Cliff Notes
- Flight disruptions are affecting numerous passengers, as Heathrow Airport was closed unexpectedly, leading to the diversion of at least 120 flights, including one carrying Sarah Gough’s parents.
- Sarah experienced anxiety while tracking her parents’ American Airlines flight back to London, unable to get timely information due to multiple glitches across platforms.
- The sudden closure of Heathrow is expected to cause significant chaos for travellers globally, with many flights now cancelled and uncertainty surrounding future operations.
Heathrow Airport Statement on Closure
Passengers should not travel under any circumstances.
Sky News Los Angeles producer Sarah Gough says her parents’ flight back to London has been forced to turn around and is heading back to LA.
She describes an anxious wait scanning flight apps to find out whether their plane would carry on or do an about-turn.
When the news broke about Heathrow’s closure, I furiously checked Flightradar online.
My parents were two hours into their flight from Los Angeles to Heathrow, due to land back home on Friday around lunchtime.
They’ve just been out to visit me in LA for a fortnight. Flying for them is a big deal – they’re in their 70s, and don’t do it very often.
For about half an hour I didn’t know what was going on.
Would incoming flights be able to land at Heathrow? Their website wasn’t working. How could I check?
They’re on an American Airlines flight – could I find out any information from them? There was no ‘out-of-business hours’ number to call.
I scrolled X for updates, but there was nothing. Watching the flight tracker like a hawk was the only option.
Then I saw their small 2D plane start to turn around – the flight was being diverted back to LAX. I’ll be on my way to collect them shortly.
I still haven’t managed to speak to them, so I’m hoping they’re not panicked, even though it’s very panic inducing to get your flight diverted mid-air.
The closure of one of the world’s busiest airports at such short notice will cause chaos.
With 120 flights en route to Heathrow at the time of the closure, and many more now cancelled, the disruption caused to passengers in the UK and around the globe is enormous.