Too bad if the lot got arrested and had to wait...say... several days for a court appearance. Figure out the lost wages and other items and make them pay for it.

bill h, Dallas, Texas, USA

Send these protestors the bills for lost revenues. These type of protests backfire. When does infuriating others gain sympathy for a cause? And as mentioned earlier...how could so many take a seat on what is supposedly a secure runway?

Mark, Los Angeles, USA

The right to free expression isn't recognized when that act infringes upon the rights of others. Basic civics. Unfortunately, many activist/protesters don't know of or care about such things.
To further the "cause", they'll trample your rights. And why not? To them. Its all for your own good.

Mike, Seattle, USA

How many of these 'Green' protesters walked there? - Hypocrites
How many of them have a neutral or minus carbon footprint? - Hypocrites
What will they achieve except move the problem elsewhere? - Hypocrites
What did they actually achieve other than turn public sympathy? away from them - Hypocrites

Colin, Bomlo, Norway

Wait a minute, these folks want to reduce the amount of carbon on earth? Don't they realize that humans are carbon base and if they really want to reduce carbon then maybe they should rid the earth of...Oh, never mind, now I get it......

Oliver, Hampstead, USA

Why were Ryanair the only airline to cancel their flights? Every other airline took the delays meaning their passengers were inconvenienced but got to their destinations on the day intended. So was Ryanair's decision poltical (they hate BAA) or economic (more full planes)?

Steve, London,

We had a similar event in Minnesota (USA) some years ago. It was a typical cold day here. The protesters were met by a fire truck and a bus. The fire truck thoroughly doused them with water, then the guy on the bus said "get aboard if you want to warm up." It ended quickly...

Del Webb, Minnesota, USA

BAA should have installed an electric fence, powered by wind turbines of course..........

Andrew, Orpington, Kent

Who says no one wants it? speak for yourself, not for me. I'm an average man with average ambition to travel more conveniently to places overseas. The jobs created in this region by the build and running of the new facilities are needed and the inevitability of travel increase will not go away.

Keith, Saffron Walden, UK

We are missing the point. If the protesters had a place to go to, to be heard, this would not have happened. The Government need to start listening to its people. No body wants an expansion plan decimating even more countryside. The only winners are those in the large corporate industries and members of Parliament in the pay off for a done deal.

Harry, boston, UK

Some of the comments on here are staggering. It's not "terrorism" it's an inconvenience and at worst an obstruction to the free flow of business. Get some perspective!

Rob, London,

I bet they got there in old cars and vans spewing out fumes...that's where they should start; the tank-sized 4x4s of the socially obssessed that their parent's probably drive. Huge increases in road tax for engines over 2 litres, improved public transport and incentives to buy smaller cars. Easy!

Paul Bones, Palermo, Italy

Ryanair cancels flights at the drop of a hat. Odd how many other airlines were able to operate, albeit delayed, when the runway reopened. Instead of berating BAA Stansted perhaps the airline might like to explain to their passengers why it hadf to cancel so many flights.

Bergman Coffey, Belfast,

They should be charged with terrorism for the cost of millions of pounds for the interruptions of economy.

Larry, Kansas City, US

You want to keep protestors off the property? Electric fence. Solar powered of course!

Scott Millson, Toronto, Canada

The "protesters" are highlighting a crime against life on earth. They are explaining what will become common knowledge in a few years. Airplanes are not sustainable.

Ken Gorman, Denver, USA

What a great way to drive people away from your cause.....

Jon, London, UK

Ryanairs own safety regime failed me last October during a flight from Rome. On the same day Michael O'Leary was in the Italian capital promoting two new slots for the carrier under the advertising banner 'Love Italy, Fly Ryanair'. Minor scuffles culminated in a mash brawl. Only two arrests!!!!????

John W Pepper, Clavering, UK

More kaos, to a kaotic industry, unregulated by a kaotic government.

Peter, London,

Vivienne Brinton's comment sums it up, doesn't it! "Cheap flights allow us to have homes elsewhere". Cheap flights also allow people to fly for cheap holidays abroad. These cheap flights are because of the rediculous situation of tax free aviation fuel. It is costing the Earth!!

Nigel, Lapford,

I think its so wrong of them to think, oh yes we have stopped 4.1 million tons of carbon being produced today. Yay victory!

No you havent! All those passengers will be on board an aircraft one way or another at a later point in time. if anything, all that you may have done is delayed the carbon!

Robert, Colchester, England

Throw the book at these people. The majority of them are either slightly odd hippy types or spoilt self important middle class students and they do not represent the view of the majority on air travel. The arrogance, hypocrisy and holier than thou attitude of the 'Green Movement' is staggering.

Red, Dublin, Ireland

You should count yourself lucky because it's not as bad as in Bangkok, Thailand where the whole airport was shut for a whole week due to demonstartion against the Thai government and the lack of police action which was deemed an act of terrorism.

Dirk, Bangkok, Thailand

M Lyons - Environmental Consultant Oxford.
I believe this kind of activity is going to increase unless the Government listens to the voices of the country, In my view the left hand is saying one thing (reduce our Carbon Output) but the right hand is building new runways where is the logic!

M Lyons, Oxford, Oxfordshire

A good suggestion Clint Heine. The disruption these people cause is outrageous and should not be tolerated. Their sanctimonious preaching will hopefully keep the other prisoners in their cell block entertained.

CJ, Ennis, Ireland

So they can mobilise the anti terrorist squad to arrest an opposition MP, but not when there's a security breach at a major airport?

Unbelievable!

Alex, London,

I hope their group gets charged the price of all these delays, that will put them off doing stupid stunts like this again.

Clint Heine, London, UK

Thank you, dear protesters, for being so considerate as to warn the public concerning what you are about to do - NOT. My father passed away this morning, and I'm stuck in Sweden, waiting to get another flight home to be with my family.

Bjorn Dobbelaere, Biggleswade, UK

Why on earth does it take the police, of whom we have some 100, 000 in the UK, so long to arrest 38 unarmed non violent people who are ruining the day for mnay thousands and causing many of thousand pounds of losses? Our police seem to have become appeasers.

julia, london,

The real problem is that this kind of action does the environmental lobby no favours at all. It just makes Joe Public hate them.
When one starts thinking "why dont the police just shoot them", there is clearly a serious problem.
This kind of protest is not the way to go.
Sorry guys.

dimengineer, uxbridge,

It is time we banned all protests from public roads, runways etc. If these deluded individuals with to protest about mythical man-made climate change they can do so in big open areas. There they will not inconvenicence others and will still get their publicity.

Roger Tilbury, Worthing,

Contrary to the belief of the protestors, the delays will increase carbon emissions considerably, as aircraft are forced to wait longer in line for take off.

Nice secure airport by the way! The protestors have notified terrorist groups how easy it would be to access the hard standing area.

peterj, aberdeen, uk