The contrast between the media reports on the crowds and confusion at Gatwick, and my own experience as SLF to Belfast on the 21st Dec is amazing. Seeing the press reports of chaos, and expecting trouble, we had made provisional alternative travel arrangements (which would have involved a long drive and a ferry) but the Easyjet app kept saying that our booked flight was expected to leave on time. At the airport there were no crowds of frustrated passengers that we could see, apart from the massed bands of television crew outside. Inside all seemed normal, and even a bit less busy than usual. There were only a few delays shown on the departure board and our flight left pretty much on time, but with some 20 or more empty seats. We saw no sign of the previous 48 hrs of cancellations.
Where had the 'thousands' of waiting and disappointed passengers gone? Where did the television crews get their disappointed travellers to interview? Presumably the empty seats were a result of checked-in passengers not realising the flight would actually take off on time?