A group of school children left stranded in Barcelona by the chaos at Heathrow airport have embarked on a 1,000-mile road trip back home.
Around 100 pupils from Michael Drayton primary school school in Nuneaton, Warwickshire, were supposed to be returning on a flight from the Spanish city on Friday but it was among thousands cancelled due to an electrical fire at a substation near to the airport.
Headteacher Diane Compton-Belcher was told by British Airways the airline was unable to guarantee when they would be able to get a flight home in the coming days.
On Friday afternoon, she told the BBC pupils were “completely unaware of any travel disruption”, and were safe and happy with “a day of activities anyway”.
However, with British Airways saying it might be Tuesday before they could get on a plane, Mrs Compton-Belcher was forced to organise for the party to travel back via two coaches and four drivers.
The journey by road is more than 1,000 miles through three countries but the children are expected back home by late evening on Saturday.
The substation fire which led to Heathrow being closed on Friday (Photo: Jonathan Brady/PA Wire)In a letter sent to parents on Friday afternoon describing her ‘Plan Z’, the headteacher wrote: “Whilst I appreciate this is around 24 hours later than anticipated, but I have tried every alternative option and this is the earliest I can get your children back with you and our staff back with their families.”
In an update posted on the school’s Facebook page Saturday morning, teachers said the children had stopped for breakfast in northern France and were enjoyed “warm pastries straight from the oven.”
The next stop is Calais where they will cross back into the UK via the ferry.
Parents have praised the school for its response to challenging circumstances.
Mum Holly Dunne told The i Paper: “My child Teagan hasn’t gone but is in the year group and most of her class has gone, she has been extremely worried and has been checking the updates on the Facebook page.
“The headteacher has done a fantastic job as have the staff.”
‘We’ve had another day snowboarding’
James Phillpott, 50, Damian Cairns, 51, and Joe Mahony, 43, snowboarding in France (Photo: Supplied)James Phillpott, 50, Damian Cairns, 51, and Joe Mahony, 43, were supposed to be flying back on Friday night but their British Airways flight was cancelled.
Three friends stuck on snowboarding trip in the French Alps because of the chaos at Heathrow say they have now been offered flights home on Monday.
They found out last night the first available flight back with BA will by on Monday evening.
“We’re grateful we could have been stuck in worse places,” Mr Phillpott told The i Paper.
“We’ve just been out for another day’s snowboarding so it’s not all bad.
“We’ve had to carry on staying here.
“Luckily our compnay Riders Refuge have let us stay on it hasn’t put us out too much.
“But it’s put our families out, we’ve got kids at home.
“I was supposed to be taking my father-in-law to a hospital appointment.”
The friends are concerned that BA has not confirmed whether they will be able to claim back any of the extra costs they’ve had in accommodation and food, which is likely to run to hundreds of pounds.
“All we’ve definitely had from BA is ‘we’ve moved your flight’,” said Mr Phillpott.
Rory Boland, editor of magazine Which? Travel, said affected passengers are not entitled to compensation but airlines should provide assistance such as overnight accommodation if required and re-routing bookings, including with rival carriers from alternative airports.
Mum Dani Cherry added on Facebook: “Tonight will be an emotional one getting our babies back safe and sound, they’ve been away on a school trip since Wednesday morning and were due back last night but the fire at Heathrow airport meant they were stuck in Barcelona with no other option than to travel back by coach.
“Mrs Compton-Belcher has done an amazing job ensuring all the kids and staff get back home safely, I can’t even imagine the worry and stress both she and the staff on the school trip have had to deal with. I take my hat off to them!”
square HEATHROW AIRPORT 'Cascading failure': How the Heathrow fire reveals UK weaknesses
Read More
Heathrow says it is now “fully operational” and flights have resumed on Saturday.
The Metropolitan Police are not treating the incident as suspicious and the London Fire Brigade’s investigation is focusing on the electrical distribution equipment.
Heathrow also said it has added 50 slots to Saturday’s schedule to facilitate an extra 10,000 passengers travelling through the airport.
“Flights have resumed at Heathrow following yesterday’s power outage,” the airport said.
“If you’re due to travel today, we advise you to still contact your airline for your latest flight information before heading to the airport.
“We apologise for the disruption and appreciate your patience whilst operations return to normal.”
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Schoolchildren stuck in Barcelona facing 1,000 mile trip home after Heathrow fire )
Also on site :
- Astros To Promote Jacob Melton
- Beloved 'Doctor Who' Star, 42, Returns to the Series in Surprise Twist
- Jamie Dimon warns that the US’s biggest problem is not China but ‘the enemy within’