" had made them worried about the chances of getting away from Heathrow, but they were delayed only 90 minutes.

"I guess we are the most extremely fortunate to actually be able to get onto a flight," said Alex Horton, 19, who returned from a gap-year spent in the southern county of Hampshire. "I'd heard before we got to (Heathrow) that it was pretty chaotic, and they weren't wrong."

Happy to have escaped Heathrow and arrived in Sydney, travellers said the best advice they could give those still in London and bound for Australia, was to check airline and airport websites before leaving home.

Heathrow, Europe's busiest airport, is operating only about one third of its usual number of flights. Some passengers have been stranded at the airport since Saturday, camping on temporary mattresses.

Others have been forced to queue outside in the freezing cold.


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Source: AAP



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