Leaves on the runways? But then again this lack of preparation for winter is a UK thing. Winter tyres are so uncommon or even unheard of, even across the Pennines. Just plain daft. Even in Holland, not a mountain in sight, winter tyres are the norm. In Germany, if it is snowy, winter tyres are mandatory, and if you have an accident on summer tyres it is automatically a high % your fault. Common sense. Why do insurance companies not insist on winter tyres. I find it daft that they demand to be told if you change the spec of your car with winter tyres and charge you more.
The lack of ability to cope with winter at UK airports has been in place for my last 30 year flying. Unbelievable they have not learnt from previous cock ups. If this philosophy had applied to a/c design there would have been umpteen repetitive crashes. London wants to be the financial capital of EU, but no one can reach it by plane. Not the best advertisement. When will Uk wake up to winter?