BASon

Hello,

Long time lurker with a question - I’m guessing that’s how everyone starts?!

London City seems to have a fair few cancellations this evening, with the impact rolling over into delays tomorrow morning. Does anyone know what’s causing this? Seems like a nice evening here in London…

Thanks so much, and also thanks-a-million for all the help over the years of lurking!

mikeyfly

Lots of patches of thick fog, especially bad where I am on the Thames, presume this is impacting LCY?

CarefreeBA

The latest weather information is saying mist and low level cloud cover. I'm not sure what the hard limits are but the likelihood is aircraft can't land (and therefore, not depart).

ed_flyer

My flight out of LCY this evening has been cancelled due to fog.
I had just cleared security when I got the email from BA.
According to the gate staff, Right to care information on the BA website does not apply any more. BA are operating a claim back system, so passengers need to arrange their own refreshments, transport and hotel accommodation.
I was automatically rebooked on the first flight out tomorrow and the gate staff printed boarding passes.
Now in a nearby Marriott property.
I assume I’ll be able to claim expenses plus compensation using this link:
https://www.britishairways.com/en-gb...nts-and-claims

Schiehallion

I flew in earlier this evening and it seems I was pretty fortunate to do so. On boarding at Edinburgh the Captain suggested we would likely end up either in Stansted or Gatwick but eventually we made our way to LCY - under caution that we would have a high chance of a go-around (50/50 was mentioned). The initial landing slot we were offered at LCY was 5am tomorrow.

In the end nothing overly exciting other than the standard 'sharp' landing but from up above I had a good view of the fairly patchy yet heavy fog over the city - particularly over the Thames.

VSLover

well that explains my aberdeen cancellation tomorrow morning!

corporate-wage-slave

I think that all that remains now is to welcome you to Flyertalk and to the BA forum. Welcome on board.

blurt91

Glad I got out at 1500. Yes the heavy fog made for some interesting views of London's skyscrapers poking up above the clouds

RockyRobin

Indeed, please sit back, relax and enjoy the pedantry.

southsquare

A larger number of planes are overnighting in BHD than usual: at least two BA and assorted others. Several LCY/BHD and vv flights have been cancelled, so presumably planes are stacked up here at BHD and can't get back in to LCY. Amusingly, the arrivals screen at BHD shows that an Easyjet flight from Liverpool to BHD, due in around 7am tomorrow, is already on "final approach" (i.e. it's around 10 hours early). Any idea what that's about?

Sigwx

Warm air mass that has come in with this High and a rapidly cooling off sea/water temp is spot on for some lovely fog formation. It’s clinging to any body of water and here very localised to the Thames. Airports that love to be built in hollows or near bodies or water …….. I can think of a few, might well see more low vis conditions.

LHR is indeed expecting fog overnight and into tomorrow, LHR and LCY the same.

Pilot37

Just landed at LGW and it is indeed very foggy here as well, but planes landing and taking off without issue.

Pilot37

Sigwx

Due to the width of the runways, the obstacles in the vicinity and the lighting and equipment at the airfield, LCY is a fairly restricted airfield. Take-off there requires 125m visibility as opposed to 75m at LHR/LGW. Landing is far more restrictive.
LHR/LGW can see us landing in 75m of visibility with no decision hight (basically we don’t have to see anything out of the window in order to land). LCY however needs at least a couple of KMs visibility and has a relatively high Decision Altitude of between 460 and 630 feet depending on the runway in use. Typically airfields would have a decision altitude for a lesser (non mist/fog) type of approach around 200 feet above the elevation of the landing runway, so for LHR it is 280 feet. Low visibility approaches are a non starter at LCY and can’t be flown, so even in conditions that would enable a normal flow of traffic at LHR or LGW without imposing any low visibility procedures, LCY would already be out of action.

kath2049

Also just landed at LGW, we had to go around a few times due to low visibility reducing the frequency of landing slots. Now sat outside our gate waiting for someone to turn on the gate guidance 😏

One thing that was different is that because it was low visibility landing, everyone was told to completely switch off all electronic devices, to avoid "signals disrupting the systems" which was odd.

corporate-wage-slave

That I know to be standard procedure in these circumstances when there is more reliance on automation. I've had it a few times on BA, a lot more often on Easyjet, and so far never on Ryanair for some reason.