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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 20 January 2017
Saturday, 18 December 2010 was the first of a two day complete closure of all London area airports due to freezing temperatures and approximately five inches of snow. A week later on December 26th, New York City area airports closed in a similar manner from the sixth largest snowstorm in NYC history, blanketing the city approximately twenty inches of snow. Both storms grounded flights for days, and resulted in severe delays long after the snow stopped falling. Both London and NYC area airports produced risk communications to explain the necessity for the closures and delays. This short flash news report examines, in turn, the risk communications presented during the airport closures. A background is provided to understand how the risk perceptions differ between London and NYC publics. Finally, it compares and contrasts the perceptions of the decision making process and outcomes of the closures, which continue to accumulate economic and social impacts.
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2 Further information about BAA is available on the Internet at <http://www.baa.com/portal/page/About/BAA+Airports%5EAbout+BAA%5EWho+we+are/c44e357c07eee110VgnVCM10000036821c0a/448c6a4c7f1b0010VgnVCM200000357e120a/%20BAA> (last accessed on 9 January 2011).
3 Competition Commission, “BAA airports market investigation: A report on the supply of airport services by BAA in the UK” (19 March 2009), available on the Internet at <http://www.competition-commission.org.uk/rep_pub/reports/2009/fulltext/545.pdf> (last accessed on 8 January 2011).
4 The Port Authority is headed by the reigning Governors of New York and New Jersey. Each governor, with the approval of his or her state senate, appoints six members to the Board of Commissioners, who serve overlapping six-year terms without pay. Meetings of the Board of Commissioners are public, and the governor has the authority to veto actions by the commissioners from the same state. An Executive Director is appointed by the Board of Commissioners to deal with day-to-day operations and to execute the Port Authority’s policies. Since May 2008, Christopher O. Ward has been the Executive Director of the Port Authority, after being nominated by then New York Governor David Paterson. More information about The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey board of commissioners is available on the Internet at <http://web.archive.org/web/20080630000920/http://www.panynj.gov/AboutthePortAuthority/Governance/BoardofCommissioners/> (last accessed on 7 January 2011).
5 “BAA launches inquiry into Heathrow Airport snow chaos”, BBC News Online (23 December 2010), available on the Internet at: <http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-12071442> (last accessed on 8 January 2011).
6 S. Musafer, “BAA boss refuses bonus over snow; has Heathrow’s reputation been damaged?”, BBC News Online (21December 2010), available on the Internet at <http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-12049482> (last accessed on 9 January 2011).
7 Civil Aviation Authority, “CAA Warns Over Instances of Unacceptable Treatment of Passengers during Recent Snow Disruption” (23 December 2010), available on the Internet at <http://www.caa.co.uk/application.aspx?catid=14&pagetype=65&appid=7&mode=detail&nid=1956> (last accessed on 9 January 2011). Additionally, CAA found that several airlines did not meet with EU-enforced obligations to customers during the disruptions. EU regulations protect people in such situations and requires airlines to let people know what their rights are.
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