I think it is completely misplaced to attempt to compare Heathrow with airports in Poland and Hungary. I live here in London too, and have travelled through both Warsaw and Budapest airports.
The latter does not even have an airline based there with any widebody aircraft, nor does it have as many gates or parking stands as Heathrow does. Both of these airports also have a fraction of the traffic flowing through them.
Also, other airports in Europe have also suffered a lot of disruption and these are in places which see more regular snowfalls than London - Paris, Munich, Frankfurt and Amsterdam have all been chaotic in recent days.
I do agree that the authorities here have not handled the situation well, nor have they properly explained their actions (or lack of). Their planning for this type of event really needs to improve.
Your Polish and Hungarian friends might think the UK is a laughing stock, but if I had a choice, I know where I would rather live and if your friends live here, perhaps they think the same?
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