The volcano

[MooseMom]

Does anyone here have travel plans that are being disrupted by the closure of European airspace because of the volcano ash?  I've just been looking at flightradar24.com, and it is so odd to see not a single plane in the sky over most of Europe.  My son is here from London and was supposed to leave today, but his flight was cancelled and we had to rebook him on a BA flight next weekend.  But this is the end of the Easter break for kids in the UK, and there are load of families here in the US who are trying to get back from places like Disney and other resorts; imagine not having a hotel room and having to sleep in the airport.  I just think this is so interesting.  There's never been a situation like this before in the history of aviation.

[monrein]

I know two groups of people here (friends of friends) who are stuck also with no idea of when they might get out. 

[Rerun]

What a terrible situation for those traveling.   

The good news is, this may lower the earth's temperature 1 degree.  So, that should balance out Global Warming right?

                               

[Bill Peckham]

Here's some great photos
http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/04/icelands_disruptive_volcano.html

Not sure I can fault the PTB for closing the airspace but this could go on for a long time - sleeping in the airport would get old after the first night.

I was curious and checked flights to Madrid (which looks to be south of the ash) - Expida is coming up with the next flight as a redeye on Wednesday for just $3,500.

I wonder how many people stuck in Europe are going east to get west - take the train to Spain (if you can get a ticket) - and for instance fly to Dubai, then on to Singapore and then to the US

[Wallyz]

I have  a friend from High School who was working at CERN, and he and his wife were going to stay in Copenhagen for a day with her parents.  She is geologist, and has worked in Iceland, and so the working theory is that she called in some favors in order to spend  a full week with her parents.

[billybags]

The volcano eruption is quite serious, there are thousands of people on holiday and in other countries on business. Our skies are really quite, kind of eerie. Not only does it effect holiday makers but it is also affecting imports of food etc. We are told to-day that our navy ships are going to help people back from Spain and other places. May-be  to -morrow a few planes will fly from the west side of England but that is if the volcano does not blow its gasket any more.  Further afield, the ash cloud is spreading towards the east coast of Canada, and has reportedly caused some flights out of Newfoundland to be cancelled. This does not just affect us it will affect an awful lot of countries, and it could last for months.

[RichardMEL]

Seems they were about to open the EU airspace and there was another eruption in Iceland.

Every day this goes on costs so much money and strands more people.. and imagine the huge backlog that will need to be filled whenever the planes get flying again. Just what everyone doesn't need.. but at least this is nature, and not terrorism.

Certainly something to remember: "I was there during the great ash cloud crisis of 2010!"

[Bill Peckham]

I have  a friend from High School who was working at CERN, and he and his wife were going to stay in Copenhagen for a day with her parents.  She is geologist, and has worked in Iceland, and so the working theory is that she called in some favors in order to spend  a full week with her parents.

Hopefully she doesn't secretly want to move back in with her parents - how big an eruption did she order?

[MooseMom]

CERN...isn't that the particle collider on the Swiss/French border?

Most flights from North America to London fly over Newfoundland, so I'm a bit concerned that my son's rebooked flight may be affected because of ash over Canada!  And I'm a little concerned that the airlines might start worrying more about losing money than passenger safety.

My son is mildly autistic and travels as an unaccompanied minor.  We pay a lot of money to have him accompanied through Customs and Immigration, and the last thing I want is for him to be flown to Madrid and then shuttled to London in some manner.  I don't think BA allows unaccompanied minors to travel on flights that are not non-stop, anyway.

[billybags]

latest news to-day:Air passengers are braced for further delays after warnings that a "new ash cloud" is spreading towards the UK as the volcano eruption in Iceland "strengthened".



Air traffic control company Nats described the situation as variable, but did say Scottish airports should be available from 7am and other airspace over England from 1pm, although not including the main London airports.

[MooseMom]

I check BA's website several times a day, and yesterday they were saying that they would be operating a fair amount of short-haul flights today 20 April along with a few long-haul flights.  Well, this morning (CST), they've rescinded those plans and London is closed again.  Can you imagine O'Hare or Atlanta being closed for up to a week?  What a nightmare!

[Poppylicious]

I was wondering what had happened about your son; let's hope the ash has cleared by the weekend!  (Although they are saying it may now start hovering over your side of the pond as the wind changes direction ...)

I was surprised to come into work (I work in a small school) yesterday and find only one member of staff missing; usually lots of our staff go abroad over the Easter hols.  My mum's friend turned sixty at the weekend and her son missed the big party because he's stuck somewhere.  Oh, and a friend in America has sent me lots of (food) goodies ... I expect they'll all be off by the time they get to me!  Tsk.

 

[MooseMom]

I love my son, and I'm really glad that he's having to stay an extra week, but I hate the music he listens to; everyone screams.  I happen to like heavy metal, but the stuff he listens to...I don't like people shouting at me.  I'm feeling a bit too fragile to be yelled at.

[Bill Peckham]

More incredible photos
http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/04/more_from_eyjafjallajokull.html

[MooseMom]

Those photos of LIGHTNING in the erupting volcano is truly the stuff of nightmares.  Can you imagine walking out into your back yard and seeing something like that?  While the pictures are astonishing, they can't possibly match the reality.  It would be terrifying yet magnificent to see it up close and personal.

[galvo]

Incredible photos, indeed, Bill. Nature can sure put on a show!

[monrein]

Terrifyingly beautiful.

[Bill Peckham]

I've heard that over course of the last two thousand years every time this volcano erupts it is followed within 6 months by the eruption of a nearby and much larger volcano - something to watch for ...

[paul.karen]

I  read last time this volcano erupted 1812 if i recall it erupted for over a year.

As for them photos.  Such prettiness (is that a word) to go with such destruction

[MooseMom]

I've heard that over course of the last two thousand years every time this volcano erupts it is followed within 6 months by the eruption of a nearby and much larger volcano - something to watch for ...

Yeah...Katla.  When I told my son this, he nearly went ballistic since he's bored with his boring old mum and wants to get back to his gormless friends.  LOL!