stranded

EXTREME cold has grounded numerous flights and left thousands of tourists stranded in Lapland.

Temperatures have reached a staggering -35C at Finland’s Kittila airport causing flights to London, Bristol, Manchester, Paris and Amsterdam to be cancelled.

During winter months, travellers head to northern Finland to enjoy the snowy wonderland and marvel at the aurora.

But following severe sub zero temperatures, tourists have been forced to stay put in the Artic region.

These freezing conditions make it difficult to de-ice planes – an important process to ensure the aircraft is safe to fly.

It can also cause refuelling and maintenance equipment to freeze on the ground prior to taking off.

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Lapland’s weather is expected to get even colder tomorrow with Finland’s meteorological agency predicting temperatures of -39C.

This is a particularly harsh winter for the area which usually experiences an average winter temperature of -14C with only occasional dips to -30C.

For tourists staying in nearby ski resorts, Kittila airport is the nearest commercial air station.

And for those wanting to visit Santa Claus’ home, an inbound flight to Rovaniemi will get you the closest according to local folklore.

Flights were cancelled in and out of Kittila on Friday and Saturday, with one flight out of Rovaniemi cancelled on Sunday.

Finland’s airport operator, Finavia, told Finnish broadcasting company Yle that moisture in the air was exacerbating the situation by creating slippery frost.

This has also made roads dangerous with Fintraffic, the country’s traffic control service, warning of icy conditions in the region.

A bus full of Ukrainian passengers crashed into a ditch this morning, but thankfully no serious injuries have been reported.

The uncharacteristically cold weather is a result of a storm that’s passing over norther Europe, which has caused temperatures to drop and travel disruptions in France, Germany, and the UK.

Brits are dealing with the dire effects of storm Goretti, with fallen trees crushing houses and cars, and road vehicles facing treacherous conditions.

Police said a man in his 50s was found dead in a caravan after a tree fell on to the vehicle in Helston, Cornwall.

Emergency services were called to the scene on Thursday evening and work took place on Friday to remove the tree.

The Met Office have issued an amber warning for more snow, adding there is a risk of heavy rain, strong winds and flooding.

It comes after the storm brought gusts of almost 100mph and a rare red warning for “dangerous, stormy” winds in the South West was issued by forecasters earlier this week.

Jan. 9 (UPI) — Six pilot whales are dead and 15 others are stranded on New Zealand’s South Island, and volunteers are furiously working to save them.

About 55 whales washed up on Farewell Spit Thursday. The spit is a long peninsula of sand that juts out of the north end of the island. It’s been labeled a whale trap because they easily get stranded there. Most of the whales were able to get free, but about 15 of them were re-stranded and are lying along about 0.6 miles of beach.

Volunteers have been pouring buckets of water over the whales to keep them cool until the tide comes in, when they hopefully will be able to swim away.

“When the tide comes in, we’re going to have to move really quickly to bring these whales together, then move them out to deeper waters,” said Louisa Hawkes of Project Jonah, a nonprofit that helps marine mammals.

Pilot whales are very social animals, and rescuers believe their strong group bonds can help their chances of survival. Conditions must be just right for re-floating success.

On Friday, Project Jonah said the whales were in the tidal zone and were showing signs of encouraging behaviour, according to New Zealand’s RNZ news.

The organization appealed for extra volunteers to help with the operation. The New Zealand Department of Conservation sent rangers, a boat and a drone to look for more strandings.

A TRAVEL expert has revealed the big mistake you are making when your flight is cancelled that could leave you stuck at the airport.

Thousands of passengers across the UK and Europe have been left stranded by cancelled flights in recent days, due to the severe weather.

More than 700 flights have been cancelled at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport today.

This comes after another 900 since Sunday were cancelled, with more weather warnings in place.

And Liverpool‘s John Lennon Airport was forced to close on Monday after the runway was covered by snow.

More than 200 flights were cancelled across the UK yesterday as well after temperatures dropped to -12C.

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HotelPlanner boss Tim Hentschel explains that waiting for the airline to book you a hotel is advised against, as well as to avoid calling hotels.

He said: “Airport hotels are usually prepared for unexpected surges in demand whenever travellers are delayed at airports.

“That said, once the standard rooms are booked, any last remaining saved occupancy will come at a premium.

“The natural action may be to call the nearest hotels, but booking online is actually better than over the phone in these situations.”

Hentschel explained the hotel phone lines often become jammed in the surge to bag the last remaining rooms.

Instead, he recommended booking hotel rooms online to “beat the rush”.

He added: “This is when seconds might count and demand for rooms are at a peak, so there really is no time to be sitting on hold.

“Booking online is a much more efficient way to find rooms at short notice, and booking engines find a way to pick out the best rates.”

Airline KLM – which has been most affected by the Amsterdam cancellations – backed this up.

They said online in a travel warning: “If you need a hotel because your flight is the next day, the quickest option is to book one  yourself and request reimbursement through our website.

“We recommend Booking.com to find suitable accommodation.”

Over the winter months passengers who are flying abroad face disruption because of worsening weather conditions such as snow and high winds.

Airline employee Natalie also offered some of her top tips for what to do at the airport if affected.

This includes downloading the official smartphone app of the airline you’re flying with.

This could give you up-to-date notifications just as fast as the airline employees located at customer service points at the airport.

Here’s what you need to know about claiming compensation if your flight was delayed or cancelled.

ONE of Europe’s busiest airports has cancelled hundreds more flights as chaos enters its sixth day.

A major snow warning has resulted in the cancellations at Amsterdam‘s Schiphol Airport since the weekend.

According to local media, another 718 flights have been cancelled today with fears of another 10cm of snow across the country.

The airport stated: “On Wednesday, due to persistent winter weather and heavy winds, only limited air traffic is possible to and from Schiphol.

“More cancellations are expected. This will be mostly European flights.”

The majority of flights from the UK have been cancelled to Schiphol Airport today, affecting as many as 60 inbound and outbound flights.

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This affects routes from London airports, as well as Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, Edinburgh and Glasgow.

The few that are still in operation are expected to be severely delayed.

Passengers have been left stranded at the airport for days, due to the ongoing cancellations.

On Monday, the airport cancelled 450 flights, affecting arrivals and departures.

And yesterday, another 455 flights were cancelled as well.

As many as a thousand passengers were thought to have slept at the airport overnight, due to visa issues preventing many from leaving.

One woman said has been left stuck at the airport since Sunday.

She explained: “Yesterday morning, we were sent away again. We ended up coming back.

“And we’ve been waiting here ever since. We had to sleep here, too.”

Most trains to and from the airport have been cancelled.

And Eurostar trains have also been affected, with two of the five planned routes from London to Amsterdam cancelled today.

Others are offering a limited service with passengers not able to join at some stops.

Desperate travellers have been forced to find alternative routes home.

One said on social media: “We got a ferry from Rotterdam to Hull last night.”

Another said: “I got a taxi to Brussels for €500 and getting on a flight to London.”

A third added: “Decided to book Flixbus from Amsterdam to London.”

Sadly, passengers won’t be able to claim compensation for any losses due to the weather being seen as an ‘extraordinary circumstance’.

Airlines must offer either a full refund or book you on the next available flight.

If stuck overnight, hotels and food vouchers must also be offered.

Flights at Liverpool Airport were also axed this week after the airport was forced to close.

EUROSTAR passengers are braced for a second day of travel carnage after some holidaymakers claimed they were stranded on a train overnight.

Journeys between the UK and France were brought to a halt yesterday as a result of a problem with the overhead power supply in the Channel Tunnel, leaving passengers battling hours of travel chaos.

All trains from London to Paris, Amsterdam and Brussels were cancelled.

The disruption upended New Year’s plans for thousands of passengers during ⁠one of the busiest travel weeks of the year.

Meanwhile, a failed Le Shuttle train in the tunnel caused further disruption to services.

Some Eurostar and LeShuttle services had resumed on Tuesday evening, but delays remained, with only one of the tunnel’s two rail lines open.

And some travellers claimed they spent more than six hours stuck onboard trains overnight as services were hit by more delays.

One man claimed he had boarded the 19:01 service to Paris, but as of 3am UK time he was still stuck on the train at the entrance to the tunnel.

He said staff had told him there was a “50 per cent chance we go to Paris, 50 per cent chance we go back to London”.

“I guess my new year plan is in the hands of the tunnel operators now,” the 27-year-old Parisian told the BBC.

Another passenger described feeling a “rollercoaster of emotions” for hours, not knowing whether the train he was on would be able to continue across the Channel or return to London.

His train eventually made it to Brussels, he said, adding: “Glad to be home, saw many families stranded.”

Passengers have been warned that there will continue to be delays and longer journey times as a result of knock-on effects today.

On Wednesday morning, an update on Eurostar’s website said: “Services have resumed today following a power issue in the Channel Tunnel yesterday and some further issues with rail infrastructure overnight.

“We plan to run all of our services today, however due to knock-on impacts there may still be some delays and possible last-minute cancellations.

“Please check for live updates on the status of your train on the train status and timetables page.”

London’s St Pancras International station was yesterday crammed with waiting passengers near the departure area.

Meanwhile, cars that had hoped to use the Channel Tunnel caused traffic jams near the LeShuttle Terminal in Folkestone.

At least a dozen Eurostar services between the UK, France, Belgium and the Netherlands had been cancelled by midday on Tuesday.

The rail operator apologised and said passengers could rearrange their plans free of charge or can cancel their booking and get a refund or an e-voucher.

On Tuesday, Eurostar has urged its customers “to rebook their journey for another day if possible, with free exchanges available”.

“We also advise customers not to come to our stations if their trains have been already been cancelled.”