Snowstorms and freezing cold temperatures below zero are still plagued Europe and it has made all modes of transportation paralyzed since December 22, 2010. Christmas vacation-related travel was chaotic, uncertain, tinged flight cancellations and passenger anger.
Thousands of people-most of the (potential) passengers stuck in airports, train stations, bus terminals, and boat docks in Europe. The chaos that makes people irritable, frustrated, and stress.
A resident Schnellenbach, a small town in Germany, killed his neighbor after a big fight and throw each other of responsibility over who should clean the snow in the hallway in front of their house. Bild daily reported that the victim named Wolfgang K (49) and the perpetrators, Abdullah I (45). The victim died because his head was beaten with a shovel.
Thousands of people-most of the (potential) passengers stuck in airports, train stations, bus terminals, and boat docks in Europe. The chaos that makes people irritable, frustrated, and stress.
A resident Schnellenbach, a small town in Germany, killed his neighbor after a big fight and throw each other of responsibility over who should clean the snow in the hallway in front of their house. Bild daily reported that the victim named Wolfgang K (49) and the perpetrators, Abdullah I (45). The victim died because his head was beaten with a shovel.
Transport in Europe chaotic, disrupted travel thousands
Thousands of tourists and residents who want to come home for Christmas vacation frustrated because of trapped snow and cold temperatures below zero point in the journey. They are stuck in airports, bus terminals, train stations, and waiting rooms at many ships dock.
Kompas journalist, Totok Wijayanto, which should arrive in Jakarta from Heathrow, London, via Amsterdam, three days ago, is still "stranded" on a London hotel for the KLM plane that would take him to Amsterdam did not come.
Eurocontrol says more than 22,000 across Europe canceled flights between Monday and Tuesday. In London, Paris, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, and Brussels flights were canceled. Christmas vacation was disrupted.
Britain's worst
The worst conditions occur in the UK. In two days, snow shut down anything with a thickness of 10-20 centimeters. Weather forecasters said that this December will be the coldest month this century. In Northern Ireland, for example, temperatures reached record lows, which is minus 17.6 degrees celsius.
The weather experts say, these extreme cold temperatures may be related to climate change due to global warming. With a warm climate, there is more moisture in the air which caused the storm, including snow storms.
At Heathrow, thick snow rainfall make the area the airport is closed completely. The plane was on the runway covered with snow with an average temperature of 7 degrees Celsius below zero or minus 7 degrees Celsius. Compare this with the average temperature in Jakarta 24-29 degrees Celsius range.
British Airways has warned customers to cancel plans for Christmas and New Year holidays. The recommended safe time are estimated to occur after 24 December. Airport officials prohibit people out of the airport because of bad weather can bring death.
Disappointment due powerless against weather conditions and disruption of the trip turned into anger and frustration among travelers who want to enjoy the Christmas holidays. Some of them claim to run out of money. Others claim to even longer queues at the toilets and fill the mobile phone.
Anger and frustration
Trevor Taylor (37), one of the passengers at Heathrow, had been waiting for two days with his wife and their two small sons to fly to Singapore. "The situation at Terminal 5 a total mess. Frustration became ever more-so. I had to sleep on the floor because all the space already diokupasi other people, "he said.
Highways and railway lines in Britain covered in snow and ice. Many roads and railways impassable. The drivers were forced to leave their vehicle in thick snow. AA Car Service strike, said they answered approximately 14,000 service calls. That number doubled from a typical day.
The main rail route between London and Edinburgh was closed temporarily. Hundreds of passengers stranded. Hundreds of other passengers were evacuated from the platform are covered with snow and ice after several cars damaged by the train out of its path as it moved slowly "groping" on a pile of snow and ice.
The line of railway passengers to mainland Europe will reach several hundred meters in St Pancras Station in London. Eurostar, the train operator as a cross-UK and mainland Europe, ask prospective passengers to cancel the trip if it was possible to be done. Extreme weather threaten the safety of travel.
Two of the four runway at Charles de Gaulle Airport, Paris, one of the largest airports in mainland Europe, is still closed and about 40 flights were canceled, and 13 000 (potential) passengers stranded. Airport Authority explained, there are 3,000 people spent the night at the terminal.
Nearly all airport authorities in Europe have to work hard. Officers every day to clean the runway in turn in order to operate normally despite the number of aircraft that operate very limited. In Brussels, the airport was closed because the authorities lack of salt to melt snow on the runway.
