New photo Gatwick passengers count the cost of a ruined Christmas

A family of seven had their 'once in a lifetime' Christmas trip to Lapland ruined by the Gatwick drone chaos.

Grandmother Jan Johnson, 70, paid more than £4,000 to take her daughter and five grandchildren to visit Santa.

She and her late husband John, who died of cancer in 2010, aged 60, had long planned such a trip.

Last Monday, she told her grandchildren – Tirah, eight, Teddy, 10, Tovi, 12, Tivon, 14, and Tivka, 16 – about the treat.

Jan Johnson (centre) had paid for a Lapland trip for her grandchildren - from left, Tori, 12, Teddy, 10, Tirah, eight, Tivka, 16, and Tivon, 14 - but their hopes were dashed 

They were thrilled by the prospect of petting reindeer, riding with huskies, and meeting Father Christmas, but their hopes were dashed when their flight to Finland was cancelled on Friday.

Mrs Johnson said: 'When the children were little, John and I said we'd take them on a holiday they won't forget. It took quite a lot for me to go and sort it out, and then it all went terribly wrong.

'The children were so desperately upset about it, especially the smaller ones.'

Eldest sibling Tivka said: 'This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us. We are a big family, with a single mum struggling to bring up five children, and then we learned we couldn't go.'

The teenager, from Petersfield in Hampshire, added: 'I want the culprits to know that they have had a really detrimental effect on my family and our Christmas.'

Her mother, Kristi Johnson, 43, a former midwife, recalled: 'One of the children said, 'I knew something this good could never happen to us.' '

Sympathy: Zoe Ball escaped delays as she flew into Gatwick

The family have travel insurance and hope to rebook next Christmas. Their story emerged as thousands of passengers faced continued uncertainty at Gatwick. The rogue drone activity led to about 1,000 flights being cancelled, delaying 140,000 passengers. Long queues continued to snake around the check-in desks yesterday. In total, 757 flights carrying 124,484 were scheduled in and out of the airport.

Among those affected was Sebastian Jones, 20, from Miami, who missed a connecting flight to Madrid due to the delays. He spent Friday night on the airport floor. Yacht deckhand Nate Nekrep, 32, from Slovenia, missed a connection to Majorca when his flight from Antigua was delayed.

But newly appointed Radio 2 breakfast show DJ Zoe Ball escaped the chaos. After returning to Gatwick from a Caribbean break, she said: 'I feel so sorry for everyone affected and hope it doesn't spoil their Christmas.'

However, more long queues are likely today when 785 flights are scheduled to carry about 130,000 passengers.

A Gatwick spokesman said: 'We are grateful for passengers' continued patience as we work to get them to their final destination in time for Christmas.' 

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News Pictures Gatwick passengers count the cost of a ruined Christmas

You don’t have to pack away your bikini just because you’re the wrong side of 20. These body-beautiful stars reveal their secrets to staying in shape and prove you can smoulder in a two-piece, whatever your age. Read on and be bikini inspired!

TEENS
Hayden Panettiere
Size: 8
Age: 18
Height: 5ft 1in
Weight: 8st

To achieve her kick-ass figure, Hayden – who plays cheerleader Claire Bennet in Heroes – follows the ‘quartering’ rule. She eats only a quarter of the food on her plate, then waits 20 minutes before deciding whether she needs to eat again.

Hayden says: “I don’t have a model’s body, but I’m not one of those crazy girls who thinks that they’re fat. I’m OK with what I have.”

Nicollette says: “I don’t like diets – I see it, I eat it! I believe in eating healthily with lots of protein, vegetables and carbs to give you energy.”

kim cattrall

Size: 10-12
Age: 52
Height: 5ft 8in
Weight: 9st 4lb

SATC star Kim swears by gym sessions with Russian kettle bells (traditional cast-iron weights) and the South Beach Diet to give her the body she wants. To avoid overeating, Kim has a radical diet trick – squirting lemon juice on her leftovers – so she won’t carry on picking.

Kim says: “I am no super-thin Hollywood actress. I am built for men who like women to look like women.”
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