Volcanic Ash - Air Travel Chaos - Has this affected you?
By ellie333
@ellie333 (21016)
May 18, 2010 1:26pm CST
Personally my mother was due to fly over from Spain to the UK on the 16th of April which they were unable to do as all air travel was cancelled and they were delyed by a week which worked well as they arrived on the 23rd instead which meant they were here the week of my birthday. Unfortunately my younger daughter had booked her first holiday abroad with friends for 17th but whole holiday was cancelled is still waiting for a full refund although has been given some back. She rebooked which was great as she could get to see her nanna and papa for the 8th May but this was again cancelled due to the volcanic ash. No refund as yet and as I knew she really needed a break her father put another holiday on his credit card, she managed to fly off on the 10th no problem, however she then foundshe couldn't get home again due to ash cloud. Is now safely back in UK. I have heard so many sad stories about people missing passing out parades or weddings etc. How has this affected you or people you know. Do you think the airlines were being over cautious or is ash cloud a very serious poble,? Thoughts please :) Ellie
2 people like this
8 responses
@MsTickle (25180)
• Australia
22 May 10
Close your eyes and picture this....there is a fairly dense fall of fine ash, like talcum powder in the air. Visibility in places is nil. Would you like to be on a plane, trying to fly through that? The effect of flying would be one serious thing but all that fine powder being sucked through engines and a build-up occurring is something that would scare the pants off me.
The grounding of planes was certainly one of the results of those catastrophes of nature we simply have to accept. When these things happen we must realise that we take our easy lives and good fortune for granted. It's all relative....one person's devastation is another person's misery is another person's minor obstacle. Someone starving in Ethiopia would not find the grounding of planes in England, causing missed holidays and important appointments very important at all.
@MsTickle (25180)
• Australia
22 May 10
Hi sweety, nice to see you. The questions were rhetorical, I was feeling really sad and down when I read and answered your post as I had just read a discussion where this person was complaining about her dog's behaviour problems. She was angry so she 'spanked' the dog who is terribly afraid and has been abused by a previous owner. I know you will understand how I felt by this.
Hope things are good with you.
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@ellie333 (21016)
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22 May 10
Hi MsTickle, Thats ok, How is Lucy anyway meant to ask in response but was trying to remember her name bless. Yes I know how you feel about animals so can imagine how upset you were feeling. All is good with me and hope you feeling bit bighter now. Huggles. Ellie :D
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@ellie333 (21016)
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22 May 10
Hi MsTickle. Yes is it all relative but no I do understand the danger of having planes up there as my neighbour infact is studinging volcaunnology and have explained all this to me. No the people in Ethiopia would proabbly be totlly unaware of planes being grounded they are more concerened with living day to day bless. Huggles. Ellie :D
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@SViswan (12051)
• India
26 Jun 10
I don't know if it's a serious issue. And I wasn't affected directly. But my mom was flying from Africa to India. She didn't have a confirmed ticket from Mumbai to our hometown because one of the connecting flights was cancelled and she couldn't make it to Mumbai on time for the flight she was booked on. But she managed to make it on time for her friend's housewarming ceremony.
But the major drama of this whole thing was that she didn't think it was important enough to inform her husband or either one of her kids that she had reached safely or where she was. My father was worried sick because he didn't know where she was. My sister was at Mumbai during the time...and mom didn't think it was necessary to give her a call and let her know she had reached and got a ticket on a flight to our hometown! All 3 of us were frantically calling up each other trying to find out where she was. We weren't sure if another flight of hers was cancelled or she was still stuck at Mumbai airport trying to get a ticket...and there she was enjoying her time at the housewarming party (she went home...changed and went for the party...apparently tried to call dad - who is in another continent- didn't get through....didn't bother to call her daughters in the same country and off she went!)
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@SViswan (12051)
• India
28 Jun 10
lol...yes, my mom can be a tad too selfish for anyone's liking. Of course, our father, sister and I did tell her off....but she turned straight around and told us off...lol. Her explanation was ...since she is into 'positive thinking'...our words weren't going to affect her....and that we need to clean up our thoughts...lol. Now you know why we prefer to stay away from mom on a daily basis and meet her once in a while on holidays:P
I think the real reason was that the friend whose housewarming party she went to...isn't a very good influence (she's a gossip monger and feed stories about the rest of our extended family who live in the area....our father and we believe that even though we are a close knit family...we needn't poke our nose or be involved in all areas of the lives of our extended family...they need their privacy...but this 'friend' of our mom's thinks otherwise...and instigates mom to badmouth the rest of the family....of course...mom needs to have a brain of her own too....but she doesn't seem to have one at the moment:P)
Dad was aware of the housewarming party on the same day of her arrival and had warned her not to go for it (esp. since the rest of the family who lived in the same area was not invited). But mom wanted to go...and she had the perfect excuse....she didn't even bother to inform our relatives next door that she had arrived....I had called up an uncle who said he didn't know the time of arrival but he didn't think she was there yet....he lives right next door. Half an hour later, he meets another relative who says they saw a 'glimpse' of mom an hour or so before (I suppose while she was rushing off to the party).
Now you also know why we need to worry about a person like mom..you never know what she is up to!!
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@ellie333 (21016)
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26 Jun 10
Hi SViswan, I wouldhave been worried sick too and thisin fact was a bit selfish on your mothers part for not letting you all know that she was safe and well where she should be, I expect once the relief of knowing she was safe set in you told her off, as I would have done ifit had been myown mum. Huggles. Ellie :D
@ellie333 (21016)
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28 Jun 10
Families eh, like the saying goes, we can choose our friends but not our families. Even tyhough my girls are adults now when travelling they will always let me know they have arrived safely and likewise I do the same. The main thing though was that your mum was safe. :)
@ellie333 (21016)
•
19 May 10
Hi AmbiePam, It is a problem and there is still no let ip from the volcano either. Airlines have lost millions but individuals have too. They were charging the equivelent of £10 for a can of coke at one airport as they had a captive vustom which I think is wrong. Hope all is well with you. Huggles Ellie :D
@jillhill (37353)
• United States
18 May 10
From what I understand it really messes up the engines etc...so I would rather have my flight cancelled then my life.....I don't think they are overly cautious....I fly next week to Arizona...and I would rather have a delay and go safetly..BTW....How are you?
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@GreenMoo (11833)
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19 May 10
We host working holiday makers and many of them have been delayed by the recent air travel problems. Initially we had problems with guests coming from or via the UK, but once the ash cloud moved we had problems at this end.
I also had problems sending a document with a deadline by international post. I completely forgot that air problems would affect air mail post. Doh! I ended up in a right tizzy as the document needed a special bar code and they wouldn´t accept it by email or fax. I eventually scanned it then emailed it to relatives abroad who posted it from within the country. I don´t know whether it will be accepted yet, but at least it will get there!
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@ellie333 (21016)
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19 May 10
Hi GreenMoo, hadn't ven given a thought to the postal service being affected too because of it all. I am pleased that my daughter is back in the UK safe now though. The vovanco is still pumping out ash tough so although bief respite if wind changes again it could be back with a vengence. Just as well I haven't got the money to renew my passport at present eh! Huggles. Ellie :)
@cynthiann (18612)
• Jamaica
18 May 10
Not yet but it may. I leave for the U.K. early next month and hope to go to Rome. It is all scary and i am praying that there will not be any delays. I really do not know enough about how it affects flying so cannot comment. Blessings
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@cynthiann (18612)
• Jamaica
18 May 10
Thank you sweetie. I just so need to get off the Island for a while!
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@Hatley (163772)
• Garden Grove, California
18 May 10
hi ellie I have not done any traveling but then that takes money
I do not have.but here in the United states I have not heard of
the ashes getting this far or causing plane flights to be
canceled either.I do believe that there was some real
danger in flying in that stuff.
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@ellie333 (21016)
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18 May 10
Hi Hatley, Today the Civil Aviation Authority has now declared that it is safe to fly in twice the amount of ash that planes were grounded for, so all that hurt and disruption for nothing or are the air companies now risking flying? This worries me. Is it safe to fly or not? Most of Erope has had airports closed in last few weks . Huggles Ellie :)
@busybee10 (3186)
• India
18 May 10
OOOOOOOOOOOHO ! Everywhere some problem or other in some corner of the world. Yes this ash problem was there a couple of weeks back and now.Many scheduled flights has got canceled and lot of disturbance to the society.
I may say that we are nor affected by this problem.
