CAIRO: For holiday-goers and dozens of British expatriates the timing could not have been worse.
After two days of flight cancellations to and from Heathrow Airport due to intense fog and poor weather conditions in London, local Brits thought they weren’t going to make it home for family Christmas celebrations.
Several hundred flights were cancelled to and from London’s Heathrow airport Dec. 20 and 21 after the second day intense London fog.
Although British Airways could not be reached for comment, at press time their website indicated that flights to and from Heathrow Airport would not be operational Thursday.
At 5 pm yesterday Egypt Air was to open up the gates to fly three airplanes into London again, serving hundreds of stranded passengers, according to an Egypt Air representative.
One waiting Egypt Air passenger said that there were people from three different cancelled flights clamoring for seats to London.
She expressed anger over the treatment she was receiving: “They are offering no compensation. everyone is sitting around with their suit cases hoping to get home in time for Christmas dinner.
Her friend, booked for the same flight, also complained about the services. “I have been told that even though delay is not my fault, I will have to pay for another flight going to Belfast later today. I am not happy.
She said she would have to pay ?85 extra on top of the ?200 she already had had to pay. “I don’t know what the philosophy is but I shouldn’t have to pay, it’s not my fault!
Ahmed Aguizy says his “life is ruined right now because of the cancellations. He is expecting three London DJs from Movida Club for a costly party that he says he expects approximately 500 people to attend. He does not know how he will make it up to the attendees.
Again, the biggest complaint had to do with service and information.
Aguizy says his DJs have been at the airport for two days without being properly notified as to the situation. He says when they checked in their luggage they were not told that the flight had not even left Egypt yet. Four hours later they were told the flight was delayed until finally they were informed it had been cancelled. “They didn’t tell them anything.
When Aguizy himself called the airline repeatedly for information, “everybody told me something different.
Tamer Sami was among the passengers that managed to slip into Cairo from London before the flight cancellations. His flight was delayed over three hours due to the fog, which he says was so thick you couldn’t see the sky.
He missed his connection to Cairo though and says “just about anyone who had a connection missed it.
British Airways could not be reached for comment.
