Volcano Ash Grounds Euro Air

[WhoozOn1st]

Volcanic cloud wreaks havoc with air travel

"Eurocontrol, the European air traffic agency, said the flight disruptions that upended travel in Europe and reverberated throughout the world Thursday were even worse Friday. Half a dozen European nations have closed their airspace, the cloud was drifting east, about 60% of European flights were not operating and delays will continue into Saturday, it said."

Includes photos, graphics, and a fairly dumb video that dwells on a stranded Limey's appendix and gallstones.

Related story:

Ash cloud may be brief

"The average volcanic eruption lasts seven weeks, said volcanologist Rick Wunderman of the Smithsonian Institution's Global Volcanism Program. But the range is 20 minutes to 700 years."

 

[jis]

Somewhat OT but it is too spectacular to miss...

From the Tech Herald:

Albert Jakobsson had set out for the Fimmvorduhals volcano near the Eyjafjallajokull glacier some 125 kilometers east ofReykjavik in temperatures of minus 20 to see the stunning eruption...He walked across the glacier to get to a good spot and started snapping away. He was literally just packing up, when suddenly the Aurora Boreolis appeared.

 

[KayBee]

Somewhat OT but it is too spectacular to miss...
From the Tech Herald:

Albert Jakobsson had set out for the Fimmvorduhals volcano near the Eyjafjallajokull glacier some 125 kilometers east ofReykjavik in temperatures of minus 20 to see the stunning eruption...He walked across the glacier to get to a good spot and started snapping away. He was literally just packing up, when suddenly the Aurora Boreolis appeared.

It may be slightly OT but this is definitely the shot of a lifetime!

Thanks for posting it Jis.

 

[WhoozOn1st]

Great photo, jis. Thanks! Further reports on the Icelandic eruption and attendant flight groundings...

Volcano ash keeps planes grounded across northern Europe (with better video than the one posted above)

Volcanic ash continues to disrupt Europe flights

European airlines test the ash cloud

"With their losses mounting, European airlines began experimenting Sunday with test flights to see if air travel could somehow resume despite the cloud of volcanic ash in the atmosphere that shows little sign of budging."

Graphic: How ash hurts jet engines

 

[JayPea]

A month from today will mark the 30th anniversary of the eruption of Mt. St. Helens here in Washington. Nothing like it being pitch-dark and absolutely silent in mid-afternoon to catch your attention. Not to mention the air smelling of sulphur and ash falling. All transportation except bicycles ground to a halt in this area for a week or so. The ash began falling about mid-afternoon and was done falling by morning but the effects were felt for months and years afterward. Noticeable ash fell as far east as North Dakota. I don't envy travelers in Europe at all.

 

[WhoozOn1st]

I don't envy travelers in Europe at all.

Nor do I. One of the above stories notes a guy whooz been grounded TWICE by volcanic eruptions:

"By some cosmic coincidence -- or not -- this is the second time that [writer Jamie] Berger, 42, has managed to have his travel plans disrupted by volcanic activity. In 1991, when Mt. Pinatubo blew in the Philippines, Berger was forced to cancel a plane ticket to the Southeast Asian nation from Hong Kong."

An article in my print copy of the L.A. Times - not found online - says "In Copenhagen [Denmark], an enterprising cab company posted fares for long hauls across the continent: about $2,000 for passengers going to Amsterdam [Netherlands], $6,000 all the way to Madrid [spain]."

 

[jis]

Three of my friends are stuck in Europe - variously in London, Paris and Basel. it now appears the earliest they might be able to get back is Tuesday.

Just learned that my cousin is stuck in Barcelona, but hopefully making it out of there today, since Spain has opened its airspace and airports today. I also know of at least half a dozen folks in the US who were supposed to be in Europe this week for meetings, who aren't.

Interestingly non-stop flights to India from the US are continuing fine since they fly north of the ash cloud. But all flights via Europe are naturally grounded. So Continental, Delta, American and Air India are making out like bandits on that route.

 

[AAARGH!]

The British Navy is now offering to ferry those in Spain back to the U.K.

 

[MattW]

Of course the question for us is, if St. Helens, Ranier, or one of the Aleutian volcanoes blows its stack and air traffic is grounded, can Amtrak handle the surge of passengers? Right now, I'd say NO!

 

[WhoozOn1st]

The British Navy is now offering to ferry those in Spain back to the U.K

"...the [british] government announced that it would dispatch three naval warships to bring home Britons from the European mainland, including soldiers stuck in Spain after a tour of duty in Afghanistan."

With airlines bleeding something like $200 million a day they're understandably anxious to get back in the air, and there are signs of that happening at least temporarily. It's not just the airlines that are suffering.

Northern Europe plans to open some airspace

"Businesses around the world have suffered losses from the lockdown on European airspace, from flower and fruit producers in Africa and Asia to German automotive companies unable to export parts. FedEx and other package-delivery services have suspended their next-day promises."

More flights take off, but Europe warily watches another volcanic plume (Much the same story as above, with an updated lead)

"...meteorologists warned that a second cloud of ash and grit from the Eyjafjallajokull [anybody wanna try pronouncing that?] volcano in Iceland had started drifting east, which could cause mass shutdowns again."

 

[WhoozOn1st]

With European air travel returning to something like normal - at least for the time being - this related item discusses U.S. aviation's own volcanic ash issues - in Alaska.

Protecting aircraft from volcanic ash

"We have a lot of Pacific routes affected by volcanic ash all the time, but they're not headline news. When the plume from Redoubt volcano [on Alaska's southern coast] was going on last year, Alaska Airlines canceled something like 26 flights between Seattle and Anchorage."

--David Hadley, a senior meteorologist with the Alaska Aviation Weather Unit.

 

[stlouielady]

I was one of the travelers stuck over in Europe. I was originally supposed to return to the US on the 18th, and finally was able to get a flight on the 27th. It was A MESS! But, because we were doing work over there, the company we were working for took care of us. We were actually working on the newest Celebrity cruise ship, so, we were accomodated on board for the majority of the time we were stranded. We got on board in the port of Eemshaven, in the Netherlands, and was supposed to disembark in Hamburg, Germany, fly to Amsterdam from there, and then home to the states. With the airspace closed in both Germany and the Netherlands, the decision was made for us to stay on-board for a trip to Southampton, UK. We couldn't depart from there either. The cruise line made a decision to travel to Spain; they returned Spanish citizens to their homeland, picked up 2200 British citizens that were stranded from tour companies and couldn't get any closer to home than Spain, and brought them back home to the UK. We departed the ship in the port of Bilbao, Spain, and traveled from there to Madrid, where we were finally able to leave.

On a bright note, I was able to ride trains both in the Netherlands and in Spain!

 

[gswager]

You're very lucky without getting stuck at the airport! Glad that you had a wonderful time on cruise.

 

[WhoozOn1st]

Eyjafjallajokull (can you pronounce it yet?) and travel insurance:

For travelers, an Icelandic pain in the ash

"No event in recent memory, not even the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, has disrupted travel like the ash from Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull volcano, which at one point last month grounded nearly 30% of the world's air traffic and stranded millions of fliers for days in northern Europe and elsewhere."

"This week, the Friedmans' insurer, Omaha-based Travelex Insurance Services, confirmed that they would be covered for any trip disruptions caused by the Icelandic ash clouds, which some experts say could recur for months or even years."

Travel insurance is a gamble I've never taken, but this story says Americans place their bets to the tune of about $1.6 billion annually.