Heavy snow disrupted the Christmas holiday getaway in Europe, forcing the continent's biggest airports to close and thousands of stranded passengers to spend the night on terminal floors.

In London, Paris, Frankfurt, Amsterdam and Brussels, flights were cancelled and airports warned of backlogs spilling well into this week, with snow and ice frustrating travel plans across Europe on the last weekend before December 25.

Hundreds of passengers had to sleep in terminals after becoming trapped in no man's land when their flights were diverted from affected airports and they were without a visa to leave transit lounges.

Heavy snow and thick ice all but closed London Heathrow, the busiest international passenger air hub in the world, over the weekend and travellers faced a third day stranded on Monday as arctic conditions sparked fresh flight delays and cancellations.

Local flights affected

Meanwhile, airlines operating in South Africa on Sunday said they hope flights to and from London’s Heathrow Airport will resume again on Monday following two days of disruptions due to heavy snow and ice in the United Kingdom.

South African Airways, British Airways, Air France, Lufthansa and Virgin Atlantic flights to London were cancelled, affecting hundreds of people. Passengers have been advised to contact their airlines before going to the airport to see whether flights will be able to resume on Monday.

A woman, who was due to fly from OR Tambo International Airport to Heathrow Airport on Friday, said she was forced to pay for hotel accommodation while being left in travel limbo.

“We are at the hotel and we are sitting and waiting for the airline to tell us what is going,” she said.

South African Airways’ (SAA) Fani Zulu said they will try to accommodate stranded passengers on later flights but have asked people to be patient.

“We will monitor the situation on a daily basis. It all depends on the authorities in London when they decide to open the airport and once that decision has been taken, we will communicate with passengers,” said Zulu.

Britain's roads and railways were also hit by the harsh winter weather, with some roads made impassable after drivers abandoned their vehicles in heavy snow and passengers being ejected onto freezing platforms from broken-down trains.

With forecasters predicting this month could be the coldest December for a century, Britain braced for further problems Monday with up to 20 centimetres of snow expected in some places.

Disappointment turns to anger

At Heathrow, disappointment turned to anger and frustration for Christmas travellers as their wait dragged on. Some said they were running out of money, while others reported lengthy queues for toilets and plug sockets for mobile phones.

Trevor Taylor, who had been waiting with his wife and two young sons for a flight for Singapore for two days, described conditions at Terminal 5 as "absolute mayhem".

"Frustration is building up. I've been sleeping on a knobbly marble floor and every space you can see is taken," the 37-year-old said.

There were a handful of arrivals and departures from Heathrow on Sunday, and the airport warned that disruption was set to continue.

A statement from Heathrow, which is operated by BAA, said the airport would provide a limited service from 6am Monday, but warned of knock-on effects from the weekend shutdown.

"We expect further cancellations and delays in the coming days, as airlines move diverted aircraft and crew back to their normal positions," it said.

Hundreds of passengers also slept at London's Gatwick airport on Saturday, although the situation there was improving on Sunday.

Other major airports, including London Stansted, London Luton, Birmingham, Glasgow and Bristol also faced delays and cancellations due to the weather.

Car breakdown service AA predicted it would answer about 14 000 call-outs on Sunday, double the average. Part of a major train route between London and Edinburgh was suspended, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded.

Two of the four runways at Paris's Roissy-Charles-de-Gaulle airport, continental Europe's biggest air hub, remained closed, with dozens of flights scrapped.

Airport authorities said around 3000 people would spend the night in the terminal buildings. Some 40 percent of Roissy flights from 5pm were cancelled, affecting some 13 000 waiting passengers.

But the situation was expected progressively to return to normal Monday, with Secretary of State for Transport Thierry Mariani stating: "Tomorrow's weather forecasts are better so hopefully we'll get there."

Mariani lashed out at British Airways which he said had turned down an offer of places on Eurostar for its customers blocked in Paris after the closure of Heathrow.

Page 2: Trouble on the tracks