volcanic ash from Iceland heading towards europe with airports expected to be closed

CrazySka

From the RTE website:
"17.44 KLM has said European airspace is safe with the exception of the area between Iceland and Russia.
Dutch airline KLM is planning three commercial freight flights after 7pm Irish time today, but did not expect passenger flights to resume before tomorrow, Dutch media cited KLM as saying."

I'm a bit confused by this, does this mean that KLM are going to go for it regardless of the situation. Lufthansa are sure to follow fairly quickly if they do.

Dont get me wrong I want this to end as much as anyone as I am stuck on the continent at the moment and facing a pretty crap land journey but I find this surprising all the same. While there may be no problem with test flights surely it only takes one passenger plane to go down and the company is ruined...

Sierra Oscar

Well I wouldn't be flying while the situation is bad - all it takes is one, and that might be one in a thousand . . . twenty or so test flights aint all that comprehensive for me!

The European Air Forces should be called in to assess the situation - not corporate aviation companies with a vested interest.

EDIT: Oh and it should be noted that a Finnish Air Force plane was damaged by the ash just two days ago . . . no mention of that by KLM!

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2010/04/16/340727/pictures-finnish-f-18-engine-check-reveals-effects-of-volcanic.html

“The images show that short-term flying can cause substantial damage to an aircraft engine,” the air force says. Continued operation could lead to overheating and potentially pose a threat to the aircraft and its pilot, it adds.

Ian Beale

No mention of one of their flights that got in to trouble years ago too.

A nearly identical incident occurred on 15 December 1989 when KLM Flight 867, a B747-400 from Amsterdam to Anchorage, Alaska, flew into the plume of the erupting Mount Redoubt, causing all four engines to fail due to compressor stall. Once the flight cleared the ash cloud, the crew was able to restart each engine and then make a safe landing at Anchorage.

marko91

i dont know much about this situation i havent been picking up on any new lately but in august im going to cyprus...is their a chance i might not be going cos of this volcano:(?

marko91

Mr.S wrote: »

I'd say you'll be fine:)

If this goes on any longer, I'd say the Airlines will kick up a fuss and they'll be able to fly again under different flight plans/conditions.

thanks i allways get paranoid about everything:pac:our flight will stop off in london for a connecting flight so hopefully dublin and london airports will be back to normal by august:)..makes me glad we changed at last minute fron june to august tbh:)

JONJO THE MISER

Check out this article about Katla http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dk-matai/risk-of-katla-could-a-2nd_b_541755.html

:eek:Effects of Katla's eruption would put the present air travel chaos in the shade, inflicting much greater economic losses upon Europe. Deposits from the ash cloud formed by Katla when it erupted spectacularly in 1755 can still be found in peat bogs in Shetland and other parts of northern Europe.

peanuthead

does anyone have a link to a webcam thats working

Zombienosh

peanuthead wrote: »

does anyone have a link to a webcam thats working

http://eldgos.mila.is/eyjafjallajokull-fra-valahnjuk/

works for me, if it says down , just keep refreshing.

IvySlayer

I can find no good webcams for the Katla volcano

The same one keeps popping up but thats not working.

sron

Looks like it's Zeppelin travel for the time being.

moonstreet

Ive been trying to travel from Dublin to London since Thursday. Every day the flight has been cancelled and Ive rebooked for the next day. I am booked on a flight tomorrow, but as Aer Lingus have now cancelled all flights on Monday, that has been cancelled yet again. Yesterday I managed to get a ticket for the ferry on tuesday, so finally I will get to London. It will take me nearly 12 hours to get back to London, as I have to get a train once I get to Wales.

Pepe LeFrits

ffs, I'm supposed to be flying home from London to Dublin on Tuesday.

Oh well, I was thinking about emigrating for work anyway.

ShoulderChip

moonstreet wrote: »

Ive been trying to travel from Dublin to London since Thursday. Every day the flight has been cancelled and Ive rebooked for the next day. I am booked on a flight tomorrow, but as Aer Lingus have now cancelled all flights on Monday, that has been cancelled yet again. Yesterday I managed to get a ticket for the ferry on tuesday, so finally I will get to London. It will take me nearly 12 hours to get back to London, as I have to get a train once I get to Wales.

Whats the story when Aer Lingus cancel?

Im due to fly to Chicago on friday when they cancel will it be possible for me to change it to flying to New York the following week?
how does it work exactly

moonstreet

ShoulderChip wrote: »

Whats the story when Aer Lingus cancel?

Im due to fly to Chicago on friday when they cancel will it be possible for me to change it to flying to New York the following week?
how does it work exactly

Aer Lingus have been brillant for me anyway. I have now had to rebook 3 times so far and each time has been no problem.

how did you make your original booking? Mine was an online booking, so all I do is ring the internet booking helpdesk (in Ireland 0818365044) when you get though you hear the menu for the automated service, ignore all that and wait till the voice goes through all the options. You will then be put though to the next available agent. Be prepared to be on hold for at least 30 mins though, but dont worry, once you are on hold you will talk to someone eventually.

When you do finally talk to someone, all you have to do is give them your booking reference and flight number and they will be able to acces your booking. You will be give 2 options, rebook free of charge for a later date or a refund.

Im sure there will be no problem rebooking for a later date or changing your booking.

Each time I rebooked, I kept the same booking reference and they sent me a new email confirmation.

good luck

Pepe LeFrits

Ah, just spotted that Ryanair have cancelled my flight already. Super.

Although after reading about the possibility of fine volcanic particles turning into hot glass inside a plane's engines, I'm not in such a great rush to get back in the air!

mikom

sron wrote: »

Looks like it's Zeppelin travel for the time being.

Oh, the humanity...

FunkZ

I canàt get a ****ing ticket from Calais to Cherbourg online, I have to hope for the best when I get there... I want to be home!

LazyFingers

LazyFingers wrote: »

I canàt get a ****ing ticket from Calais to Cherbourg online, I have to hope for the best when I get there... I want to be home!

It would be quicker to drive that route!

Stinicker

Was just outside a few minutes ago and got a strong whiff of sulphur in the air, a sign that some dust must be falling from the sky. It was the same sort of smell you'd get when you crack a match.

Run_to_da_hills

Stinicker wrote: »

Was just outside a few minutes ago and got a strong whiff of sulphur in the air, a sign that some dust must be falling from the sky. It was the same sort of smell you'd get when you crack a match.

I hate farts like that.

RubyBlu

Where are you based, Stiniker?

selekta

Stinicker wrote: »

Was just outside a few minutes ago and got a strong whiff of sulphur in the air, a sign that some dust must be falling from the sky. It was the same sort of smell you'd get when you crack a match.

This is what a big chunk of Sicily smells like, from Mount Etna.

Zombienosh

lets just go down to the winchester and wait for all this to blow over

Agonist

All the worries about travel are ridiculous. I'm sorry for anyone stuck far from home but there's a huge mass of volcanic dust wandering over some of the most populous places on earth. It's a fascinating big geological event but all I'm seeing on the news is crap about the airports.
There are people saying they've been stranded in Paris since Thursday. If you'd hopped on a train and boat you'd have been home on Saturday. The entire world was overrun with humans millennia before we could fly.
It's silly to see how badly people are taking the news that they can't be crammed like cattle into dingy flying buses for a few days. Remember the good old days when trains, cars, buses, bicycles and boats used to be considered valid forms of transport?
Wait until we run out of kiwis and the real trouble starts.

RubyBlu

If I miss Mike's concert in Glasgow, I'll be devastated. :eek:

Agonist

Agonist wrote: »

All the worries about travel are ridiculous. I'm sorry for anyone stuck far from home but there's a huge mass of volcanic dust wandering over some of the most populous places on earth. It's a fascinating big geological event but all I'm seeing on the news is crap about the airports.
There are people saying they've been stranded in Paris since Thursday. If you'd hopped on a train and boat you'd have been home on Saturday. The entire world was overrun with humans millennia before we could fly.
It's silly to see how badly people are taking the news that they can't be crammed like cattle into dingy flying buses for a few days. Remember the good old days when trains, cars, buses, bicycles and boats used to be considered valid forms of transport?
Wait until we run out of kiwis and the real trouble starts.

How were those people to know it would take days to get back to normal? Initial reports were saying one day, two days. Given the choice of rebooking for a day or two later or shelling out loads of extra money to take a long boat/train journey, I think rebooking initially looked like the better option. Also, people can't get refunds on their tickets unless the airline cancels the flight. Not everyone is in a position to write off the price of a ticket. I'm sure if this goes on long term, people will just decide to take the ferry and plan their trips accordingly, but when you have your plane ticket booked and are waiting in the airport in a foreign country, it's not really all that easy to just drop everything and change your plans. Not to mention all the long haul flights that got cancelled, people being stranded in New York and all over the place with little money left and no obvious way out. And people who were due to attend weddings, funerals, visit terminally ill relatives, go to work. Not everyone travels for fun. The reason the airport thing is all over the news is that in the grand scheme of things, it's a way bigger deal than a volcanic eruption.

questionmark?

well said Lyle Wooden Fish

Agonist

Agonist wrote: »

All the worries about travel are ridiculous. I'm sorry for anyone stuck far from home but there's a huge mass of volcanic dust wandering over some of the most populous places on earth. It's a fascinating big geological event but all I'm seeing on the news is crap about the airports.
There are people saying they've been stranded in Paris since Thursday. If you'd hopped on a train and boat you'd have been home on Saturday. The entire world was overrun with humans millennia before we could fly.
It's silly to see how badly people are taking the news that they can't be crammed like cattle into dingy flying buses for a few days. Remember the good old days when trains, cars, buses, bicycles and boats used to be considered valid forms of transport?
Wait until we run out of kiwis and the real trouble starts.

Meanwhile, back in reality..

CiaranC

Agonist wrote: »

All the worries about travel are ridiculous. I'm sorry for anyone stuck far from home but there's a huge mass of volcanic dust wandering over some of the most populous places on earth. It's a fascinating big geological event but all I'm seeing on the news is crap about the airports.
There are people saying they've been stranded in Paris since Thursday. If you'd hopped on a train and boat you'd have been home on Saturday. The entire world was overrun with humans millennia before we could fly.
It's silly to see how badly people are taking the news that they can't be crammed like cattle into dingy flying buses for a few days. Remember the good old days when trains, cars, buses, bicycles and boats used to be considered valid forms of transport?
Wait until we run out of kiwis and the real trouble starts.

Just because you havent left your parents house in weeks, doesnt mean that reality applies to everyone else. The ferries are full. Bloody keyboard experts.

ronano

Deleted User wrote: »

Meanwhile, back in reality..

guy is off his rocker

anyone know if there is foot passenger space on any of tomorrows dublin port to holyhead service? no answer on jam packed phoneline me thinks