UK weather: Travel chaos for airline passengers as flights cancelled

Passengers from Northern Ireland are among those affected by flight cancellations and delays at airports in Great Britain.

Eleven flights at Belfast City Airport had been cancelled by 13:30 GMT on Monday after snow at other airports.

Sarah Getty has been trying to get home to her young children in Northern Ireland since Sunday afternoon.

So far, she's faced two cancelled flights and hundreds of pounds in additional costs because of disruption.

Ms Getty tried both London City Airport and Stansted Airport in her attempt to get a flight to Belfast.

All flights at Stansted were suspended overnight while snow was cleared from the runway.

The building was "absolutely heaving," she said, adding it was full of stranded passengers including children.

Third time lucky

Ms Getty was hoping to catch a flight back to Northern Ireland from Bristol instead.

"I'm just hoping to get home," she told BBC News NI.

Sarah Getty on the train to Bristol after a gruelling time at Stansted

Northern Ireland snooker star Mark Allen is on his way to a tournament but his flight was also cancelled due to the weather.

He said he had managed to make to England, but was in "a race against time" to make it to the competition venue.

Stansted runway resumed operations at 03:00 GMT on Monday but the airport has warned disruption may continue.

There have also been delays at Heathrow and Gatwick airports while some train services in England are facing severe disruption.

• LIVE Snow and ice cause travel chaos

In Northern Ireland, Belfast City Airport faced cancellations to several services to and from English airports, including routes to London; Leeds and Birmingham.

"Due to adverse weather across some parts of the UK, cancellations and delays should be expected," its spokeswoman said.

"Passengers should check the status of their flight with the airline before travelling to Belfast City Airport."

There have been several cancellations from Belfast City

Belfast International Airport's spokeswoman told BBC News NI that no flights have been affected by the weather conditions so far on Monday morning.

But she also advised passengers to keep an eye on the airport's website and to contact their airline for the latest updates.

At Derry City Airport, the 06:50 Stansted flight was cancelled.

A spokeswoman said flights to Liverpool and Glasgow scheduled for later on Monday have also been cancelled due to the adverse weather conditions.

"All passengers are advised to check with their airline before proceeding to the airport," she added.

Planes, trains and an automobile

Mother-of-two Sarah Getty was meant to be on a 30-hour short trip to England before returning home to her husband and two young children in County Down.

She said she was particularly anxious to get home to her two-year-old daughter whom she is breast-feeding.

"This is the first time I've ever left her," she added.

Ms Getty was originally booked on a flight home from London City Airport to Belfast City Airport with British Airways at 15:00 GMT on Sunday.

When it was was cancelled, her husband quickly rebooked her on to replacement flight from London Stansted to Belfast, due to depart just after 18:00 GMT.

Temperatures dropped to -9C in Northern Ireland on Sunday night

She got a train to Stansted, but the Easyjet flight was delayed for hours and by the time it was ready to take off, the runway was shut because of snow.

Ms Getty told BBC News NI that when passengers were told to disembark from the aircraft at about 22:00 GMT she "bit the bullet" and decided to book an airport hotel for the night.

She managed to get one of the last available hotel rooms, but it cost her £175.

"I'm lucky, I had the money to be able to get a hotel. Some people don't have money," she said.

Extra costs

With no prospect of flights out of Stanstead overnight, she rebooked with Easyjet, this time hoping to get home via Bristol Airport.

However, when she left her hotel in the early hours on Monday, she could not get on a train at Stansted because of rail cancellations and delays.

She booked an Uber taxi to take her to London's Paddington Station, at cost of an estimated £77 and paid another £100 for a train to Bristol.

Ms Getty said she had overheard other passengers from Northern Ireland discussing the possibility of travelling to Liverpool to catch a ferry home, such is the extent of flight disruption.