Volcanic Ash in Europe causing havoc with air travel

[Pinkfloyd]

It's irrititating me even more. Cause I've got work visitors from Europe who can't go home, but instead of lounging by the pool at their hotel have decided to do more work and irritate me even more.

Get your company to get them a trip to Pattaya... I'm sure they will lap it up and be out of your hair then!

[Pinkfloyd]

I have to send some people to KRS on Monday night, maybe they would have to stay a couple of days more then...

Air space in Southern Norway does not look like it will be open for a couple of days yet... These guys going to the vessels in Lyngdal? Out of curiosity, are they still tied up there??

[kapitan]

Air space in Southern Norway does not look like it will be open for a couple of days yet... These guys going to the vessels in Lyngdal? Out of curiosity, are they still tied up there??

yes, going to Lyngdal ... one is out and trading already, bringing the next one out for docking then resume trading....

[MAN Flyer]

Well Mondays SQ327 from MAN is already cancelled and I think the chances of me going on Wednesdays is decreasing rapidly.

If this bizarre situation goes on much longer it's going to start to have serious implications for a lot of people.

[Kiwi]

What do you mean start to have implications? It already is across the world. For example, at the airport in SYD yesterday there was a couple trying to get to their own wedding in Europe. They've been trying for 3 days so far and looks like they have to cancel the planned ceremony.

Air NZ alone has denied boarding to 1000s of AKL-LHR travellers since they are only flying as far as HKG and LAX for the foreseeable future. Many of these people have jobs they are unable to get back to.

I'm thanking my lucky stars this didn't happen while I was in Europe.

[mr_botak]

It appears it is going to get worse before it gets better

http://www.eurad.uni-koeln.de/index_e.html

Splendid.

[MAN Flyer]

What do you mean start to have implications? It already is across the world. For example, at the airport in SYD yesterday there was a couple trying to get to their own wedding in Europe. They've been trying for 3 days so far and looks like they have to cancel the planned ceremony.

I am well aware of the trouble it's caused so far, and I've heard plenty stories worse that that. However, it will get an awful lot worse if these flights stay grounded for much longer.

[feb01mel]

Off SQ Website:

Due to volcanic activity in Iceland and ash cloud moving over Europe, flights to/from/via Europe may be unavailable for booking.

Just as economy about to recover, this has to happen. A really big blow to tourism, travel & aviation industry.

[Lobster]

My TLV-LHR flight this morning was cancelled not too surprisingly. No idea now when I will be able to get back to the UK. The flights were already very full due to people flying home following Easter and Passover.

[Kyo]

With all due respect to those who've faced massive inconvenience, the following possibly unpopular opinion I'm making by no means is meant to sound insensitive, just looking at things from a pure 'beancounter' point-of-view:

I find it ironic that TG and SQ raised ticket prices on the turn of April hoping to really rake in the dough from a recovering economy and are now being forced to accommodate tons of stranded travellers at possibly, very significant expense. First, BKK goes into a political crisis, and then the whole of Europe gets enveloped in volcanic ash. Such a disruption in people's travel patterns has undoubtedly got to be doing serious damage to many aviation industry-related corporate bottom lines (and I don't just mean SQ).

Karma works in mysterious ways?

[225]

Only ONE flight to Europe tomorrow and thats Athens sq348, friends that were gonig to London via Dubai on thursday night got told yesterday no chance until late April or May on Emerates.

[sabian]

This is useful for those who are heading to Europe.

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2...s-graphic.html

[Singapore Sling]

Not going to improve here until Wednesday if we are lucky and there is talk of another volcano in Iceland being set of by this one. Not looking to good for my flights in May.

[sabian]

Some light at the end of the tunnel?

Test flights offer hope of respite

Several European airports have started to reopen or have shelved plans to shut

(LONDON) A ray of sunshine brightened the ash-covered skies of Europe yesterday as airports in several countries started to reopen or shelve plans to shut after test flights by French, Dutch and German airlines showed no damage to plane engines.

Spain reopened all its airports and France allowed the airports in Bordeaux and Marseille to resume operations while allowing several others that were due to close today to stay open.

Germany lifted restrictions on flights in an easterly direction in five cities and for planes coming from there until 1800 GMT, a spokeswoman for German air traffic controllers said yesterday.

The airports are Berlin Tegel, Berlin Schoenefeld, Erfurt, Hamburg, Leipzig and Hanover.

Across much of Europe however, air travel remained paralysed for a fourth day yesterday by a huge cloud of volcanic ash.

Earlier, French, Dutch and German test flights carried out without apparent damage seemed to offer some hope of respite.

Dutch airline KLM said overnight inspection of an airliner after a test flight showed no damage to engines or other parts from ash in the atmosphere. Lufthansa and Air France also reported successful test flights.

The Association of Dutch Pilots (VNV) said that along with sister organisations it believed a partial resumption of flights, with some restrictions, was possible despite the continuing eruption from an Icelandic volcano.

For the moment, a clampdown on flights across much of Europe was strictly maintained, posing a growing problem for businesses including airlines, estimated to be losing US$200 million a day, and thousands of travellers stranded worldwide.

Many countries closed their airspace until well into yesterday or today, and weather experts said wind patterns meant the cloud was not likely to move far until later in the week.

They said the dark grey plume rising from an Icelandic volcano and drifting southwards through the upper atmosphere could become more concentrated tomorrow and Wednesday.

For some businesses dependent on the speed of air freight, the impact has been immediate.

Kenya's flower exporters said they were already losing up to US$2 million a day because they had not been able to airlift their blooms. Kenya accounts for about a third of flower imports into the European Union (EU).

Volcanic ash has an abrasive effect and can strip off vital aerodynamic surfaces and paralyse an aircraft engine. Aircraft avionics and electronics, as well as windshields, can also be damaged.

KLM, acting on a EU request, flew a Boeing 737-800 without passengers at the regular altitude of 10 km and up to the 13 km maximum on Saturday. Germany's Lufthansa said it flew 10 empty planes to Frankfurt from Munich at altitudes of up to 8 km.

'We have not found anything unusual and no irregularities, which indicates the atmosphere is clean and safe to fly,' said a spokeswoman for KLM.

German airline Air Berlin said it had also carried out test flights and expressed irritation at the shutdown of European air space.

'We are amazed that the results of the test flights done by Lufthansa and Air Berlin have not had any bearing on the decision-making of the air safety authorities,' chief executive Joachim Hunold said.

'The closure of the air space happened purely because of the data of a computer simulation at the Vulcanic Ash Advisory Centre in London,' he told the mass circulation Bild am Sonntag paper.

The air travel disruption is the worst since the Sept 11 attacks on New York and Washington in 2001, when US airspace was closed for three days and European airlines were forced to halt all transatlantic services\. \-- Reuters, Bloomberg

[225]

Has anyone scheduled to fly on SQ to Europe been given any dates of possible dates of rebooking? I was on hold for 2hrs last night and this morning to SQs line and not managed to get through as yet. Wife was supposed to be flying tomorrow night and myself next Wednesday so need to decide whether to cancel the entire trip as obviously the wife is not going to be flying this week. I feel for the poor people stuck in mid trip.