Roxanna Bagherzadeh, for instance, found herself stuck at the airport, missing her family’s Persian New Year celebration due to her flight from New York being grounded. Other travelers faced similar frustrations as flights were diverted midair, with some turning back entirely. School groups found themselves stranded in London, musicians worried about missing performances, and romantic plans were dashed. Kevin Black, a musician touring Europe, expressed his disappointment after his girlfriend’s flight was turned back to Nashville, ruining his surprise proposal planned for a Parisian sunset. Instead, he laments, it might now happen “at a waterfall in Tennessee.”

As tens of thousands grappled with their altered journeys, the ripple effects of the Heathrow outage were felt across the globe, showcasing the fragility of modern travel logistics and the deep emotional impact of sudden disruptions in travel plans.