our cousin is stuck on a plane on the tarmac at heathrow and has been since 5.15!!

[biggulp]

apparently there are no stands available as nothing has been taking off...he's just been on a longhaul flight and hasn't been told ANYTHING by the plane staff about when they will disembark...

anyone with an in at heathrow who can find out how long we might be waiting? we're paying waiting time on a minicab driver!!! (couldn't face driving out in the snow with ds...and am glad i didn't but this is going to cost a fortune!)

Can you let minicab go and ring again when needed? Are you actually at Heathrow waiting? Can you ring Heathrow customer service?

if we rebook minicab will have to pay for this one and the wait time and then the next one.

BA's offices are now shut...no one on the phone...i cannot believe that they are not giving him any idea at all of when this might end...in an hour? tomorrow morning? WTF

jeez, really?! why can't they let them off?

I would let the can go tbh and book into a hotel
traffic will be a nightmare anyway
that is if you can get a room

My dh has just landed at edinburgh from heathrow. Plane was due to leave at 16.30 and they boarded on time but didnt actually go till after 18.00 as it had to be de-iced. Not sure if that is any help to you, but there probably arent enough de-icers to get round all the planes in a timely manner. Hope he takes off soon.....

he is trying to get off the plane...not taking off...

wait time is £16 an hour...got to be cheaper than a hotel (there won't be any rooms I imagine) even if he doesn't come off for another 3 hours!

we are f&cked...don't know what to do, and in fact can't do anything.

the cab driver has talked to airport staff..apparently it is chaos, baggage misdirected/lost (that will be the next hurdle...poor guy has his life in his baggage and needs to take it to the SW on Friday...he'll never get it back by then if he doesn't get it tonight) and they are unloading the planes one by one very slowly.

I have to say I think that the total lack of communication is staggeringly bad.

sorry, I didnt read your op carefully.

god don't worry!

ok he's off the plane...lets see what happens about baggage now...

God, what a nightmare. you must all be shattered.
Do you have your DS with you?

we're fine! we're at home...waiting for him to arrive here in a cab...and then pay the cab a squillion quid for waiting!

i'm really really glad that me and ds didn't go and meet him...would have been an utter nightmare.

Oh I see,
Clever you getting a cab ready, he'd have been proper fucked otherwise!
Hot bath, hot food and a big glass of wine ready I think.

Glad he is off - hope the luggaGe isn't too much of a nightmare!!

it is.

finally he is through. with his luggage.

glad he got to you finally! My dh made it back home by 20.30 which wasnt too bad I suppose. He told me he was so bored on the plane that he resorted to reading the Daily Mail!