Heathrow shut down
 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cly24zvvwxlt

Re: Heathrow shut down
 

:shocked: now that is what you call a disruption.

The Elizabeth line is affected too

https://tfl.gov.uk/tube-dlr-overgrou...line-elizabeth

https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/servi...port-20250321/

Re: Heathrow shut down
 

Heh, Mrs B was supposed to be in the USA this week, arriving back today but the trip was cancelled. Dodged a bullet there!

Re: Heathrow shut down
 

probably a transformer gone up

Re: Heathrow shut down
 

Re: Heathrow shut down
 

Do we think we should tell them?

:D

https://www.cableforum.uk/board/atta...1&d=1742555010

Re: Heathrow shut down
 

My niece is flying to Miami tomorrow from Heathrow hopefully, its cost her a fortune

Re: Heathrow shut down
 

No matter how I parse this it sounds like you’re actually hoping your niece is out of pocket. Can’t be right, surely?

Re: Heathrow shut down
 

I read it as (after a double-take, then trying to re-interpret it) -

"My niece is flying to Miami tomorrow from Heathrow, hopefully - it’s cost her a fortune"

---------- Post added at 12:47 ---------- Previous post was at 11:47 ----------

My brother-in-law is stuck in Toronto - he was due to fly back with BA at 23:05 (local time) last night.

Re: Heathrow shut down
 

If it's open again people who are booked on a flight already will be going, which would include her.


If tomorrow's flights out to the same destination aren't full, they will use this to pick up anyone who has missed a flight already, or they can take another route (e.g. flying into another hub and getting a connection from there). It's going to mean a lot waiting around with 5 terminals flying out all day...


https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwyde870y89o
Probably worth knowing your rights if you, or anyone you know, is affected

Re: Heathrow shut down
 

Depends - if the flight she’s going out on was due to fly in today, it may not get to LHR in time to get turned round, and then fly to Miami (and Miami have to find a landing slot for the re-arranged flight).

Re: Heathrow shut down
 

Comma in wrong place.


I love my niece to bits, and if I had the money she would be flying first class.

Re: Heathrow shut down
 

The airline should still get her home but maybe not tomorrow and maybe not to LHR. Airline will offer a rebooking or a refund. Always go for the rebooking, never a refund on a return leg. The airline might say they will transfer to a certain flight, click ‘yes’ to accept but it’s worth checking if there is a better alternative before doing that. For example, if she lives in Birmingham, then a Manchester flight would be better than a Gatwick one.

She will be entitled to reasonable expenses but it’s worth checking the process for that. Some airlines give vouchers, others say claim expenses back. If she needs to claim expenses back, KEEP RECEIPTS. Card receipts might not work, ask for a ‘receipt for my expenses’ or a ‘tax receipt’ and she should be good as long as she doesn’t go mad spending. A Holiday Inn and a modest meal will work, The Ritz and a Michelin Starred meal might not work…

Note that she probably won’t get compensation as this wasn’t the airlines fault but being safe, rested and fed is good.

Apologies if I am teaching to suck eggs but as someone who has had three flights cancelled or severely delayed in the past, I hope this might help

Re: Heathrow shut down
 

My niece gave me he flight details to Miami, and I was able to see he plane departs a 9pm tonight, so all thing crossed she should be OK.


so 2 weeks of Miami sun beckons, she has also booked a day trip to Barbados.

Re: Heathrow shut down
 

Lol, AI with no human oversight strikes again! :D

Re: Heathrow shut down
 

Two of my staff were due to fly out to the US told them to expense themselves a decent hotel, food and drink for the next couple of days until we can work out when they’re flying

Re: Heathrow shut down
 

Have we blamed the Russians yet so we can conscript the newly found to be not disabled young to the front line?

Re: Heathrow shut down
 

I think in this case, the Russians probably knew the entire thing could be brought down by taking one substation offline, and decided it was better to hold on to that information until they could use it.

My suspicion is that we have been the victims of our own gross institutional complacency. Again.

---------- Post added at 20:37 ---------- Previous post was at 20:31 ----------

(Edit) and on that note, I think Crawley Borough Council needs a gun held to its corporate head while it signs planning consent for Gatwick’s second runway, to be built and commissioned preferably 25 years ago.

Re: Heathrow shut down
 

no it was some guy who plugged in a fast charging Chinese car and blew the crap out of the substation;)

Re: Heathrow shut down
 

Congratulations - you just beat Pierre… ;)

Re: Heathrow shut down
 

The questions have to be:

1. Why doesn’t Heathrow airport have its own secure power supply? Seperatec from the local DNO

2. Or, if not that, why doesn’t it have its own emergency generators?

Two simple questions for a vital hub.

I mean that’s it really.

Re: Heathrow shut down
 

It does have its own generators, and they kicked in.

The transformers in the substation drop the HV (275kV) down to a lower voltage (110kV).
They get very hot during this process and use [flammable] cooling oils.
I presume there is a reason to use flammable oils, but they are basically a fire waiting to happen.

Re: Heathrow shut down
 

A dodgy geezer I used to know, who ran heavy plant, explained it to me once, while he was telling me how you can use transformer oil as a substitute for diesel (thus evading duty) but that you have to add something to it as it doesn’t lubricate the engine sufficiently well by itself. I can’t remember the details (and I never did put transformer oil in my car, nor did I ever call it ‘tranny oil’ as he did :disturbd:).

I think it has something to do with the fact that it has to sit inside a sealed system for an extremely long time without causing corrosion, and needs also to be an electrical insulator. As long as it stays where it’s supposed to be it can’t combust, but a risk of using oils in transformers is that if the transformer’s casing fails in some way and the oil leaks, then it can cause a fire.

If this wasn’t the Russians (and I don’t think it was, if they knew the could cause this much chaos with one act of vandalism they’d surely have held on to the info until they really needed it); and it wasn’t random vandalism (which would seem unlikely seeing as you would risk killing yourself before getting anywhere near the bit that caught fire) … then we’re looking at poor maintenance as a potential cause. I don’t want to prejudge the inevitable inquiry but, let’s face it, none of us would be surprised at that would we.

Re: Heathrow shut down
 

Well With a minor 30 min delay she's in the air and currently over Canada.


Just another 4.5 hours left, I just love flightradar 24

Re: Heathrow shut down
 

My bro-in-law was told by BA they couldn’t fly him back till mid next week, but they agreed to refund him that leg of his flight if he re-booked himself on another flight - he’s booked on an Air Canada flight to to Heathrow (at a, and I quote, "extortionate price", but he just wants to get home).

Re: Heathrow shut down
 

Well she took off 45 mins late, but landed 30 mins late.

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They always build in extra time for flights to allow for small delays, and make the passengers impressed if they arrive 'early'.
It also limits delay compensation claims.

Re: Heathrow shut down
 

Crazy thing about that comment is that my youngest son has just had a call up letter to report to the nearest TA centre for an interview about training. He's X commandos. He's not the only one ether.

---------- Post added at 12:22 ---------- Previous post was at 12:20 ----------

I wondered when EV's would come into it :LOL:

Re: Heathrow shut down
 

Where are the jobs if jobs aren't being completed :confused: