In the UK they just can't deal with snow. I was supposed to fly out of Gatwick for Sofia today, very early in the morning - it just started snowing here and I was expecting delays, but to be honest I didn't think it would lead to the closure of the Airport. There was no warning this might happen from anyone.Any form of transport here has also crapped out completely - getting back from the airport took the whole day. I feel sorry for all the people who are still stuck at Gatwick.Any snow always causes mayhem with the transport in and around London. They are never, ever ready for it.

It's terrible how unprepared they are for it, despite last year! My local council has used half of their whole supply of grit over just one weekend, and roads are still treacherous, with motorways down to one lane in places.

But what are you going to do, invest in the same amout of snow removal equipment as Montreal or Chicago or just take the loss for the day. Snow removal equipment and teams are expensive and not worth it for a storm that may come once or twice a year and usually skips a few years anyways. Just take the loss for the day and clean up with what you've got. The storm would be light compared to the stuff we get over here, so that's why our budget is different.

But what are you going to do, invest in the same amout of snow removal equipment as Montreal or Chicago or just take the loss for the day. Snow removal equipment and teams are expensive and not worth it for a storm that may come once or twice a year and usually skips a few years anyways. Just take the loss for the day and clean up with what you've got. The storm would be light compared to the stuff we get over here, so that's why our budget is different.

But its not just a lost day - looks like the airport will be closed for 3 days minimum and this won't be the only snow storm, its just the first one for this winter. In their place I would seriously invest in adequate snow removal equipment.Also these snow storms are becoming the norm during winter throughout the UK - climate change. It was the same last year and before that too.

But its not just a lost day - looks like the airport will be closed for 3 days minimum and this won't be the only snow storm, its just the first one for this winter. In their place I would seriously invest in adequate snow removal equipment.Also these snow storms are becoming the norm during winter throughout the UK - climate change. It was the same last year and before that too.

Well then that is a trend that leads to a financial justification......Start buying some equipment. New York City is a good example of a Coastal City that is hit and miss with snow. They are resourceful in the way they attach removable snow plows to their garbage trucks when it does snow. This way they are not buying extra snow removal trucks that will sit around for 360 days a year and used only for 5 snow days. Garbage trucks are used everyday and can be called up to clear snow as well. These are good tools to look at and better spending. Also the Garbage Truck Driver's are used too, so no additional hiring is required, just some additional training. Very cost effective, And the Sanitation Department gets some Overtime which they like too... Here is a picture of that:http://www.flickr.co...saw/3122150898/

Yup, although it is somewhat hit and miss in the UK whether we will have bad snow any particular year, it nevertheless happens often enough for airports to consider having some trucks with a dual capability such as snow-clearing blade attachments, after all, the UK is hardly a tropical paradise. Of course de-icing equipment in sufficient numbers is another matter, but at least they could have the aprons, runways and taxiways clear.It's especially frustrating this year however. Going off several conversations I had last week, it appears to have been fairly common knowledge that we were going to get really bad snow by the middle of the following week (i.e now), so it should hardly have been a surprise to the airports if the average person I spoke to last week knew that it was on the way.Of course we are not gods and even with the best equipment there are some situations where there is little that can be done other than to wait it out (Scotland for example is especially bad at the moment), but really, it's difficult to come to any other conclusion than to say Gatwick's handling of the situation seems rather poor. Earlier this year, the lowest temperature in the cold weather spell around the end of January was recorded by the weather stations at both Woodford and Manchester (EGCD and EGCC), which are both just up the road from me (less than five miles away). That was minus 23 degrees, which is pretty damn cold for the UK and it was snowing very heavily too, yet Manchester Airport remained largely operation throughout that period, so you would think Gatwick ought to be able to handle things better than they have done.There are UK weather predictions that it will hit minus 25 in the Grampians by Friday, and I can believe it since it is really rather bad in the NW at the moment, not as far as deep snow is concerned (although I daresay that will come), but it certainly is very cold, so I think Gatwick ought to get their finger out a bit, as again, this is no surprise party.Anyway, it might end up being a moot point for many flying from the UK, because (what a surprise) BA cabin crews are expected to go on strike near Christmas, which is something most people in the UK have learned you can set your watch by, so choose to fly with someone else at Christmas LOLAl

I remember once walking from St. Paul's in the City of London across the river to Waterloo Station (a journey of 25 minutes). Five minutes after I had started it started to snow and finished 5 minutes before I arrived. So that's a snow shower of just 15 minutes. When I arrived at Waterloo Station ALL trains had been cancelled "Due to adverse weather conditions!"vololiberista