After hundreds of flights were cancelled to, from and within the UK because of fog over the weekend, bad weather is threatening New Year travel plans for millions of passengers. Large scale rail engineering projects will keep some lines closed, and train strikes resume on New Year’s Eve – halting most intercity trains on the West Coast main line.

Almost 500 flights were cancelled over the past three days due to thick fog. London Gatwick airport alone saw almost 300 arrivals and departures grounded between Friday and Sunday, with two dozen more today.

Across at London Heathrow, around 100 flights were cancelled, and London City airport grounded dozens more. There were also many diversions to airports such as Birmingham and Southampton.

An estimated 75,000 passengers had their travel plans torn up.

Under air passengers’ rights rules, airlines that cancel departures must provide replacement flights as soon as possible and provide meals and hotels as necessary. But with most flights heavily booked, it seems inevitable that many people who have had their trips cancelled over the weekend will be waiting for some days to reach their destinations.

A yellow weather warning is in place for Scotland on New Year’s Eve. The Met Office says: “Heavy rain will become persistent and widespread during Monday and Tuesday. Widespread totals of 50 to 70mm are possible over the two days with some places perhaps seeing 100 to 140mm of rain, these higher totals most likely over western Scotland.”

The airline serving the Western and Northern Isles, Loganair, has offered passengers the chance to switch to a later date to avoid possible disruption.

Rail disruption will affect the largest number of travellers. London Paddington and St Pancras reopened on schedule on Monday morning after protracted Christmas engineering work. Both are running well.

London Liverpool Street, the busiest station in the UK, remains closed until next Thursday because of engineering work.

The yellow and amber weather warnings from the Met Office mean disruption in Scotland and elsewhere.

Speed restrictions are in place on lines linking Edinburgh and Glasgow with Aberdeen, as well as from Inverness to the north and west.

Rail strikes resume on New Year’s Eve with Avanti West Coast train managers walking out intermittently from 31 December 2024 to 25 May 2025. The effect will be to cancel most intercity trains linking London Euston with the West Midlands, northwest England, North Wales and southern Scotland. While a skeleton service is running, as few as one train in four will operate.

The dispute is over the amount Avanti West Coast train managers get for working on their days off. They have been offered £250 for an eight-hour shift – or £300 at weekends, but most staff rejected the offer. Strikes are planned for today, Thursday 2 January and every Sunday from 12 January to 25 March

Ferry services are also disrupted. Early sailings on the Caledonian MacBrayne link between Ardrossan on the mainland and Brodick on the Isle of Arran are cancelled on New Year’s Day because of adverse weather.

The Isle of Bute service is diverted from Wemyss Bay to Gourock. The ferry operator warns of possible short-notice cancellations.

But the main Great Britain-Ireland ferry link has been confirmed as returning to service on 16 January.

Holyhead-Dublin sailings will resume after six weeks out of service due to damage at the Welsh port sustained during Storm Darragh.

Read More