Heathrow Airport Fire: Thousands of passengers stranded

LONDON — From Las Vegas to Frankfurt to Dubai, hundreds of thousands of stranded passengers waited for news about flights to and from London's Heathrow Airport after it was closed by a massive fire at a nearby electricity substation.

LONDON — From Las Vegas to Frankfurt to Dubai, hundreds of thousands of stranded passengers waited for news about flights to and from London's Heathrow Airport after it was closed by a massive fire at a nearby electricity substation.

As firefighters tackled the blaze that took down Europe's busiest transport hub, flights came to a standstill, sending a wrecking ball through the delicate logistics underpinning global tourism and business travel.

In the hotels around Heathrow, thwarted travelers reported skyrocketing prices as they scrambled for a place to spend the night. In Dubai, Sara Mehta told NBC's international partner Sky News that customers of Heathrow-headquartered British Airways are “extremely angry and upset.”

In the Chinese city of Guangzhou, Charlotte Johnston told Sky News that she has been stuck in a layover at the airport for hours with only carry-on luggage, and that she was already out of clothes and toiletries. 

Chez Khan, a client services director from London who was left stranded in Las Vegas, said Friday that the biggest impact on him was missing his children. “That I was away from home for a week was already a challenge,” he said.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/heathrow-airport-fire-london-uk-passengers-stranded-rcna197461

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