Iceland volcanic eruption

[duct tape]

So, who is headed somewhere and can't get there? Hope it clears by June!

[WesW]

SS now has this Iceland Ash announcement on it's website (Well done SS):

 

SPECIAL NOTE

 

 

 

In the wake of the volcanic eruption in Iceland, large sections of the airspace and many airports in Central and Northern Europe have been closed by the air safety authorities. With this in mind, Silversea is monitoring the situation and its effect on flight arrivals and departures. At this time, Silversea is recommending that all cruise only passengers contact the airline(s) directly to determine whether or not their flights are affected and, if so, guests should do all possible to make alternate arrangements including the booking of flights to arrive at the next port of call. Flights for guests booked by Silversea will be monitored throughout the weekend and alternate arrangements will be advised if confirmed.

 

The after-hours voice message in Reservations will be modified to include emergency phone contact information for guests needing to advise of flight cancellation or modification.

 

 

Please check back frequently for updates.

[jpalbny]

Maybe it's time to fly into Southern Europe and take a train... Hope this little miscreant calms down before we fly to Athens in June!

[chicagogal]

We leave next Friday the 23rd but - fortunately - from NYC on the Spirit. Hopefully, by the time we get to Europe around May 1st it will all have dissipated and we will have no trouble flying home on the 9th.

[pegsammax]

We were extremely lucky! We disembarked the Wind yesterday in Venice, but our return flights was booked through Zurich. They hadn't closed Swiss airspace yet, so were fortunate to get home to Boston on time yesterday. Today, we would have been among the many waiting passengers in Europe.

[chicagogal]

We were extremely lucky! We disembarked the Wind yesterday in Venice, but our return flights was booked through Zurich. They hadn't closed Swiss airspace yet, so were fortunate to get home to Boston on time yesterday. Today, we would have been among the many waiting passengers in Europe.

 

Good for you! Welcome home!

[NJ Cruiserman]

I second that thought. Incidentally, my friends who were on your transatlantic cruise last year did not recognize you from the pictures you posted.

 

Maybe it's time to fly into Southern Europe and take a train... Hope this little miscreant calms down before we fly to Athens in June!

[RosseauGirl]

We have friends stranded in Genoa waiting for planes, and we are supposed to be leaving on May 2 to meet the Wind in Venice......so we're just waiting and watching and hoping....

 

Michele

[ging466]

Qantas has cancelled all flights to the UK & Europe and is only operating into Asia. There is no word on the Qantas website as to when flights will resume.

 

It's so hard for us Aussies to get anywhere because we are so far away. I feel very sorry for the people who will not be able to get to their ships.

 

Cheers

Jennifer (ging466)

[duct tape]

I heard from someone on Oceania this morning that Barcelona airport is now closed. It is a turnover port for them...should be interesting.

[Rally]

We were extremely lucky! We disembarked the Wind yesterday in Venice, but our return flights was booked through Zurich. They hadn't closed Swiss airspace yet, so were fortunate to get home to Boston on time yesterday. Today, we would have been among the many waiting passengers in Europe.

 

Good news! =)

[TLCOhio]

Here is the story that will be coming in Monday's New York Times. The headline is: "Airlines Press Europe to Ease Ban on Flights". Here are a couple of the story highlights: "As Europe grounded most airline flights for a fourth day on Sunday because of a volcanic ash cloud spreading from Iceland, increasingly desperate airlines ran test flights to show that flying was safe and pressed aviation authorities to loosen the flight ban. Airlines complained that European governments were overreacting to the threat, relying on incomplete data from computer models rather than real-world safety tests in the air above Europe. In a blunt statement Sunday, representatives of Europe’s airlines and airports called for 'an immediate reassessment of the present restrictions.' Europe’s transportation ministers decided to meet in Brussels on Monday to discuss how and when to get planes back in the air."

 

There are lots of interesting twists and turns on this story, how airlines are doing various tests, etc. It details how the German chancellor arrived back in Germany from San Francisco, after a three-day odyssey through North Dakota, Portugal and Italy via plane, armored car and bus. You can read the full story at:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/19/world/europe/19ash.html?hp

 

THANKS! Terry in Ohio

[CruisinGerman]

Dear friends:

 

The airlines can pressure all they want -- they have economic interests at stake.

 

They are all forgetting what happened a few years ago with a British Airways 747 over Indonesia.

 

Volcanic ash -- the engines stopped -- the plane tumbled for thousands of feet when a miracle occurred and the engines restarted. Plane had to make an emergency landing.

 

The problem is that if a plane crashes and people die, the airlines have insurance. But if the air traffic system is merely halted because of the safety precautions, most airlines don't have insurance to cover their losses.

 

I think the military in Europe might be called in to assist stranded passengers and help them get home, but aside from cleaning up that mess, I would not want the airports to reopen until it was absolutely safe to do so.

 

Kind regards,

 

Gunther and Uta

[Ainhoa]

At least Silversea seem to be aware there is a problem. I am supposed to be enjoying a fly-cruise with Seabourn in under three weeks and there is nothing at all on their website about the air chaos in Europe.

 

All Spanish airports reopened today.

[ging466]

The Cloud and the Wind are currently in Europe. It would be interesting to learn how many passengers are onboard. If there were any Australians who weren't already in Europe, they'd have no hope of meeting the ship.

 

I know a family who were due to fly out of Sydney 17 April and Qantas has shifted them to 28 April !! They are going home, not meeting a ship.

 

It's a disaster for many.

 

Cheers

Jennifer (ging466)

[ADCruising]

The Cloud and the Wind are currently in Europe. It would be interesting to learn how many passengers are onboard. If there were any Australians who weren't already in Europe, they'd have no hope of meeting the ship.

 

I know a family who were due to fly out of Sydney 17 April and Qantas has shifted them to 28 April !! They are going home, not meeting a ship.

 

It's a disaster for many.

 

Cheers

Jennifer (ging466)

 

Does anyone actually know how this itinerary is being affected--if at all? It's scheduled to depart Venice tomorrow with disembarkation in Venice on

April 29. We are scheduled to sail on the Wind from Venice on May 4 (embarkation on May 3). Other ships in the area are adjusting itineraries. Knowing what is happening might give us some idea of what we face if the airspace problems persist for much longer.

 

Hoping and praying!

[Neilio]

Hopefully anyone being impacted had previously purchased "Trip/Travel Insurance"

 

Neilio

[ADCruising]

Hopefully anyone being impacted had previously purchased "Trip/Travel Insurance"

 

Neilio

 

 

We did--But of course I'd rather be having a pleasant, long anticipated cruise than collecting insurance! Much more fun!!

[Silver Spectre]

I feel really sorry for all those who have had their travel plans disrupted by this, and would have been devastated if we had been stranded somewhere, or for the second time in 15 months, got stuck in the UK with no planes and a cruise to catch.

 

However, it has been strangely peaceful in West London for the last few days, and for a change I was able to enjoy my garden without the additional noise of an overflying aircraft every 80-90 seconds.

 

Perhaps the Greens have got a point, give up on noisy aircraft and go back to the age of sail.

[unfathomable]

...it has been strangely peaceful in West London for the last few days, and for a change I was able to enjoy my garden without the additional noise of an overflying aircraft every 80-90 seconds.

Somebody on the radio this morning was saying that for the first time she could remember, she could hear the North Circular Road really clearly...!

[TLCOhio]

Hopefully anyone being impacted had previously purchased "Trip/Travel Insurance" Neilio

 

Below are some background items I pull together on this fast-changing weather situation and what folks need to consider on their insurance coverage. I understand many of the travel policies in the UK are more tightly written and limited than those here in the US. I would do more checking now to see how things are defined under your policy you now hold or are considering to buy. Check and verify FIRST!!!! Keep notes and records on who tells you what.

 

INSURANCE/VOLCANO? Things are better in Europe from the Iceland volcano, but there is still lots of uncertainty and slowness in getting many airports re-opened. I did note getting our travel insurance last week and that I have learned that all policies in the all countries do not work and cover the same things. After digging much deeper through Travelex and back to Nationwide Insurance that actually does this detailed policy and its benefit coverage. Their claims people were very specific that a policy bought on Friday would be covering us in late June and July as it would be a "weather problem" that might caused any airline cancellations, if, if and if. It's not the volcano itself as the cause of the currently scrubbed air schedules. It's the weather! Their weather coverage offers no exclusions. Different companies have different policies and benefit details. This matches up to what Travelex had sent to our travel agent on questions they had. The policy details are important and I feel more comfortable after digging through the fine-print and this checking at the source. Nationwide is A+ rated by Best, is based here in Columbus, Ohio, along with the Ohio Insurance Dept. that regulates and monitors them. Nothing is perfect and 100% guaranteed, but I have a better understanding of these details on what would be covered, how I could "rattle their chains, etc., if needed.

 

From an article in today's New York Times, they have this headline: "Insurers See Millions in Claims by Travelers". The article highlights noted: "The travel insurance industry is generally paying claims to travelers stranded in Europe and elsewhere by the drifting Icelandic volcanic ash, treating it mostly as a weather-related event in their policies. About 30 percent of American travelers buy a range of insurance policies that cover cruises, flights and the delays or cancellations that are caused by inclement weather and sometimes natural disasters like earthquakes or extraordinary storms." Several insurance experts are quoted in this story. One noted: "some are treating this as weather, and some as an act of God."

 

On the airport re-openings and volcano ash impacts, the latest NY Times story is headlined: "As Europe Reopens Skies, a New Cloud Looms". This story has these details: "European authorities began easing six days of severe flight restrictions on Tuesday, but a new ash cloud, reported to be spreading south from the erupting volcano in Iceland, threatened to thwart part of the effort to end the Continent’s worst aviation crisis. The reopening of airspace under a plan agreed Monday by European ministers was cautious and unpredictable. The piecemeal nature of the response has drawn criticism from the airline industry, while passengers have been marooned from Beijing to New York, and many of Europe’s busiest flight paths have been eerily still. The chaos has now lasted twice as long as the three-day closing of American airspace after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Britain seemed to be hardest hit by the continued perils of volcanic ash."

 

Here are the links to these full stories with more details:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/21/world/europe/21cloud.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/21/world/europe/21europe.html?hp

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/20/world/europe/20trip.html?ref=europe

 

Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

[TLCOhio]

Here, from about an hour ago, is the latest news update from the Associated Press with this headline: "Flights take off but ash limits Norway, Sweden". The story details include: "European airports sent thousands of planes into the sky Thursday after a week of unprecedented disruptions, but shifting winds sent a new plume of volcanic ash over Scandinavia, forcing some airports in Norway and Sweden to close again. But nearly all of the continent's 28,000 other scheduled flights, including more than 300 flights on lucrative trans-Atlantic routes, were going ahead. Every plane was packed, however, as airlines squeezed in some of the hundreds of thousands of travelers who had been stranded for days among passengers with regular Thursday tickets. Airlines said there was no quick solution to cut down the backlog of passengers, for most flights were nearly full anyway and no other planes were available."

 

Hopefully by late June and July, things in the weather and with air travel will be restore to "normal", whatever that means. As Dave Letterman joked on his show last night, the good news is that planes in Europe are flying again. The bad news is you're riding again in cramped seats with poor service.

 

This full AP story is at:

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jh7lQ-qBxQMPzPd3Iap7_s3YDBfQD9F83O8O0

 

Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

[WesW]

Terry, thanks..appreciate your Ash news updates and time it takes to find & post.

[Rocchi]

HOME AT LAST!... HOME AT LAST!

 

Volcano ash probs.

 

The Lady R. and I were on the Shadow for a wonderful 11 days in the Caribbean until Sat. 17th April.

 

Aprrox. 40% of passengers on board were Brits and many were on the air/sea package as we were. These packages varied in that all Brit. air/sea pax were to leave San Juan via Miami,New York or Boston then on to the UK

 

Keep in mind that Silversea were only responsible for our flights home.

 

On Sat. morning a group of us left San Juan for Boston. Knowing our onward flight had been cancelled Silversea had us picked up and put us in the Hampton Inn on O’Brien Hwy Cambridge. On Sunday morning Silversea picked us up and put us in the Fairmont, Battery Wharf on a B&B basis until our flights were resolved. This was until Wed. afternoon and on to rescheduled flights. Arrived home on Thur. morning four days after setting out.

 

Silversea took care of all accommodation and breakfast, all transportation between airport, hotels, we received two personal phone calls to hotel room from Silversea travel office, found and confirmed new flights home and and also had two visits from Silversea Boston representative.

 

All this over a weekend in Boston which was Patriots day a public holiday, with the marathon run and with thousands of extra people occupying the city.

 

Thank you to Silversea on the ship, in the offices and thank you to A Yankee Line Reps. in Boston.

 

Rocchi

[billcrooz]

HOME AT LAST!... HOME AT LAST!

 

Volcano ash probs.

 

The Lady R. and I were on the Shadow for a wonderful 11 days in the Caribbean until Sat. 17th April.

 

Aprrox. 40% of passengers on board were Brits and many were on the air/sea package as we were. These packages varied in that all Brit. air/sea pax were to leave San Juan via Miami,New York or Boston then on to the UK

 

Keep in mind that Silversea were only responsible for our flights home.

 

On Sat. morning a group of us left San Juan for Boston. Knowing our onward flight had been cancelled Silversea had us picked up and put us in the Hampton Inn on O’Brien Hwy Cambridge. On Sunday morning Silversea picked us up and put us in the Fairmont, Battery Wharf on a B&B basis until our flights were resolved. This was until Wed. afternoon and on to rescheduled flights. Arrived home on Thur. morning four days after setting out.

 

Silversea took care of all accommodation and breakfast, all transportation between airport, hotels, we received two personal phone calls to hotel room from Silversea travel office, found and confirmed new flights home and and also had two visits from Silversea Boston representative.

 

All this over a weekend in Boston which was Patriots day a public holiday, with the marathon run and with thousands of extra people occupying the city.

 

Thank you to Silversea on the ship, in the offices and thank you to A Yankee Line Reps. in Boston.

 

Rocchi

this is why we always go on Silversea ! it doesn't get much better than that . the only downside is the Red Sox lost that day !:D