- Title: GERMANY: Frankfurt airport eases up but travel still treacherous
- Date: 22nd December 2010
- Summary: FRANKFURT, GERMANY (DECEMBER 22, 2010) (REUTERS) RUNWAY AT AIRPORT WITH LUFTHANSA PLANE TAXIING MORE PLANES TAXIING PASSENGER IN QUEUE WAITING / TILT DOWN TO COUPLE RESTING ON GROUND QUEUE WITH GIRL PUSHING TROLLEY WITH LUGGAGE TWO YOUNG WOMEN SITTING ON GROUND, WITH LAPTOPS BERLIN, WUPPERTAL, GERMANY (DECEMBER 22, 2010) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF TRAINS DRIVING THROUGH SNOW COVERED COUNTRYSIDE VARIOUS OF CARS DRIVING SLOWLY ON ROADS WITH SNOW ON SIDES VARIOUS OF AMBULANCE DRIVING ALONG ROAD WIDE OF CARS DRIVING ALONG HIGHWAY WUPPERTAL, GERMANY (DECEMBER 22, 2010) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF CARS AND LORRIES DRIVING ALONG HIGHWAY IN RAINY/MILD WEATHER CONDITIONS VARIOUS OF CARS AND BUS DRIVING ALONG STREET IN CITY
- Embargoed: 6th January 2011 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Germany, Germany
- Country: Germany
- Topics: Weather,Transport
- Reuters ID: LVA4G9Z4CNNQPWHN6WAMJXZHFJ21
- Story Text: Travellers desperate to reach their christmas destinations have for days battled problems with planes, trains and automobiles caused by brutal ice and snow.
Improved weather made it possible for Lufthansa to end the special flight schedules that have been in operation since the weekend, spokesman Thomas Jachnow said Wednesday (December 22) morning.
Frankfurt Airport, which had to be shut down entirely for several hours Tuesday (December 21) morning, also said it would be back to business as usual on Wednesday. All three runways were operating, said a spokesman for airport operator Fraport.
All planned international flights took place - though problems with flights to Heathrow, London could still be expected because of that airport's own severe delays.
Starting Wednesday, national railway Deutsche Bahn also operated more trains on heavily trafficked routes to compensate for the growing number of holiday travellers opting for the train over driving or flying. The company estimated an extra 50,000 to 100,000 passengers per day are using the rail network.
Through at least December 29, Deutsche Bahn will run additional Intercity trains on important north-south and east-west routes at the expense of less-travelled connections. The extra trains will travel from Cologne and the Ruhr to Berlin, Hamburg to Munich, Hamburg to Basel via the Ruhr Valley and Stuttgart.
For cars it depended on where they drove. While in the north and middle of the country driving was made difficult by temperatures around freezing point and icy rain which led to extremely slippery roads, the south got a reprieve in the traffic chaos with mild temperatures well above freezing. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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