Euro Air-travel Disrupted by Iceland Volcano.

[mielabor]

We had rain last night and there were predictions that ash particles would land in the Netherlands. I saw nothing on the black surfaces that I inspected this morning. I had expected deposits like that of Sahara desert dust.

Despite the considerable amounts of Sahara dust that we sometimes see here, our airports have never been closed for that reason.

 

[panthera]

It is a mixed

blessing - on the one hand, great for the fields.
On the other hand, I notice it and it has very much forced me into the house and using airconditioning the last two days.
Better this evening.

I find it absolutely fascinating the wide range of reports and "expert" opinions coming in.

ChesterMikeUK, I must apologize - you and I are working from two totally different data sets - I have a friend in NATO who is saying quite a few different things than you are getting in the press in the UK.

It is interesting, though, that so many airports have been closing again.

 

[rapunzel]

Thanks for your responses Laundress and Keven,

I am not able to respond in a timely manner. My monthly internet allowance of 12 Gigs has been exceeded and I am now operating on 64 kbps until the 25th. Though, I used to have 56 kbps dial up in a past life and this current speed seems a lot slower than that. I can't even properly download my mail at the moment - anyway, enough whingeing.

You are right with everything you say about there being lots of logistical problems in regards to car hire and distances. I was being a little tongue in cheek. When we hired a motorhome in Germany some years back we had to return it to the pick-up point. There was no service available where you could just take it from one end of the country to the other and drop it off, which I found bizarre. The cost of motor transport in Europe is pretty steep, which complicates things even more.

I love driving and for me to do the 2700 kilometers between Sydney and Cairns, in two and half days, is nothing. We do a lot of outback travel as well. Here in Australia there isn't much of a highway system. Most of our travel takes place on glorified country roads, which are extremely busy with heavy vehicle traffic. It is quite adventurous, but can also be very unnerving and dangerous. People in Europe and the US are spoilt in comparison.

Olav

 

[chestermikeuk]

Flying Again!!!

As of last night UK airspace was open and flights resumed inbound, the first flight in was a long haul from Vancouver, unless the ash cloud from Eyjafjallajoekull changes intensity then the massive task of "Normal Service" will start to resume.

Some consolation for the thousands still stranded and infrastructure all in the wrong places...and then all the post mortems will take place over the lockdown implications...

One thing is true, that we cannot control Mother Nature and that sometimes life like we have witnessed over the last few days will make us all think about travel very differently!!!

BBC News - Ash flights ban: UK airports permitted to reopen

news.bbc.co.uk