I am writing this entry in Heathrow Aiport.Yes...I am sitting at the arrivals terminal behind a Costa coffee,next to a sad Christmas tree on my laptop.
For those of you who don't know,on Dec 17th,London began its epic fail.It began with snow.5 cm of snow.I know...KILLER.My flight to Salzburg was canceled and I was devastated.I spent the night with the help of my friends trying to figure out how to get there,eventually giving up on Austria altogether and booking a bus to Scotland.
Then came the next day.More snow...that stopped in the afternoon.But the damage was done.London has crumbled.I spent all day in front of the computer only to find out my bus was canceled.But that was nothing compared to my friends who tried to leave for the U.S. on Saturday.They ended up stuck on planes for 6 hours...flights canceled...thousands of people sleeping in Heathrow...barely any blankets...barely any food vouchers or water.It was like a war zone.Worst of all,there was no information.
It only continued through Sunday and Monday.Terminals got so full that no one was being allowed in.People were trapped.Anyone whose flight was canceled was disregarded.People who had flights on the 18th or 19th couldn't get flights until the 25th or 26th.
Roads closed.Yesterday,trains suddenly got hit hard.Eurostar had a 6 hour line of people waiting out in the cold at King's Cross Station.They canceled many trains today.
And then today,I finally experienced the nightmare.I woke up after only 3 1/2 hours of sleep,making sure I could get to Heathrow by 7:30 AM.My flight was not canceled.I got into departures and it was chaos.They set up check points at the front of the terminal so no one could get to the desks.There was a giant mass of people - pushing,worried,yelling.Then once you made it through the checkpoint you were sent....OUTSIDE.TO.A.TENT.The tent was warmer than the actual outside but not by much.There were no chairs.Just people waiting.And waiting.Every so often an airport worker would come in and announce a flight and some people would leave.One man had shown up at 8 AM for his 6 PM flight and was told he wouldn't be able to get inside until 5 PM.He had 7 hours in the cold ahead.It was horrible.
But even worse was when I suddenly looked in a hidden corner of my tent and found a giant piece of paper with my flight number and the word 'CANCELED' scribbled in 5 year old's handwriting.I approached a worker and asked about he and he told me the flight was still on.When I brought him over to the sign he responded with,"Oh...I guess you're right".I was simply given a number of Lufthansa and sent on my way.I begged to get somewhere to use wifi but was told I was not allowed in the Departures Terminal.I pleaded and then burst into tears infront of a worker who took pity on me and brought me to the arrivals terminal where I could use the wifi.
And so here I am.I spent 30 pounds calling the Lufthansa number where I was sometimes not connected,sometimes put on hold,sometimes hung up on,and sometimes transferred to numbers of people who were not even connected to Lufthansa (my favorite story: being connected to Irish Information Services where upon getting an answer I asked,"Is this Lufthansa?" and was met with the response,"Um....no")
I am exhausted,frustrated,and overall numb.It's maddening not being able to do ANYTHING.Airport workers are trying their best but it's horrible to see how people are being treated.It has been FIVE days....for FIVE cm of snow.The fact that Heathrow and the government are making excuses is the worst.First off,this is not alot of snow.In the U.S,this would never happen.But yes...we all understand...bad weather DOES happen.The fact that the government/Heathrow think this is the only reason people are upset is crazy.People are upset that they can't make it out for Christmas...but also that:
a) There is no visible progress being made.
b) They are being given no information
c) They are being ignored
d) They are being treated like animals
Bad weather happens.But disregard for human beings should not.It is a horrible situation and for all Americans,it has left a bad taste in our mouths.I love London.I've had an amazing time.But this is why I don't think I could ever leave here long term.
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