SKID ROW HEATHROW

Waiting ... family delayed at Heathrow get some rest

Stranded ... confused passengers wonder when flights will resume

Almasi

Many passengers had to sleep on floors and queue for hours while flights were cancelled or delayed — despite a well-publicised advance warning of the whiteout.

Rows flared as blankets ran out and there were angry scenes as people tried to jump huge queues.

Others blasted greedy hotel bosses for charging as much as £600 to put them up for a night.

The chaos continued yesterday as more than 100 flights were cancelled, following 400 on Friday.

And another 400 could be grounded today as a fresh two inches of snow is expected.

Dossing down ... passengers asleep in chairs

Press Association

Last night it was agreed an estimated 260 cancellations would be imposed today in a bid to minimise the disruption.

Travel expert Simon Calder described Heathrow as looking like “a refugee camp”.

Swede Ulrika Isaksson, 27, told how passengers had “gone to war” with one another in the £4.2billion Terminal 5.

Ulrika, whose flight home from Rio had to land at Heathrow, said: “They told us all European flights were cancelled and to queue for re-booking or call a number. No one answered, of course.

“We queued up until 12 at night, then all the staff just went home saying they would start again at 5am. We got some blankets and that was it. It wasn’t enough for everyone and there were angry words among some people.

“They said to book a hotel but the only ones available offered rooms for £600.

“You wouldn’t expect this at a new airport in the 21st Century.”

Danish salesman Alejandro Hernandez forked out £524 to stay in a hotel overnight. He claimed British Airways refused to foot the bill after he arrived from Costa Rica.

Alejandro, 36, who was trying to get back to Copenhagen, said he booked a room at a kiosk at the airport. He added: “When they told me the cheapest room was £500 I almost had a heart attack.

“I would really think before coming here again in the winter.”

Walking in the air ... proud Alex Kingston shows off the upside-down snowman in County Durham

North News and Pictures

Steve Greenwood, from Yorkshire, who was travelling to Seoul, South Korea, with his wife, blasted selfish queue jumpers who “just push in where they want”. He added: “BA stands for bloody awful.”

Other passengers also poured scorn on British Airways, claiming they did not keep passengers informed and suggesting staff were even “rude”.

Mr Nippy ... an optimistic ice cream seller spots a chance for some brr-isk business in Leeds

Image North

Yesterday flights from Europe to Heathrow were delayed about 20 hours, while BA alone had to cancel 30 departures in what it called “knock-on disruption” from Friday.

Aoife Bergin, 29, of Co Westmeath, Ireland, slammed BA as she waited for news of her flight to Tokyo. She said: “They haven’t announced anything. There was nothing on the website.

“The staff don’t know anything to tell you. There’s not enough staff here for the passengers. It’s just been bad.”

We’re chillin’ out ... shivering revellers do their best to play it cool on a freezing night out in Birmingham

SWNS

Because Heathrow operates at near full capacity, chiefs said there was no room to reschedule the delayed flights. They tried to put a positive spin on the grim scenes yesterday — insisting they were in “recovery”.

BA said: “We are doing everything we can to help customers whose flights have been disrupted.”

Last night passengers were urged to check before going to Heathrow.

Winter warmer ... a motorist in Birmingham gets a cuppa from a member of the Sun Smile Squad, our army of happy helpers who are visiting snowy towns across the UK