Volcanic Eruption In Iceland, Uk Flights Cancelled, Some Airports Closed

[folkestonesgull]

if airlines are saying the earliest you can get booked is xyz date, it doesnt mean thats the earliest you will fly. most have just closed out bookings as the rebooking procedure will be a nightmare, and based on a number of factors. in reality when people will go will depend on their class of travel, original date and the fare paid.

what i would do is get a frequent flyer card for the airline you are on and put it in your booking. that might help.

i was told i could not come back from india until 27th earliest for re-booking, but that is absolute cobblers. what they will do is just chance it with some people and hope some mugs are silly enough to just accept it. it will help clear the decks for them.

anyway i f***ed off out of india yesterday because it is the single worst country in the world to be in in some sort of drama. if i am going to be stranded it will be somewhere where doing poos in the street is not seen as an acceptable leisure activity.

Its not that easy for us though as we are flying singapore -doha, doha - london - if we had a direct flight it would be easier.

Doha is the hub for all of Qatar Airways flights heading to northern europe so although we could get to Doha quite easily we would be stuck in a shit pit waiting for the backlog to clear up. I'm happier to wait until Heathrow is open again and only then fly out of Singapore, if that takes to the 1st of May (when our rebooked flight is - the first available from Doha to Heathrow) so be it, I would rather spend a couple more days here than on a airport floor in Doha. Im pretty confident though that if the airport does open tomorrow evening then we will be able to book an earlier flight with our local Qatar Airlines office in Singapore as they have said it is likely they will lay on extra flights, if Heathrow has capacity...

 

[Everest]

Never knew that volcanos could produce lightning

[yt]n6dDesUPkMo[/yt]

 

[Napper]

looks like airspace opening at 7am tomorrow

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

best to wait for the dust to settle innit.

****

 

[Robdinho]

Never knew that volcanos could produce lightning

[yt]n6dDesUPkMo[/yt]

I love that you get a 'Cheap flights to Iceland' advert come up over that video

 

[Mr Smggles]

My last 7 flying lessons have been cancelled due to this damn volcanoe :US::US::US::US:

 

[Mtoto]

looks like airspace opening at 7am tomorrow

Little bit too late for me, sadly. Was booked on the 8.45 from Gatwick to Dublin tomorrow morning, instead am currently on the train towards Holyhead for the 2.40am ferry. Good job I like boats.

 

[Colossal Squid]

Well air traffic is meant to start up again from 7am tomorrow however my flight from Gatwick at 8am has been cancelled.

Bugger.

It's lucky I'm pretty flexible and thankfully Easyjet have offered me 30 days from now to choose a new flight which actually means I can get a more convenient time rather than first thing on a Tuesday morning.

The amount of disruption this has caused will surely have repercussions though. There are a lot of airlines that operate on a knife edge as it is and this disaster will surely spell the end of some of the smaller, weaker carriers

 

[Everest]

Is it misty tonight, or ashy?

 

[Gary Leeds]

Well air traffic is meant to start up again from 7am tomorrow however my flight from Gatwick at 8am has been cancelled.

Bugger.

It's lucky I'm pretty flexible and thankfully Easyjet have offered me 30 days from now to choose a new flight which actually means I can get a more convenient time rather than first thing on a Tuesday morning.

The amount of disruption this has caused will surely have repercussions though. There are a lot of airlines that operate on a knife edge as it is and this disaster will surely spell the end of some of the smaller, weaker carriers

Airspace in Scotland and far north is open at 7am, manchester is opening at 9am, Gatwick are saying 7pm but any long haul flights from 4pm onwards will still fly but with delays, Birmingham is midday

Looks like I might be lucky and my flight to Malta from Leeds on Thursday could be going ahead.

 

[Starry]

all changed again i think gary leeds, the volcano has just spewed up some more nice stuff that is drifting our way. according to five live anyway.

 

[Everest]

Conflicting reports though. News just said someone reckons that it's throwing out a lot of lava which would mean less ash.

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

Statement on Icelandic volcanic eruption: Monday April 19, 2200

Since our last statement at 1530 today, the volcano eruption in Iceland has strengthened and a new ash cloud is spreading south and east towards the UK. This demonstrates the dynamic and rapidly changing conditions in which we are working.

Latest information from the Met Office shows that the situation is worsening in some areas. Based on this information, the situation for Northern Irish airports for the morning is uncertain, due to the new ash cloud. The latest information shows that Scottish airports should be available from 0700 and more airspace over England may become available from 1300 although not as far south as the main London airports.

We will continue to monitor Met Office information and the situation is likely to change overnight. We will make a further statement at approximately 0300 (local time), tomorrow, Tuesday 20 April and again at 0900 (local time).

NATS is maintaining close dialogue with the Met Office and with the UK's safety regulator, the CAA, in respect of the international civil aviation policy we follow in applying restrictions to use of airspace.

We are working closely with Government, airports and airlines, and airframe and aero engine manufacturers to get a better understanding of the effects of the ash cloud and to seek solutions.

 

[Zebedee]

Is it misty tonight, or ashy?

Very misty (or ashy) in BN3 at the moment and yet the sky is supposed to be clear according to our friends in the Met Office.

 

[Gary Leeds]

BBC News - New volcano ash cloud prompts fresh flight doubts

They say its started again

 

[Leekbrookgull]

New ash cloud !! New flight ban ??

You could'nt make it up. Latest on both BBC & Sky News,new ash cloud threatens hopes of any aircraft flights.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

You could make it up. Latest on both BBC & Sky News,new ash cloud threatens hopes of any aircraft flights.

Odd choice of smileys there

 

[Smithy]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8631144.stm

 

[Marty McFly]

Was the other thread not good enough for you?

 

[Leekbrookgull]

No !