Heathrow is due to be shut all day today, Friday, March 21, following a major power outage caused by a fire at a nearby substation.
Online flight tracking service Flightradar24 said the closure would affect more than 1,350 flights to and from Heathrow on Friday.
This includes 679 scheduled to land and 678 due to take off from the airport.
Passengers have been warned to expect “significant disruption over the coming days”.
What hotels are near to Heathrow?
Heathrow has a number of hotels nearby.
These include Premier Inn, Ibis, Holiday Inn, Radisson, Hilton, and more.
The airport offers hotel and parking packages combining overnight stays with the site’s Long Stay car parking.
Hotel prices soar after Heathrow closure
Passengers have been left shocked and angered after hotels nearby to Heathrow have seen their prices soar for an overnight stay today.
Booking.com prices for one adult, checking in tonight, Friday, March 21, and checking out tomorrow, Saturday, March 22, are up to around £500.
Comparing to the same stay next Friday, Hilton London Heathrow Terminal 5 is £102 and the Holiday Inn on Bath Road at just £89.
Angry passengers have been taking to social media following the rise.
Sharing a picture of the rises, one user said on X: “Ah here we go, hotels around Heathrow jump on the rip off bandwagon. Typical rip off Britain and they should hang their heads in shame.”
Ah here we go, hotels around Heathrow jump on the rip off bandwagon! This tonight’s prices at just 2. Typical rip off Britain and they should hang their heads in shame #r4today pic.twitter.com/b8BN2vHpkO
— Binman (@binman18691753) March 21, 2025
“Profiteering should be banned,” one replied.
Another replied: “This is what travel insurance is for, and the algorithms which control pricing don’t know “hey Heathrow’s shut let’s put up prices.”
“It sees a massive increase in demand and it triggers the increase pricing automatically.”
When will Heathrow reopen?
Heathrow Airport has said it is planning to reopen tonight at midnight, however, it warned passengers of disruption in the coming days.
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A spokesperson said: “To maintain the safety of our passengers and colleagues, we have no choice but to close Heathrow until 23h59 on March 21, 2025.
“We expect significant disruption over the coming days and passengers should not travel to the airport under any circumstances until the airport reopens.
“We will provide an update when more information on the resumption of operations is available.”
