Just one flight for Heathrow leaving YVR
Air Canada has confirmed it will have three flights from Canada to Heathrow on Monday, including AC854 from Vancouver at the 6:15 p.m. PT.
Air Canada flight AC9100 to Frankfurt Airport is also scheduled to depart one hour late on Monday afternoon. But British Airways flight BA85 from Vancouver to London at 8:30 pm has been cancelled.
Snow and ice have shutdown runways and stranded thousands of travellers at London's Heathrow airport and other major European airports in Paris, Frankfurt, Brussels, and Florence for days. Heathrow, which had only one functional runway on the weekend, stopped accepting arrivals Sunday at the start of the busy holiday travel season.
That left some travellers stranded at the Vancouver Airport since Saturday, unable to get a flight. Heathrow was open Monday, but airport officials there said they would be limited arrivals and departures.
Early advisory issued
On Monday morning Air Canada issued a travel advisory saying it would have only five flights from Heathrow to Canada on Monday, including just one flight to Vancouver, and warned that other European flights would likely be affected as well.
"Winter weather is also affecting other European stations, notably Paris, where airport conditions are imposing lengthy delays or cancellations on carriers. Air Canada asks passengers to postpone non-essential travel and is waiving change and cancellation fees for those who wish to reschedule on affected routes."
Waiting since Saturday
Stephen Phillips was scheduled to fly from Vancouver to London on Saturday, but his flight was cancelled.
"We've been stuck about two days now, trying to make our way back to Heathrow and the U.K. but the snow back there is just holding everything up. We are trying to get on a standby at the moment,"
Phillips has cancer, and he says he missed his appointment to set up chemotherapy treatments. He is hoping he can fly out on Monday afternoon. If not, his next chance could be a flight booked for Christmas Day.