Europe's Christmas travel crisis eased slightly on Wednesday but there were still substantial airport and train delays, particularly at London's Heathrow Airport, where crews were still struggling to remove ice. About 70 percent of Heathrow's planned departures were expected to operate Wednesday - some 900 flights. Extra crews were working to remove ice buildup and clear the airfield of snow.
Crowds at Heathrow were smaller on Wednesday with few people standing on line outside the terminals or sleeping on the floors. Airport officials placed two tents outside Terminal 3 to handle overflow passengers, but only one was used. Computer screens there showed 11 out of about 50 incoming flights had been cancelled.