Storm Dennis causes weekend of travel misery

Weather warnings are in place for a third day and some transport remains disrupted after Storm Dennis caused a weekend of travel chaos, with flights and ferries cancelled, delayed and diverted.

Rail passengers are being advised to check with train companies before travelling on Monday, and bad weather has caused Brittany Ferries to cancel its Cork-Santander service on Tuesday.

Over the weekend, short-haul flights from Heathrow and Gatwick  were badly affected, with other airports also reported delays and cancellations.

Easyjet cancelled 350 flights over the two days, with 230 cancelled on Saturday. EasyJet passengers were told late on Friday evening that their Saturday flights would not go ahead. An estimated 40,000 passengers, many travelling overseas for half-term holidays or Valentine’s breaks, were affected.

Most of easyJet’s flight cancellations on Saturday were from Gatwick, with 48 flights from Luton grounded. Flights from Bristol, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Newcastle, Southend and Stansted were also hit.

Customers were told they could transfer their flight on a different day or get a refund.  The airline said: "We are doing everything possible to minimise the impact of the disruption for our customers and to arrange alternative travel. We will also provide hotel rooms and meals for customers who require them."

British Airways cancelled 40 departures to and from Heathrow on Saturday afternoon. Other airlines, including Iberia, Lufthansa and Virgin were also affected. Ryanair said its flights operated as normal.

On Sunday morning, travel service Inrix said around 60% of flights out of Heathrow had been delayed by over 30 minutes, with some cancellations. The airport is telling passengers to check their flight status before heading to the airport.

Gatwick said on Sunday: "Due to Storm Dennis we are experiencing very high winds today and this is causing some delays and cancellations to flights. We advise passengers to allow plenty of time to get to the airport and to check the status of their flight with their airline."

Brittany Ferries passengers faced two days of delays, diversions and cancellations, while P&O Ferries between Dover and Calais were delayed by up to 90 minutes and two services were cancelled.

Monday’s 10:30 St Malo-Portsmouth service with Brittany Ferries will now depart from Cherbourg and its Cork-Santander 22:30 service, scheduled for Tuesday, has been cancelled.

The operator said passengers should call 01752 648637 to discuss alternative arrangements.

Flybe has allowed customers due to fly over the weekend to amend their booking within seven days at no extra charge to the same or similar destination.

Customers who made bookings via Flybe.com can amend them online, while others are advised to contact their travel agent or Flybe customer services on 0371 700 2000 from within the UK or +44 (0)207 308 0812, from overseas.