Air passengers and drivers have faced hours of disruption and frustration as snow continues to blanket large parts of the country.
Hundreds of flights have been grounded at Heathrow airport in west London as heavy snow and poor visibility closed runways.
Some passengers on British Airways flights have told Sky News that they have spent up to seven hours on aircraft which have never left the tarmac.
A spokesman for BA said there are normally between 42 and 44 take-off or landing slots available per hour, but at one point yesterday that went down to just six.
Sky reporter Clare Fallon, at Heathrow, said: "It's a surreal sight, there are hundreds of people on the floor because they are essentially stranded there. Some have told me they have been here since 11am yesterday morning.
"People feel very frustrated and stressed, and they don't understand how a relatively small amount of snow has been able to cause so much chaos."
In a statement last night, the company said: "We are doing all we can to help our customers after freezing weather and snow caused significant disruption to our schedule today.
Planes grounded at Heathrow "We are also offering customers who no longer wish to travel between Friday and Sunday the option to rebook their flight to a later date.
"There will be knock-on disruption to services on Saturday and we are advising all customers to check the very latest status of their flight via ba.com before leaving for the airport and if their flight has been cancelled not to leave home."
Flights in and out of Gatwick escaped major disruption yesterday, but the airport advised passengers flying out this weekend to contact their airlines to check flight status.
The Highways Agency said several motorway lanes and major A roads had closed due to the snow and ice, as well as several accidents.
Drivers have been warned to be extra careful as freezing temperatures would bring icy conditions overnight and into the morning.
The deepest snowfall has been measured at 26cm in Sennybridge, Wales, although snow has been thawing in other areas and some train services have been returning to normal.
Merthyr Tydfil has been among the worst hit areas and the A4232 leading into Cardiff was packed with commuters who left home despite the conditions. The closure of a section of the M4 at Bridgend caused headaches for many.
A stranded passenger at Terminal 5 There have also been severe hold-ups for rail passengers, with many companies cancelling services to help them cope with problems caused by the weather. Train firms are advising passengers to check with operators before travelling.
But while commuters have been facing misery, the winter wonderland scenes have brought joy to thousands of youngsters who got the day off yesterday.
Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Warwickshire and Staffordshire were particularly badly hit, with almost 700 schools deciding to close across the four counties by the early afternoon.
Few parts of the UK will escape the wintry weather as it continues into the weekend.
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There is up to 10cm of snow likely in northern and eastern England as well as Ireland and southern and eastern Scotland on Saturday. Snow elsewhere will be lighter but it will be bitterly cold.
Sunday could also bring persistent but light snow to southeast England and some flurries for Scotland.
Darron Burness, from the AA, said commuting in the wintry conditions was "likely to test man and machine".
Those who decide to travel have been urged to travel prepared with a fully charged mobile phone, warm waterproof clothes, boots and a blanket, some food and drink, and have a torch, ice scraper, de-icer and a shovel.
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