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Michael Franklin

Air travellers and commuters struggling as thaw holds off

That’s the bad news. The good news is that some of you are in for a White Christmas.

THE CONTINUING COLD SPELL is causing further travel disruption this morning as more flights to and from European airports are cancelled and delayed.

Flights are still seriously disrupted at Frankfurt, Amsterdam and London, according to EuroControl, causing travel chaos for thousands of people travelling home for Christmas.

Weather forecasters are expecting the cold and snowy weather to last up to St Stephen’s Day in the UK, and the weather has already seen thousands of passengers stranded at Heathrow after flights were cancelled.

Dublin, Cork, Shannon and Belfast International airports are open and operating this morning. Passengers are still being advised to check the status of their flight before leaving for the airport as there are some delays and cancellations.

Commuters are facing serious problems on Irish roads this morning. AA Roadwatch said that some Dublin commuters took five hours to get home last night, with delays continuing right up to midnight. And they don’t expect things to be much better today.

The AA warns that severe ice is a problem across the country. Some areas experienced heavy rain last night, while others have poor visibility due to fog. Updates on Irish road conditions are posted regularly to their site.

Met Éireann says further snow is expected today over west Ulster, Leinster and parts of the west before moving to the midlands and Munster. Temperatures will stay well below zero in many areas and freezing fog will continue to be a problem. The snow could last right up to Christmas Day for many parts of the country.

Bus Éireann is operating most services as normal today, but others have been curtailed or may be delayed. A list of the affected routes is available online. The Luas and Irish Rail are operating a full schedule, although the M3 Parkway service will operate to and from Connolly Station instead of the Docklands.

There are already a number of delays to train services, such as the 5.55am service from Gorey to Dublin, which is running half an hour late. A mechanical fault is causing delays to the 7.30am Heuston Station to Galway service.

Did you face a difficult commute yesterday? Let us know in the comments below.