To not understand some of the people caught up in the eurostar chaos?

[wannaBe]

Obviously being stuck in that chaos over the weekend must have been a nightmare for anyone. But..

They just interviewed a family on the news who are stuck in brussels and say they've been there for four days and no idea when they'll get home and think they won't be home for Christmas.

Now surely there must be flights from brussels to the UK? Anywhere in the UK? and once you're in the uk it's easier to get home?

I just can't understand why people aren't thinking more practically about this and are essentially waiting it out in hotels going on about how Christmas is ruined, when there surely must be other ways to get home - even if it involves having to go via another european destination..

Can we all please just keep praying to the Eurostar Gods?

In laws are supposed to be arriving from Paris Xmas eve. If we all wish hard enough, it might... not... happen.

getting to Brussels from England

I don't suppose getting back is any easier

From the BBC website:

In France, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands, airport operators struggled to clear runways amid thick snowfall, with major disruption to flight patterns.
In France, 40% of flights out of Paris's Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports were cancelled as a second wave of snowstorms hit the country's north.
Charles de Gaulle warned as many as one in five flights were likely to be cancelled on Monday.
Germany's third largest airport - in Duesseldorf - was also closed because of Sunday's heavy snow, authorities said.
In Belgium, the three biggest airports - Brussels, Charleroi and Liege - were completely shut. Severe delays and cancellations were reported at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport.
In Britain, officials at Manchester Airport - the busiest outside the London area - suspended flights for 90 minutes as staff moved snow and de-iced a runway.
The weather also affected rail travel across northern Europe, with Austrian trains brought to a standstill because of frozen points.

From what I've heard Calais is complete bedlam. The weather they are having there makes the current south east look like summer. I think trains were diverted to Brussels so I'm sure they didn't choose to go there. I assume they are relying on Eurostar to sort it out. If I were them I'd be getting a train to Amsterdam and either flying from there.

Amsterdam is closed, Mollie

Schiphol airport

"Very limited stop train services are operating in much of the country because of the snow. All intercity trains have been cancelled. According to the Telegraaf, many of the problems have been caused by so-called maintenance-free points freezing up."

They will have all ready paid for Euro Star and probably don't have enough money to pay for a flight. Anyway the flights will probably be full and they some flights are bieng cancelled becuase of bad weather.

Aahhh Mollie think you have answered my question if trains were diverted there. Thank you!

Have to say, read the article and don't think I would even try the airports at this time of year without a ticket - not in this weather anyway.

First option for me would be Calais (obviously failing if it is closed) second would be checking out Dunkirk then Oostend or Hook of Holland. But this is only because I have travelled by train in Europe more times than I have flown in my life so feel happy with negotiating trains and ferries (thanks to my parents!). Maybe I wouldn't be so happy if I didn't know a bit about them!

Also looked into ferry travel to Europe in the summer and explored the options.If I remember Hook of Holland and Oostend can be very pricey! Think one will also not take foot passengers!

I don't know why people bother travelling around Xmas with very young children.

My mum would now and again drop hints she wanted us over to theirs (abroad) over Xmas.

I made it very clear there's no way that's happening until the youngest is about 10.

For reasons like this.

My cousin is stuck with her boyfriend in Paris. They were due home to Manchester, via London on Eurostar, all in ticke, tried to get a flight, Manchester Airport closed, tickets that are available to other UK airports are £4-500 each on the flights with any spaces which are few and far between.

Refund for Eurostar not immediate, after Xmas sometime. My Auntie has been calling all the ferry companies on their behalf as the French numbers are permenantly engaged, they don't want to get a train/hire a car to a port if they can't get a ferry home.

They are in a Travellodge type hotel that my Auntie has paid for an her credit card as my cousin and he BF don't have one.

So yes some people are definately STUCK!

Carocaro How horrible for them! Just to make it clear, I didn't mean people aren't stuck. The family on the news' story just made me wonder about them and how they ended up there! Genuinely feel for people who are stuck. I know if I was, money would be a big issue to me as I wouldn't have spare cash to get home!

If this ends up on twice I apologise - seemed to disappear first time - my brother lives and works in Brussels. He's never seen snow like they've got just now and he's been there 9 years. He's due to fly out tomorrow but airport was closed at the start of the week and no buses were running. He's due to fly to Edinburgh, which was closed this morning along with Aberdeen. Heard tonight that all the London airports are affected, so maybe not so easy as some would think just to hop on an alternative mode of transport and get 'home'...

I'm 'stuck' in Paris with my boyfriend - tho we're delirious because Eurostar has promised to pay our hotel and all meals until we can come home - Weds or Thurs - maybe!

But they don't pay the difference for taking flights - so it's either you wait it out at their expense - a great option if you ask us, or pay your own way for a probably pretty hellish route home.

Although we are young and together so we're not really bothered about the being away at xmas thing but MIL is beside herself Would be awful with young children so I do have sympathy for any families (part of the reason we accepted 2 nights in a hotel rather than trying to get on the trains today).

Finona Temperatures are getting above freezing now, flights are landing in Brussels Zaventem (a friend went manchester-brussels yesterday). Failing that, if he needs to get home - he can himself up to Ijmuiden (just north of Amsterdam) and get a ferry to Newcastle - I'm not sure the Rosyth one runs in the winter.

But generally I agree with OP. There is more than one airport in Europe and there are multiple ferry ports. Sweet-talk a lorry driver - like he's going to refuse a woman with kids?

If I had 4 children with me, I'd stay put as well and make the most of Brussels with them. Every mode of transport will be affected and involve delays, waiting, scambling for info and places.

I'd be crazy to try and do this with 4 dcs.

are carocaro and lilylu related?

I agree, money is probably the issue for people getting home. A lot of people take it for granted you can just pay for a flight a train to another country or whatever and get reimbursed later, but many people can't afford that How horrible for all those people stuck!

My mum & dad are stuck in Brussels.

They used to live there so went to visit friends before xmas and were due back Sunday.

That day Calais was also shut to new passengers and Dover too.

They said Eurostar v keen to offload anyone who can get themselves off a different way and are offering refunds.

The flights were all full the next option was to fly on Thursday on American Airlines.

They are going to try to get Eurostar today as it is apparently running 2/3 service but on the news here it says that is only on the Paris route.

The problem people have is not knowing which routes they could choose, they are probably just listening to whatever Eurostar tells them and also that the ticket refund is probably not immediate you have to stump up the money for your alternative then get refund later.

So there are ways to get out but it's not as easy as it looks!