Palm Springs Airport Dealing With Winter Weather Delays

Palm Springs Airport Dealing With Winter Weather Delays

Airline Passengers Face Challenges Flying To Palm Springs 

PALM SPRINGS -- Due to the winter weather around the country most airline passengers flying into Palm Springs International Airport have a story regarding their travel day.Colin Jeffares of Edmonton, Canada, he and his family were delayed an hour and half from leaving Denver because the plane taking them to Palm Springs was stuck in Canada.Better news for Mike and Christine Borlet who flew in from Dallas-Fort-Worth. After starting their day in Newark, New Jersey they said their flights ran smoothly and were on time.Then there was Shannon Thompson who was on the same flight from Dallas-Forth-Worth. She began her day in Atlanta and almost didn't make her flight in Dallas because of a delay in Atlanta."Had we been five minutes later we would have missed our connecting flight," said Thompson. "After getting off the plane they put us on a ramp, put us in a van and drove us to the next plane. A little bit delayed today because of rain."Thomas added the stress was worth it since she's re-united with family for the holidays.

Canadian collision puts Emirates A380 out of action

Emirates has 90 firm orders for A380s, making it the jet’s largest customer by far

Adding to Emirates Airline’s recent poor fortunes in the Canadian aviation market, an accident involving a catering truck has put one of the carrier’s superjumbo jets out of action for several weeks.

The incident took place at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport.

"Emirates can confirm that an incident occurred on 6 December involving a catering truck and that damage was sustained to the inboard starboard wing and wing root of one of our A380 aircraft,” an Emirates spokesperson told Arabian Business.

“Another A380 has been deployed on to our Toronto route whilst the damaged aircraft is 

Storms in Europe strand travellers in Montreal

Hundreds of airline passengers across Canada are stranded as a blast of nasty winter weather hits Europe causing flight delays and cancellations.

 
Several airports in Europe have set up make-shift beds for stranded passengers.  

(CBC) Snow and ice have shut down runways at London's Heathrow and other major airports in European cities such as Paris, Frankfurt, Brussels, and Florence.

Dominik Rozkrut is trying to get home to Poland for the holidays but his Air Canada flight, which was supposed to leave Montreal on Sunday, was cancelled because it was due to go through London.

"I'm worried because, actually, my father has gone to the hospital and I would really like to get there quickly, so it's double the problem," he said.

Rozkrut, who came to Quebec on business on Dec. 9, has managed to get a flight to Berlin out of Trudeau International Airport on Wednesday. From there, he plans to rent a car and drive to Poland.

Griba Furtado's niece was scheduled to fly to India with a connection at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris. Furtado said the young woman is getting married over the holidays but she's now stranded in Montreal trying to make alternate plans.

"They wanted to be there early, so they tried other means. Hopefully it works out," said Furtado.

Canadian airline officials are urging passengers to check the status of their flights online before heading to the airport.

Air Canada issued a travel advisory on Monday saying it would have only five flights from Heathrow to Canada "including two to Toronto and one each to Halifax, Calgary and Vancouver and there will be one flight in during the day from Dublin."

In the press release, the airline says it is awaiting information from Heathrow before determining "which flights from Canada will operate to London in the evening of Dec. 20."

"We are going to work very, very hard to get people to their destinations," said Air Canada spokesperson Isabelle Arthur.

"But our ability to increase capacity is very very limited due to slot constraints at Heathrow."

European weather delays mean turbulence for Canadian travellers

 

Passengers rest at terminal five at Heathrow Airport on December 20, 2010 in London, England

 

 TORONTO — Severe winter weather in Europe is continuing to affect thousands of Canadian air travellers hoping to make it home for the holidays, with Air Canada forced to cut two-thirds of its flights through London Heathrow Airport Monday while other airlines experience delays or cancellations on the mainland.

Snow and freezing fog have disrupted air travel across Europe for the past three days with as much as 20 centimetres of snow falling in parts of the U.K.

Airlines including Air Canada, Cathay Pacific, Qantas and Virgin Atlantic have been forced to cancel flights in the past 24 hours.

Air Canada chief operating officer Duncan Dee said the airline is able to operate one-third of its normal schedule due to restrictions at London Heathrow, meaning only six takeoffs and landings at the airport were allowed Monday.

“We will be using those flights primarily to return aircraft to Canada from London as well as moving to London one aircraft and passengers earlier diverted to Dublin,” Dee said in a statement.

“We recognize the inconvenience this situation is causing passengers anxious to travel and we are taking all measures to ensure customers travel safely to their destinations as soon as possible. However our ability to increase capacity is very limited due to slot constraints at Heathrow and the fact our flights are already fully booked for the holiday season.

“Customers and others going to the airport should consult our website for the latest information as conditions at the London airport are continually changing and we will be updating it through the day.”

Air Canada planned to operate five departures from London on Monday, including two to Toronto and one each to Halifax, Calgary and Vancouver.

The airline is encouraging would-be passengers to defer all non-essential travel plans and is waiving fees for flight cancellations and date changes.

Monday’s delays and cancellations come just a day after Air Canada was forced to cancel all of its departures from London to Canada.

The airline also said Monday that winter weather is causing lengthy delays at other northern European airports, notably Heathrow but also Gatwick Airport, south of London, which cancelled 30 flights Monday and was expecting freezing fog to mid-morning with snow flurries in the afternoon.

Amid the Heathrow crowds a Canadian doctor saw his holiday plans turned to mush by the snowstorm that shut down the airport.

Dr. Gerhard Benade, his wife and their two children have been stuck for two days waiting to fly out of England to see their relatives in South Africa, and now aren’t scheduled to leave until Christmas Eve.

“If you watch the media here, you would think it’s the greatest snow drop in history, but walking around the airport grounds here it’s maybe a couple of inches,” Benade said in a telephone interview Monday.

“They seem totally unprepared … maybe they should get a few Canadians or Albertans to show them how to deal with it.

“You would have a hard time finding enough snow to build a snowman.”

“They seem totally unprepared … maybe they should get a few Canadians or Albertans to show them how to deal with it.”

Patricia Krale, a spokeswoman for the Greater Toronto Airport Authority, urged passengers to get in touch with their air carriers directly if they have any questions about possible delays or cancellations.

Pearson International Airport reported numerous delays and cancellations Monday, affecting outgoing flights to London, Montreal, Ottawa, Cincinnati, Boston and Calgary. The problems came at the busiest time of the year for the airport, with about 200,000 people passing through its gates during this past weekend.