Stuck at Heathrow--Snow Storm Closes Frankfurt Airport

After very little sleep on the flight, we get on an airport bus to transfer from the international terminal to Terminal 5, the infamous European regional flight terminal.  Just inside the doors to Terminal 5, we find ourselves in a line that seems to have no purpose or end.  This line is to merely enter the terminal.  We overhear conversations that indicate flights all over Europe are being cancelled due to snow.  A British Airways rep tells us that Frankfurt might still be open and to stay in line.  After our line along the wall turns the corner, we see an endless sea of people in a queue that wraps around and around.  With exhaustion looming and heavy backpacks, we slowly move through this line merely to get on an escalator that will put us into yet another queue to get through security.  Two hours later we emerge from the lines and into Terminal 5.  

 

A Familiar & Welcome Sign in Terminal 5

Viewing the departure screen indicates that our flight into Frankfurt is the only flight that does not have a gate assigned to it.  Another British Airways rep says to check back in 50 minutes and gives us an airport voucher for 10 pounds that we can spend on food.  Fifty minutes later, we are told that the Frankfurt airport, along with many others in Europe, is closed due to snow.  We are to retrieve our luggage and go out of the secured area we just spent two hours in line entering and return to the British Airways desk to rebook our flight.  Yes, another long line.  This slow moving line will result not only in a rebooked flight but with local hotel reservations, bus tickets and meal vouchers.  British Airways will pay for it all because it was not our fault our flight was cancelled.  Wow, this never would have happened in the States. 

Smiling After a Good Night's Sleep

Obviously, all of the people in line in front of us are getting the earlier flights for the next day into Frankfurt.  Our guys back home were busy on the phone with American and British Air trying to get us flights tomorrow.  The earlier flights into Frankfurt were full so we decided to fly into Munich.  An hour and a half later, with tickets in hand and a hotel reservation for the Radisson, we found another long line for bus 26 to the hotel.  Okay, we've had enough of this.  We're not standing in any more lines lugging all of our luggage onto a bus.  We're taking a taxi.  We're whisked around the streets, on the other side of the road to our lovely hotel.  After a quick check in, we get a first floor room and head off to the restaurant for our comped dinner buffet.  On the way there, we pass a long line of British Air passengers checking in.  Yes--we avoided another line. 

The dinner buffet and room was wonderful.  Our flight tomorrow is at 9:45 a.m. and our alarms are set for 6 a.m.  We are going to try our best to avoid tomorrow's check-in crowds.