LONDON, Dec. 24 (UPI) -- A thick fog grounded several flights at London's Heathrow Airport, leaving hundreds of holiday travelers stranded Monday.
The airport hosted more than 1,000 people Sunday night who were stuck at the hub when their flights were canceled and many of the stranded have been unable to find open spots on planes leaving Monday, ThisisLondon.co.uk reported Monday.
Greg Ward, operations director for airport operator BAA at Heathrow, said as many as 200 people will likely have to remain at area hotels for at least two days before they can be squeezed onto replacement flights.
"(British Airlines') flights are at capacity now, so we're actually telling people to leave -- we're giving them vouchers to stay in hotels -- and to re-book online or over the phone," he told BBC News.
He said many passengers are taking a blow to their checkbooks and purchasing new tickets with other airlines.
"People are obviously upset ... but actually in fairness a lot of people understand it's not got anything to do with the airlines or the airport," he said.
