The Big Volcanic Ash from Iceland Thread

[Pete]

I believe if you have an airline ticket for a flight that has been cancelled, you'll get a full refund, or offered a seat on the next available flight. What you won't get is the compensation payment (and I expect that also means you won't be entitled to hotel stays either)

Hmmm, UK lines to VS seem to have overloaded, had to ring the US number and now holding for 16 minutes to make a booking / change. I'm guessing VS is a little overburdened at the moment!

i bet they wish the Swansea call center was open now , i wonder how many of the indian call center guys are waiting to slash there wrists

There's a slight whiff of sulpher in the air here at Manchester not too noticeable though. Not that I stuck my head outside to have a smell or anything though..!

There have also been reports of a distinctly 'off-egg' smell in Hull, although this was later confirmed to be perfectly normal.

Tizer won't stop drawing pictures of volcanos. Not sure if she realises that her holiday is on the line here...

[Pete]

Well, at least one Virgin route is unaffected...

I believe if you have an airline ticket for a flight that has been cancelled, you'll get a full refund, or offered a seat on the next available flight. What you won't get is the compensation payment (and I expect that also means you won't be entitled to hotel stays either)

D'oh! Of course you are correct. During the winter disruption EZY paid out for hotel and alternative travel (as long as the travel was booked to the destination airport) but this time are retreating to a default legal entitlement position.

I rebooked onto saturday's VS9 after yesterday's VS9 was canned. Waiting to see if indeed tomorrow's VS9 goes ahead. Wondering if I should turn up without luggage and beg for standby....

Apparently there's been 900 inbound and outbound flights cancelled at MAN so far, 150,000 passengers. The backlog's going to take days to clear. I just hope it's sorted by the time I go back to work!

I rebooked onto saturday's VS9 after yesterday's VS9 was canned. Waiting to see if indeed tomorrow's VS9 goes ahead. Wondering if I should turn up without luggage and beg for standby....

I'm on the VS23 to LAX on Monday - Saturday may be cutting it fine, but I sense Monday may be as well!

Nice graphical view

Pretty pictures of the volcano!

Incoming TOM flight:

From Cancun according to the Arrivals board.

And is this TCX for Blackpool or is Lizz going to get some work?

This will set the cat amongst the pigeons if there's lots of pax in the terminal!

The TC is listed on the Glasgow arrivals board as being from Vancouver (going by flight number)but appears to be heading for Manchester - on one of the message boards I'm tracking right now, there was a flight headed for MAN with a medical emergency on board...

I'm currently off sick so no work for me! If any passengers notice though even if it is a medical emergency there will no doubt be lots of questions if not complete uproar.

I've just checked the BBC website and it appears there are about 6 flights been cleared by NATS in and out of MAN before 1300 hrs.
From the message board I've been reading, any flights in appear to be being turned around very quickly and sent back empty to pick up stranded passengers...(destinations Barbados, Vancouver and Cancun.)

Well, I suppose it's a start, I know everyone at work would be happy for this to carry on for quite a while yet though!
I bet alot of passengers who don't quite understand all the implications though will be quite pissed knowing some flights, all be them empty, are being allowed to leave.

[mitchja]

Lets also not forget, even once things do get going again, a lot of A/C and airline crew are not going to be in the right place so it's going to take several days to get back to normal.

Where the ash is now!

Trying to be a bit scentific here and looking at the 5 day weather forcast for Berkshire the wind is very light and in a westerly or southerly direction.

From this I have concluded that the possiblity of the ash cloud moving away from the south of England in the next 5 days is probably unlikely.

On this basis this situation could go on for days and then of course you start looking at those airlines that are in a less than favourable financial position.

God I feel gloomy about this, however if our trip to MIA is cancelled on Thursday we have a plan b, jump in the car and drive to Italy for a couple of weeks.

Miopyk 8D

Miopyk, If you feel this is likely you may want to consider buying ferry tickets now just in case.

I have some friends desperate to get back from Geneva by Sunday but even the ferry tickets proved difficult to arrange! Car rental websites show availability but won't confirm until you ring and check current status. The lines are constantly engaged and so far no-one has anything to offer. The coach and trains are full. They have now managed to get ferry tickets from Calais to Folkestone and are in the process of negotiating with a local driver to drive them there from Geneva - challenging and expensive times!

The hardest thing about this is going to be getting all the planes and crew back to the correct places. My secretary at work is stranded in LAX VS have told her she will be waiting for at least ten days for a flight back.

[Neil]

We have some friends in Spain currently, they were due to fly home yesterday and have been told that it will be Monday at the earliest now before they will fly.

It really is the pax stuck out on other countries trying to get home who suffer the most.

We have some friends in Spain currently, they were due to fly home yesterday and have been told that it will be Monday at the earliest now before they will fly.

It really is the pax stuck out on other countries trying to get home who suffer the most.

And that assumes that the ash cloud (has it been called 'the cloud of doom' or 'crisis cloud' or even 'icelandic ire' yet?) dissipates and dosn't move any further south over Europe or the wind dosent change to take it over France and Spain ... and there are no further erruptions ...

Have they opened up French airspace?
Just checking Virtuel radar and noticed some traffic appearing.

Another transatlantic flight has taken off from Dublin.