Storm Bram, the first major winter storm, severely disrupted travel across the UK and Ireland.
Strong winds caused many flights and Irish Sea ferry crossings to be canceled. On Wednesday morning, thousands of people found themselves stranded far from their destinations after the storm passed.
Aer Lingus and its partner British Airways canceled numerous flights. Several aircraft had to divert or return to their origin airports because landing conditions were unsafe. The Met Office issued several yellow and amber weather warnings for high winds and heavy rain, which continued through Wednesday.
27 Flights Were Canceled At Belfast City Airport
Belfast City Airport suffered the worst impact in the UK, reporting 27 services were canceled. One British Airways flight from Heathrow spent 2 hours and 15 minutes circling, trying to land, before giving up and returning to London. An Aer Lingus Regional flight from Manchester finally landed after orbiting the Irish Sea for 30 minutes, aborting its initial landing attempt, and then spending another 60 minutes in a holding pattern. The 171 miles trip, which normally takes 45 minutes, lasted 2,5 hours. Glasgow also faced disruptions, recording about six changes to its afternoon and evening routes. Ryanair flights from Krakow and Alicante, plus a Jet2 service from Lanzarote, were diverted to Manchester. Three flights between London and Glasgow were affected: an easyJet service from Luton and a British Airways service from Heathrow were rerouted to Newcastle, while a second British Airways flight from London City returned to its starting point. Most vessels crossing the Irish Sea remained in port.
Railway Passengers Also Experienced Major Disruptions
Rail passengers also experienced major disruption, particularly on the West Coast Main Line, which runs from London Euston to the Midlands, northwest England, north Wales, and southern Scotland. Avanti West Coast ran a reduced timetable for routes north of Preston because Network Rail imposed train speed restrictions.
In Scotland, the railway lines linking Inverness with Kyle of Lochalsh and Fort William with Mallaig were shut down as wind speeds were anticipated to hit 90 miles per hour. Many train services were set to restart later than usual on Wednesday. ScotRail informed passengers that their tickets would be valid until Thursday, December 11.