Missing friend’s wedding ceremony ‘nightmarish’, says Heathrow passenger
Farah Rafeeq, 24, was due to travel with Singapore Airlines on Friday from Heathrow with her friend.
A woman said missing her close friend’s wedding ceremony because of disruption at Heathrow was “nightmarish”.
Farah Rafeeq, 24, was due to travel with Singapore Airlines on Friday from Heathrow with her 32-year-old friend Niken Wulan, who is pregnant, to another friend’s wedding in Cambodia on Sunday.
The mass cancellation of flights means they will now miss part of the ceremony.
They have found an alternative flight from Gatwick Airport with Turkish Airlines and Bangkok Airways that will get them to Cambodia for Sunday afternoon.
Ms Rafeeq, who lives in London and works in climate project management, told the PA news agency from Gatwick Airport on Saturday: “The last few hours have been nightmarish because it is one of our closest friends’ wedding and we have to travel for at least 20 hours to get there.
“We had to pay double the amount, between £600 and £700, for the new flight, and we had planned this trip for months and had hotels booked and are flying to South-east Asia after the wedding.
“We are missing the morning ceremony but at least we can make it for the reception.”
A woman accompanying a school trip from the US said flight cancellations at Heathrow on Saturday had resulted in a “stressful” end to their travels.
Speaking at the airport, Christine Eckles, 50, told the PA news agency: “It was a delay at first, a three-hour delay, and then we found out our flight to Chicago was cancelled.
“We’re having to work on how to get a new flight out with British Airways.”
Ms Eckles, who is accompanying students from Iowa, added: “It’s been stressful.
“We’re at the end of our trip and we have had a wonderful time in London and Paris, and everybody’s ready to go home and back to their spring break.”
However, another American tourist praised his airline’s and Heathrow’s “fantastic” response to a fire that closed the transport hub on Friday.
Speaking at Heathrow, Tim Kolb, who travelled to the UK on holiday from Dallas, Texas, told PA: “I was just getting ready to board the plane on Thursday night, and the news actually started coming across on our phones quicker than on the (airport) desk.
“But American Airlines did a fabulous job – we didn’t have to wait in the line or anything. They got us our accommodation reservation.”
Mr Kolb, 55, added: “I thought I was going to be there (Dallas) delayed two days, but I went over yesterday.
“It was organised well. In fact, they had several planes leaving within an hour of each other to Heathrow.
“The way everybody responded and fell into action, it was fantastic.”
Queues at Heathrow on Saturday were not noticeably longer than usual, with additional staff on duty to guide passengers through the airport.
A passenger at Heathrow said purchasing their flights in one booking had helped them avoid the worst of the disruption when a nearby fire closed the airport on Friday.
Rob Walford, 74, told PA: “We were in Nice with friends and we were due to fly into Heathrow yesterday.
“We were going to stay the night and then catch our flight to San Diego, so obviously, we didn’t do that.
“The wisest thing we did, though, while in Nice was take the tram to the airport and then rebook us first thing this morning. If we hadn’t done that, we wouldn’t be here.
“The British Airways desk sorted it out: we’ve got a flight this morning that wasn’t going to be cancelled, so now we’re good.”
