volcanic ash worry

[Bobal]

I was listening to an expert on TV earlier today saying that the disruption should be minimal this time due to a number of factors - mainly to do with the fact that following the eruption last year they have much more knowledge about how the ash will act, how to track it and how to deal with re-routing etc, along with the fact that the ash is much grittier therefore causing less of a danger to clogging up engines.

 

Anyone who remembers the news last year will remember that towards the end of the flight ban there were lots of questions being asked by the major British airlines as to whether the blanket ban was a case of overkill, particularly since many other European countries lifted their bans earlier.

[wcook]

the disruption should be minimal this time due to a number of factors - mainly to do with the fact that following the eruption last year they have much more knowledge about how the ash will act, how to track it and how to deal with re-routing etc,

This is worth repeating. Even if the volcanoes are as bad as last year, the flight disruptions will be dramatically less. We learned a lot last year.

[cheapeau in ohio]

Am scheduled to fly to Heathrow fron Cincinnati via Boston leaving next Tuesday May 31 and arriving Wed. June 1. My cruise is on the Crown Princess leaving Southhampton June 3 for Scotland, Iceland and Ireland.

 

So far no word of any change from Delta or Princess. Hoping that no news is good news.

[gyork0206]

all ba, klm, easyjet flights in and out of Scotland cancelled tomorrow, they are now saying this may get worse before end of week

[Bramcruiser]

Here's hoping that none of us are affected by this but we're being told the impact won't be as great as last time. Only time will tell of course.

 

I'm flying to Amsterdam through Iceland on Icelandair at the end of June to catch a cruise and thinking its a good think there is still a month left but it makes one take notice more. We vacationed in Iceland last year and we went through the same nervousness but again it was a month since it died down before we went. Here's to good luck repeating itself.:)

[Mydnite]

Am rather worried, meant to be flying Heathrow to Copenhage on Sat morning :(

[new salt]

I am flying Alicante to Gatwick tomorrow and back again on Thursday evening, your prayers are asked! For sar2004 if it really goes pear-shaped you may have 2 options, if you cruise is BCN-BCN then you could drive and park at the port, it is about 14 hours driving time from the French side. Another possibility is to take the Paris Barcelona night train (very good) which leaves Paris around 2100 and gets into Barcelona around 0915. It is pretty cheap if you are prepared to sit up all night but the top class sleepers are a bit expensive but good and include an excellent dinner! There are also two day trains that require a change but it would mean an overnight stay in Paris (so not all bad). If you need any help then I would be happy to research it further; we have used the night sleeper in gran class and enjoyed it.

[Keith1010]

I hope the impact from the ash does not play havoc to those of you flying. We were on a cruise that ended in Southampton last May and I remember how worried many were. We had some people who stayed on the ship beyond one of our voyages that ended in Rome as they couldn't fly home. Thankfully, by the time we arrived in the UK schedules were back to normal.

 

Keith

[6rugrats]

I note that UA and CO now have travel waivers issued for Scotland and Ireland through 25 May because of volcanic ash.

[AmoMondo]

Can't believe I'm in this situation again. Last year the eruption started 5 days prior to my flight to Sao paolo to join a cruise back to the UK. My flight was on the last day of the air space closure, so was cancelled. Instaed flying out to join my 3 week cruise, I spent the day unpacking.

 

Now, 5 days before I'm due to fly from Edinburgh to the Seychelles via Paris, Scottish air space is closed again. 3 of the 4 Edinburgh to paris made it out today, only this afternoon's was cancelled. However all 4 for tomorrow are cancelled.

 

Whilst I'm not going on a cruise this time and it is not essential that I get to fly outon the day I'm meant to, all this worry again, certainly takes all the gloss out of the usual pre trip packing excitement.

 

I'm really hoping that they have got it right and that the disruption is not going to be so severe or long. I'll feel much happier if Thursdays and Fridays flights make it out of here, but even at that, what's to stop it happening all over again on Sunday.

 

Nothing I can do but just be patient and wait, like all of you. But it is so hard not to stress about it.

[FlyerTalker]

I'm really hoping that they have got it right and that the disruption is not going to be so severe or long. I'll feel much happier if Thursdays and Fridays flights make it out of here, but even at that, what's to stop it happening all over again on Sunday.

Interesting word choices. "They" may be better prepared to deal with the issue, but the controlling factor will be what the volcano itself does. No amount of getting it "right" overrides the simple fact -- it's the ash that controls the situation for flights.

Nothing I can do but just be patient and wait, like all of you. But it is so hard not to stress about it.

Actually, there are things to do. It's called contingency planning. Now, if your contingency plan is "wait for my flight to go", so be it. However, that's not the choice I would be making. I'd be researching and planning alternatives. Evaluating various options, costs and benefits.

 

Just some food for thought as you make your own informed, intelligent decisions.

[Verfai]

Aha a great update: !!!the volcano is no longer active!!!

There will be some remaining problems until the cloud dissipates, but shouldn’t have a large impact anymore (Eurocontrol expects no more than 1000 cancelations today, mainly northern Europe).

 

Have a safe voyage all!

[AmoMondo]

Interesting word choices. "They" may be better prepared to deal with the issue, but the controlling factor will be what the volcano itself does. No amount of getting it "right" overrides the simple fact -- it's the ash that controls the situation for flights.

Actually, there are things to do. It's called contingency planning. Now, if your contingency plan is "wait for my flight to go", so be it. However, that's not the choice I would be making. I'd be researching and planning alternatives. Evaluating various options, costs and benefits.

 

Just some food for thought as you make your own informed, intelligent decisions.

 

I think you have misunderstood me and no doubt I could have phrased it better....what I was trying to say was that I was hoping that all the so called experts that were saying there would not be so much wide spread disruption as last time (5 day closure of UK air space) because of various factors (different type of ash, more experience of predicting ash patterns, more targeted and shorter term closures etc) were correct in their predictions. I'm fully aware that we are all at the mercy of what the volcano does.

 

As for having contingencies plans, going out on whatever flight Air France moves me to is what I'm perfectly happy with. Were I joining a cruise, it would be a different matter entirely.With work commitments, I simply do not have the luxury of enough time to go by land from Scotland to another European city where I could get an Air France flight to the Seychelles, nor do I wish to incur the considerable expense in doing so, which may not be covered by the Airline or insurance.

 

AirFrance were excellent at making alternative arrangements for me in January when I was trying to get to Mauritius to join a cruise and Edinburgh was closed due to snow and I missed my connecting flight. Losing a day out of 12 is no big deal to me, compared to the alternatives. However, fingers crossed, it would appear the volcano has ceased erupting, so my plans should be ok.

[UKBayern]

European airspace is open again today. Apparently, the vulcano is no longer active. Also, it has been revealed this morning that closing the airspace of several Northern European countries was unnecessary.

[Globaliser]

Also, it has been revealed this morning that closing the airspace of several Northern European countries was unnecessary.

"Unnecessary" in what sense?

 

Was it already known before the airspace was closed, that it would actually not be unsafe to fly in the zone?

 

Or is it just one of those hindsight things, in that it has subsequently been discovered that there was not as much ash in the zone as there had been forecast to be?

 

If it's the latter, I'd strongly disagree that the closure was "unnecessary". Far better that flights should be cancelled unless and until the forecast is proved to be wrong, than that an aircraft should take a risk and then accidentally fly into ash and suffer serious damage.

 

(Michael O'Leary of Ryanair would, of course, take a different view and deliberately take the risk because it helps to keep air fares low.)

 

Remember that deathless announcement some years ago: "Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. We have a small problem. All four engines have stopped. We are doing our damnedest to get them going again. I trust you are not in too much distress."

 

I don't want any passenger (or crew member) to be in that position again. Ever.