A FURIOUS family told how they were among hundreds of Scots left waiting hours at an airport - before being told to make their own way home.

They were forced to fork out on expensive rail tickets to travel back from London after the easyJet flight from Luton to Glasgow Airport was suspended as ice and snow swept across the UK.

The Johnstone resident, who does not wish to be named, claimed his family members were left waiting in a departure lounge alongside around 200 stranded passengers without any hot food, water or blankets.

He told the Glasgow Times: "My two nieces and nephew were due to fly back to Glasgow at 5.55pm yesterday. They were left waiting for hours on end before finally being told at 1am just to try to make their own way back to Glasgow.

“It was an absolute shambles and no one knew what was going on. They couldn’t get any answers and people were cold and hungry - they just wanted to get home.

"We understand severe weather can mean it isn't safe to fly but there should be a contingency plan in place. It is winter in Great Britain after all, snow shouldn't be a massive surprise to anyone. What really infuriated people waiting to fly was the basic lack of communication, which was totally unacceptable.

“No hot meals or blankets were provided and that's no way to treat customers.

"Basically, the only way for my family to get home was by rail, so they left Luton Airport in the middle of the night and travelled across the city before finally boarding a train to Glasgow this morning.

"It has been the journey from hell."

Dozens of flights were cancelled or delayed as sub-zero temperatures plummeted below -10C across the country.

The Gazette:

The cold snap is due to continue through the week, with overnight frosts and daytime temperatures dipping below freezing, meaning a number of flights scheduled to arrive and depart Glasgow airport today have also been grounded.

Flights include British Airways services to and from London Heathrow and London City, EasyJet flights to and from Birmingham and Loganair services to and from Campbeltown and Islay.

Those travelling to airports have been told to check the flight status before setting off.

The man, whose family had been in London for a weekend break, added: “Thankfully, they were able to get a train back home, but several others were just left at Luton Airport with nowhere to go.

“They feel totally drained with it all. To be honest it’s made us think twice about flying with easyJet again.”

A spokesperson for easyJet said: "Airlines operating to and from the UK last night have been experiencing some disruption to their flying programmes due to adverse weather, including flight EZY65 from London Luton to Glasgow which unfortunately had to be cancelled as a result of the snow closure at London Luton.

“We did everything possible to minimise the disruption for our customers and were advised they will be reimbursed for their onward travel and any other expenses they may have incurred including accommodation and meals.

“The safety and wellbeing of our customers and crew is easyJet’s highest priority and while this is outside of our control, we would like to apologise to customers for the inconvenience caused as a result of the weather.”