Big Freeze at Gatwick
Maybe we screwed up yesterday........but rain falling onto a freezing surface is never going to be quick to clear (you can just sweep, push or blow snow away). The whole airfield quickly became an ice rink on which you could not safely load bags, let alone land or take off. When it had returned to a safe state it was reopened. Thousands of unhappy passengers - but no broken bones or bent wingtips.
Why do the less informed have so much hatred for BAA? Give most pilots the choice between diverting, in difficult conditions, to one of our airports or the "competition" and I know what they would decide.
Whoever buys Gatwick will do it for the profits it (we) will earn for them - they will not be employing extra staff and purchasing expensive new equipment to stand around waiting for a very rare combination of weather conditions.
Happy Xmas