ashes to ashes

Commander McLane · Post by **Commander McLane** » Fri Apr 16, 2010 8:34 am

Anybody else here affected by the current disturbances in European air travel?

I was bound to travel to East Africa yesterday evening. After the flights were cancelled I managed to be re-booked for tonight, but it doesn't look any better. Right now even the KLM hotline seems completely unreachable.

So it looks like some extra days in Germany for me.

Rxke · Post by **Rxke** » Fri Apr 16, 2010 8:38 am

It doesn't affect me at all, but I made a point of going outside to gaze at the skies and marvel about the fact there were no contrails to be seen at all. A very rare sight indeed...

Post by **another_commander** » Fri Apr 16, 2010 8:49 am

I need to travel to London on the 26th. If this does not happen because a volcano in Iceland decided to erupt after I don't know how many aeons, I will just sit down and cry silently My luck somehow just isn't what it used to be...

Website · Post by **DaddyHoggy** » Fri Apr 16, 2010 8:49 am

Not me directly, but my boss is due to fly to Detroit tomorrow to deliver a course there and there's a big Conference going on in the Netherlands this week and I've got friends from Australia who got half way before they were grounded and other friends in South Africa who have been backwards and forwards to the airport but haven't actually left the ground.

The conference might be a busted flush and it must be one of many!

Commander McLane · Post by **Commander McLane** » Fri Apr 16, 2010 8:54 am

another_commander wrote:
I need to travel to London on the 26th. If this does not happen because a volcano in Iceland decided to erupt after I don't know how many aeons, I will just sit down and cry silently My luck somehow just isn't what it used to be...

Are you in the US?

If you're living elsewhere in Europe you could take a train instead. And I could perhaps start looking for container ships from Rotterdam to Dar es Salaam?

Post by **another_commander** » Fri Apr 16, 2010 9:01 am

Commander McLane wrote:
another_commander wrote:
I need to travel to London on the 26th. If this does not happen because a volcano in Iceland decided to erupt after I don't know how many aeons, I will just sit down and cry silently My luck somehow just isn't what it used to be...
Are you in the US?

If you're living elsewhere in Europe you could take a train instead. And I could perhaps start looking for container ships from Rotterdam to Dar es Salaam?

Italy. I am already thinking of flying to France, then take train to London. Hope this works.

Rxke · Post by **Rxke** » Fri Apr 16, 2010 9:13 am

another_commander wrote:
then take train to London. Hope this works.

Prices for train tickets have skyrocketed, they just said on the (Belgian) news. That's extortion, IMO

Post by **Disembodied** » Fri Apr 16, 2010 9:38 am

A colleague who was due to come over from South Carolina got as far as Boston, but had to turn back. In an increasingly interconnected world, it's amazing what can happen to bork everything up.

Wiki pages · Post by **Thargoid** » Fri Apr 16, 2010 10:16 am

Rxke wrote:
another_commander wrote:
then take train to London. Hope this works.
Prices for train tickets have skyrocketed, they just said on the (Belgian) news. That's extortion, IMO

And French rail is on strike, or was the other day anyway.

I should have been flying home from Geneva to Gatwick tonight and back out here (Southern France) again on Monday. But now I've just got a quiet and lazy weekend in France instead.

Commander McLane · Post by **Commander McLane** » Fri Apr 16, 2010 10:40 am

Thargoid wrote:
But now I've just got a quiet and lazy weekend in France instead.

Nothing wrong with that, if you ask me!

Enjoy the wine, the food, and whatever you like to enjoy.

Frame · Post by **Frame** » Fri Apr 16, 2010 4:29 pm

just heard, its not getting any better the next 18 hours, so you better head off for alternative transport methods...

18:30 GMT+1

16.04.2004

dd/mm/yy

snork · Post by **snork** » Fri Apr 16, 2010 6:19 pm

Imagine the volcano just won't stop, for years.

I wonder if there is a science fiction story based on something like this. What difference it would make if nothing else changes but "just" no more flights on northern hemisphere.

drew · Post by **drew** » Fri Apr 16, 2010 6:20 pm

Sitting under beautiful clear blue skies, marvelling at the 360 degree completely clear view - no contrails or wispy clouds at all. Astonishing!

Cheers,

Drew.

JazHaz · Post by **JazHaz** » Fri Apr 16, 2010 7:25 pm

drew wrote:
Sitting under beautiful clear blue skies, marvelling at the 360 degree completely clear view - no contrails or wispy clouds at all. Astonishing!

Yeah, reminds me of the days after 9/11.

Commander McLane · Post by **Commander McLane** » Fri Apr 16, 2010 8:26 pm

JazHaz wrote:
drew wrote:
Sitting under beautiful clear blue skies, marvelling at the 360 degree completely clear view - no contrails or wispy clouds at all. Astonishing!
Yeah, reminds me of the days after 9/11.

I had the same thought since yesterday. It is indeed the only previous occasion where such a big part of air travel came to a complete halt.