SuppliedA Scot has said he and his colleagues are stranded in New York with “no information” following the closure of Heathrow Airport.
All flights were grounded on Friday after electricity supplies were knocked out by a huge fire at the North Hyde substation in Hayes.
The Metropolitan Police’s Counter Terrorism Command is leading the investigation into the cause of the fire, which has seen flights to and from Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen airports affected.
Conor Murray-Gauld, a student union trustee, flew out to New York for a work conference and was due to catch a redeye flight back to Edinburgh, via the London airport, at around 10.35pm EST (2am GMT) on Thursday.
Conor Murray-Gauld via SuppliedBut he was stranded on the American tarmac for three hours – with no information – before being told his flight was “delayed”.
“We were given no information. Nothing,” he said.
“We were told to fend for ourselves, go find hotel, go find a taxi. When the flight is eventually cancelled, it will be automatically rebooked, but it’s not been cancelled, so there’s nothing we can do.
“I understand that the people on the desk and the people on the flight were all really lovely, and people were only giving me as much information as we could get, but equally, it was not very helpful to the 300 or 400 people coming off three different flights.
London Fire Brigade via Supplied“So we found a hotel, we’ve paid money out of our pocket, which is not cheap. We’ve paid for an Uber. We gathered our team back together and we’ve come to the table and sat down and we’re just here till the morning and it says, Your flight is delayed till 2pm.
“These things happen. I think just our point to this point would be the people on the ground have been amazing, but the head office, nothing. I just think its a bit of a poor show on their part.
“There’s some people who don’t have any extra money. What are they doing? They are just lying about on floors in airports, which I think is again is just a bit of a poor show. So that’s my take on it.”
British Airways has been contacted for comment.
More than 1,300 flights to and from the airport were disrupted on Friday due to the closure of the airport.
Edinburgh Airport advised any British Airways passengers not to travel to the airport following the disruption, while AGS Airports, which operates Aberdeen, Glasgow and Southampton (AGS) airports, said all flights to and from Heathrow have been cancelled for the remainder of Friday.
The Scottish Passenger Agents’ Association (SPAA) is advising all travellers due to fly via Heathrow to check with their airline or travel agent as soon as possible following the airport’s unexpected closure.
Many other Scots have found themselves stranded in Athens after travelling out in large numbers to the Greek capital to watch Steve Clarke’s men win 1-0 in the Nations League play-off.
If a flight is cancelled, airlines are required to get you to your destination if you still want to travel, however, you might also be able to claim compensation.
Conor Forbes, policy director at Advice Direct Scotland, said: “If your flight is delayed or cancelled, you might be entitled to compensation, according to the Civil Aviation Authority.
“UK law requires airlines to compensate passengers for delays or cancellations, but this depends on several factors, including the length of the delay and its cause.
“If the delay is minor, you may not qualify for compensation. Airlines are also not obliged to pay out if the disruption is due to ‘extraordinary circumstances’ beyond their control.
“For those affected today, airlines may argue that the fire at Heathrow falls under this category, meaning compensation may not be available.
“However, if a flight is delayed or cancelled due to extraordinary circumstances, airlines must still provide assistance, such as meals and refreshments, depending on the delay length.
“If you have further concerns, you can speak directly with a consumer expert on 0808 164 6000, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, or visit www.consumeradvice.scot.”
A couple at Heathrow, who did not wish to be named, said they are having to travel to Gatwick in order to get back to Dallas in the US, after arriving from Scotland on Thursday.
They said: “We came down here from Scotland yesterday. We got to Heathrow at 5am but now we’re having to go to Gatwick.
“We’re then having to fly to Barcelona before heading to JFK (Airport) and onto Dallas.”
A BA spokesperson said: “Following the power outage that has caused the closure of London Heathrow Airport, we have had to cancel all short-haul flights that were due to operate to and from the airport today.
“Our teams are currently working hard to review our long-haul schedule as well as the implications for our schedule for tomorrow and beyond.
“We will update our customers as soon as possible and we continue to ask them not to travel to Heathrow Airport, but to check on ba.com for the latest flight information.”
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