Release the air from your tires! Did you know that the secret to driving in the snow without having your tires relentlessly spin, is to release some air from the tires? This serves to increase the surface area of the tire and therefore should help your car get more traction as more of the tire is touching the road.
An interesting fact, but unfortunately it can not be used on planes as we can clearly see by the number of people sleeping on the floor of Heathrow waiting to hear about their cancelled flights.
Hoping that they could finally have that holiday with their family, a holiday ruined by what has now been termed the Big Freeze! So what exactly is the Big Freeze? The big freeze is the term the media have given to the last two weeks of snow in the UK, snow that has managed to ruin thousands of Christmas breaks and created a huge amount of frustration and anger towards the UK transport infrastructure.
Putting aside the fact that the small amount of snow that brought the UK to a stand still is dealt with by our US and European counterparts on a daily basis - the main purpose of this article is to answer your question - will you get your money back...
and the answer is YES! Yes, you are entitled to a refund, it is not advertised and the airlines certainly don't make it easy to find out, but the fact is that you are entitled to a refund on both your flight delays and cancelled holidays.
What are my refund options? With flights, you are entitled to a full refund if your flight is delayed by over 5 hours or if your flight has been cancelled.
This will apply to majority of the people spending their nights on Heathrow's wooden floors.
Packaged holidays are more tricky, you may be offered an alternative holiday however you do not need to accept this if it is not suitable.
In this case you have the right to claim a refund on your holiday.
These refund rules have been put in place to protect you as the consumer and you should make the most of them.
It is also important to note that there are time limits on when you can claim your refund - for example for delayed or cancelled flights the airlines will offer you a full refund within 7 days.
However delays in claiming a refund could result in you losing your money.
How do I claim my refund? The easiest way to claim a refund is by writing a letter to the holiday operator or the airline.
You should send the letter via registered post thereby maintaining proof that the airline received your letter.
You can also send a copy of the letter via email which will also serve as proof that the letter was sent and received within the approved time frame.
Admittedly being delayed or having your Christmas holiday ruined by the snow is a terrible thing, the backlog of flights is increasing and from the looks of it Heathrow has run out of space indoors so you now need to sleep in a tent outside the terminal.
While you can't do anything about the cancelled flights and I can't answer the first question on your mind (will you be able to fly out in time), what you can do is make sure you don't lose out on your refund as well as your holiday.
Remember you are entitled to a refund, there is a time limit and the best way to claim is to send a letter today to the airline or your holiday operator.