‘I’ve seen thicker strips of Rizla paper!’ Stranded passenger on romantic trip to Venice slams Manchester Airport’s snow closure as he hilariously documents wait while necking Stella Artois, moaning about spending holiday cash and girlfriend falls asleep
- Angry Lew Shildrick was left stranded at Manchester after snow closed runways
- He went on a hilarious Twitter rant while drinking at the airport’s Grain Loft pub
- It came as the move to shut the travel hub was slammed by stranded passengers
- Manchester said the move was due to health and safety with the site now open
A furious holidaymaker on a romantic getaway to Italy has gone on a hilarious rant after snow closed Manchester Airport, raging: ‘I’ve seen thicker strips of Rizla paper.’
Passengers were left fuming after the major travel hub announced it was shutting two runways following the snowstorm, in a move branded ‘a joke’ by holidaymakers.
The airport insisted its decision had been taken amid ‘health and safety’ fears after a ‘heavy deposit’ of snow meant conditions could be dangerous, with the runways re-opening after more than two hours.
But Lew Shildrick, who was flying to Venice with his girlfriend for a ‘romantic’ getaway, blasted airport bosses – as he documented his hilarious experience stuck while sinking pints of Stella Artois in Manchester’s Grain Loft bar.
Lew Shildrick shared this photo from inside Manchester Airport (lefT) during his online rant this morning as snapped of shot of his tired girlfriend Hayley snoozing while he sunk pints of Stella Artois at the airport bar
In a rant on Twitter, he said: ‘I’ve [seen] thicker strips of Rizla paper than the snow laid here at Manchester Airport yet they close the runways.
‘We really are absolute f***ys of a country. 2 Stella’s deep already at £4 a bottle, holiday spends going down by the minute And the wife beater vest is being ironed.’
And Lew added his partner Hayley was struggling with the delays, adding: ‘And now hayleys fell asleep on me on my romantic Christmas present trip away to Venice, trips going to start and end in the grain loft terminal 1.’
His outburst left social media users amused, with one saying: ‘Oh that made me laugh,’ and another adding: ‘Sorry you’re stranded but u are funny!’
Although not everybody was impressed with Lew’s comments. Mark Shaz said: ‘I wouldn’t like to fly/land a plane full of people in that. The consequence could be catastrophic. But I’m sure your pilot training gives you a better call on these situations.’
While another person added: ‘Not sure you quite understand safety issues regarding aircraft landing and taking off fella.’
‘I do understand it, but the way this airport handle is is a joke,’ replied Lew.
MANCHESTER: A worker de-ices a plane at Manchester Airport earlier this morning
MANCHESTER: The runways were blanketed in snow this morning after heavy snowfall overnight
MANCHESTER: The airport was forced to close following heavy snowfall overnight as freezing temperatures continue
MANCHESTER: A plane covered in snow waits on the tarmac at Manchester Airport. The runways opened more than two hours after they closed
Manchester’s closure came amid snowstorms this morning and after the coldest night of the year so far.
Temperatures plummeted to as low as -10.4C in parts of the country before Britain faced yet another day of travel chaos.
Many woke up to ice and snow today and face travel disruption as the UK continues to be hit by this week’s cold snap. The Met Office has issued yellow weather warnings for Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the north-west and south-west of England.
Passengers at Manchester Airport reported sitting on their planes for up to three or four hours after bad weather made it impossible for flights to take off as snowstorms batter parts of the UK before the runways finally reopened.
At least 36 flights were delayed and two have been cancelled, according to tracking website FlightRadar24, while a plane which had travelled 4,000 miles from Atlanta in the US was diverted to London after being unable to land in the snow.
MANCHESTER: Snow ploughs clear snow from the runways at the airport during the closures
Pictures were shared of a snow-covered plane grounded on the tarmac at Manchester Airport as passengers waited for news.
Claire Staniforth and her husband Gary were two of the many holidaymakers stuck on a plane.
The couple said they boarded at 6.30am this morning and were still stuck on it over two and a half hours later.
A plane travelling 4,000 miles from Atlanta, in America, was diverted to an airport in London.
The runways reopened almost two and a half hours later as passengers waited inside the terminal and onboard planes.
In a statement, the airport added: ‘Following the temporary closure of our runways due to snow, we are pleased to report that operations have resumed. We thank passengers for their patience.’
More disruption is expected across the UK today as extreme temperatures cause chaos for road and rail as well as flights.
The Met Office has issued yellow weather warnings for Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the north-west and south-west of England
Some passengers took to social media to fume about the runway closures at Manchester Airport
MANCHESTER: Ground crew cleared snow from the runways during the two-hour closure
MANCHESTER: At least 36 flights were delayed, with an average delay time of 108 minutes due to the snow
MANCHESTER: A passenger sits on the tarmac on their grounded plane as they waited for the runways to reopen
MANCHESTER: A pilot leans out of his window to chat to a ground crew member as he waits to take off
Conditions in Drumnadrochit near Inverness in the Highlands fell to -10.4C in the early hours of Thursday, making it the coldest recorded temperature of the year so far.
Elsewhere, Topcliffe in north Yorkshire was the coldest place in England at -7.4C.
Forecasters have said the cold weather will last until the end of the week, and that temperatures could drop as low as -11C in places.
The worst affected area is the north of Scotland, with the Met Office warning that communities there could be cut off and left without power amid snowstorms.
Yellow warnings issues by the Met Office suggest there may be ‘further wintry showers bringing disruption from ice and snow’.
They run until noon on Thursday in Wales and the north of Scotland and until 10am in England.
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