How much money are you prepared to spend - just in case?
| 09:23 UK time, Tuesday, 21 December 2010
As thousands of people spend another day stuck in two of Europe's largest airports - Frankfurt and London Heathrow - thanks to snow and ice grounding planes, there's a common thread to much of the comment:
We need to be better prepared ... The attitude of uncertainty cannot last, and it is a time for the authorities to be ready for the worst that each winter might bring.
... declares an editorial from Northern Ireland, where it hit -15C last night (usual average minimum in December: +3C).
But here's another take on Twitter from @RtHonIR, also in the UK
If u want our winter equipment to be like Norway, do u want your road tax to double? To the levels it is over there?
How much should governments, airports, train companies, road management companies, spend on preparing for events that only might happen? And if you think more should be spent, are you willing to spend more on your tickets and taxes to pay for it?
This isn't just a European debate: often with reference to extreme events becoming more regular thanks to climate change, these stories from the last year or so about Canada, California, the Philippines and Vietnam show a similar discussion.
Obviously the implications of some of those weather events are much much worse than merely people having to sleep on camp beds in airports - so is it only when a small risk is life-threatening that serious money should be spent?
Perhaps the cost doesn't have to be passed on to us; some consider a company should sacrifice some profit to spend that money. Al Jazeera's correspondent reports
the parent company that runs Heathrow has come under a lot of criticism in the past for not being prepared to put in the sort of investment and infrastructure that would allow the airport to be able to put up with conditions like this.
But should the company be compelled make that investment? Or is it up to them how they spend their cash? Should transport infrastructure be treated any differently to any other commercial service?
Finally, should there be more personal responsibility here? California is also being hit by severe and unusual weather at the moment - this website encourages people to take their own steps to assess what might happen to them and plan accordingly.
Should we just accept that sometimes nature will get in the way of our plans, no matter what the preparations? As Tom D Ford posted here yesterday:
In a way I think it is a good thing that no matter how much we humans try to isolate and protect ourselves from the natural world, the natural world still barges through and makes its presence known.
Comment number 1.
At 12:53 21st Dec 2010, koffiejunkie wrote:I do think that Airports should be held accountable for disruption due to weather conditions. Airlines are, after all, compelled to provide accommodation for their passengers in the same event. While I think it's naive to think that the cost won't trickle down to passengers in the end, surely these disruptions end up costing more?
I am one of the stranded passengers. I went on a two day trip to Zurich and Heathrow started having problems shortly after I left. Swiss Air graciously provided excellent hotel accommodation. I did not even have to ask, they just did it. By now they're definitely making a dead loss on me, but they certainly made themselves my first choice next time I need to fly. Surely that's what counts in the long term?
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Comment number 2.
At 13:45 21st Dec 2010, JanePugh wrote:This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.
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Comment number 3.
At 15:02 21st Dec 2010, Cabe UK wrote:@1 Koffiejunkie? If you are stranded in an airport then you are probably one of the thousands who ignored the warnings to NOT travel, yet you still did- And now you are there clogging up the works and adding to the problems. If we had these probs last year then why did you book travel this year? And Sorry but why should Airlines be held responsible for the weather again? You can't completely blame unnatural weather conditions solely on Airports OR Mother Nature! Why not just say 'hold' YOU responsible for the weather instead after all, you burn carbon don't you?
The weather is annually getting worse and it won't change. We SHOULD be prepared and if we come to a standstill then we should employ tools that colder countries use! And if we keep refusing to use cleaner fuel then yes, we should pay for it!
Can't understand why the God-playing Media insist that Airlines 'apologise' to their customers either? Air and Train traffic SHOULD build wind/snow/ breaks and tunnels along very exposed lines and runways to take the burden off clearing them up, there should be better organisation with winter every year - but the public also have to take responsibility. If you know it's coming then be prepared, either Dont Travel/ Drive/ Shop OR go out and help clear it up! If everone put salt around their home pavements it would help big time - and don't build any more carbon-fuelled nuclear sites!
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Comment number 4.
At 19:00 21st Dec 2010, Tom D Ford wrote:It's a strange sort of honor to be quoted in the tee-up on a WHYS topic. Thanks, WHYS-guys.
I think that people need to be prepared to suffer a little bit once in a while. It would be incredible expensive for the gov or airlines to be prepared for all of the extreme possibilities that nature can bring on.
And a little bit of sleeping uncomfortably in an airport when you are so rich among the worlds peoples that you can afford to fly anywhere at all when some people are starving, homeless, or any of the other ills of poverty, well, you ought to keep a little perspective on how really off and fortunate you are.
I suggest that you have an attitude of gratitude that you're doing as well as you are.
So Merry Christmas, Happy Solstice, and all of the other best wishes of this time of year.
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Comment number 5.
At 17:17 22nd Dec 2010, Mutlipack_can13 wrote:Tom D Ford.
Well Said, Well Said indeed!
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Comment number 6.
At 17:23 22nd Dec 2010, Cabe UK wrote:- Very Nicely put Tom!
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