Is anyone else affected by the grounding of flights due to volcanic ash?

[Lula]

Date: 4/16/2010 3:08:05 PM
Author: Mrs Mitchell
Well, we don''t have travel plans so we aren''t affected that way, but our little girl has horrible itchy red eyes and a dreadful cough. There was a public health warning today from the NHS here - ash and particles have reached ground level in Scotland and are causing some minor symptoms like this. My eyes hurt too, but hers are really bad.


We''re going to stay indoors tomorrow, but the damage is already done.

Oh, I was wondering how all this was affecting the air quality. Sorry to hear your daughter is feeling so ill.

 

[Lauren8211]

Date: 4/16/2010 2:23:25 PM
Author: PinkAsscher678

Date: 4/16/2010 2:21:30 PM
Author: charbie
noelwr- another PS''er- posted last night that she was stuck in Detroit (talk about crappy places to get stuck) on her way back from a cruise. she''s trying to make it to the netherlands.

Is the Detroit airport particularly bad?

Not at all - what''s wrong with the Detroit airport, Charbie?

 

[princesss]

Date: 4/16/2010 3:15:14 PM
Author: elledizzy5

Date: 4/16/2010 2:23:25 PM
Author: PinkAsscher678

Date: 4/16/2010 2:21:30 PM
Author: charbie
noelwr- another PS''er- posted last night that she was stuck in Detroit (talk about crappy places to get stuck) on her way back from a cruise. she''s trying to make it to the netherlands.

Is the Detroit airport particularly bad?

Not at all - what''s wrong with the Detroit airport, Charbie?

I''ve got to tell you, I was pleasantly surprised by that airport. It was redone pretty recently, wasn''t it? It was clean with a ton of food options, big windows, and lots of space. I''d much rather be stuck there than in Newark or JFK, that''s for sure. I hate those airports!

 

[Lauren8211]

Date: 4/16/2010 3:26:31 PM
Author: princesss

Date: 4/16/2010 3:15:14 PM
Author: elledizzy5

Date: 4/16/2010 2:23:25 PM
Author: PinkAsscher678

Date: 4/16/2010 2:21:30 PM
Author: charbie
noelwr- another PS''er- posted last night that she was stuck in Detroit (talk about crappy places to get stuck) on her way back from a cruise. she''s trying to make it to the netherlands.

Is the Detroit airport particularly bad?

Not at all - what''s wrong with the Detroit airport, Charbie?

I''ve got to tell you, I was pleasantly surprised by that airport. It was redone pretty recently, wasn''t it? It was clean with a ton of food options, big windows, and lots of space. I''d much rather be stuck there than in Newark or JFK, that''s for sure. I hate those airports!

Right? It has two new terminals - both of which are gorgeous. Don''t really see any problem getting stuck there!

Curious why it''s been referred to as "crappy"

 

[Mrs Mitchell]

Date: 4/16/2010 3:14:49 PM
Author: sarap333

Date: 4/16/2010 3:08:05 PM
Author: Mrs Mitchell
Well, we don''t have travel plans so we aren''t affected that way, but our little girl has horrible itchy red eyes and a dreadful cough. There was a public health warning today from the NHS here - ash and particles have reached ground level in Scotland and are causing some minor symptoms like this. My eyes hurt too, but hers are really bad.


We''re going to stay indoors tomorrow, but the damage is already done.

Oh, I was wondering how all this was affecting the air quality. Sorry to hear your daughter is feeling so ill.

Thanks Sarap. She''s ok, just a bit uncomfortable. Might get more over the weekend, but apparently if it rains, it''s not so bad, so for once I''m hoping for a damp weekend!

 

[princesss]

Date: 4/16/2010 3:28:33 PM
Author: elledizzy5

Date: 4/16/2010 3:26:31 PM
Author: princesss

Date: 4/16/2010 3:15:14 PM
Author: elledizzy5

Date: 4/16/2010 2:23:25 PM
Author: PinkAsscher678

Date: 4/16/2010 2:21:30 PM
Author: charbie
noelwr- another PS''er- posted last night that she was stuck in Detroit (talk about crappy places to get stuck) on her way back from a cruise. she''s trying to make it to the netherlands.

Is the Detroit airport particularly bad?

Not at all - what''s wrong with the Detroit airport, Charbie?

I''ve got to tell you, I was pleasantly surprised by that airport. It was redone pretty recently, wasn''t it? It was clean with a ton of food options, big windows, and lots of space. I''d much rather be stuck there than in Newark or JFK, that''s for sure. I hate those airports!

Right? It has two new terminals - both of which are gorgeous. Don''t really see any problem getting stuck there!

Curious why it''s been referred to as ''crappy''

I should clarify that I''m only talking about the airports - I don''t have enough experience with either city to say if I''d mind being stranded there for a while. But I definitely know which airport I''d prefer to be stuck in!

 

[elrohwen]

Date: 4/16/2010 2:23:25 PM
Author: PinkAsscher678

Date: 4/16/2010 2:21:30 PM
Author: charbie
noelwr- another PS'er- posted last night that she was stuck in Detroit (talk about crappy places to get stuck) on her way back from a cruise. she's trying to make it to the netherlands.

Is the Detroit airport particularly bad?

The Detroit airport is the one of the nicest I've been in. Heck, it has a wine bar! (that I've sadly never had the time to stop into)

eta: Princess, I don't think either Newark or JFK are that bad - at least not the terminals I've flown from (the international terminal at Newark is pretty nice, though always crowded). Now I don't know that I'd want to leave the airports - they're not in the most scenic parts of town (and Newark isn't that scenic in general). But neither is as nice as Detroit's airport.

 

[mayerling]

It looks like the ban will continue well into Saturday..maybe I should just give up hope

 

[princesss]

Date: 4/16/2010 3:54:23 PM
Author: mayerling
It looks like the ban will continue well into Saturday..maybe I should just give up hope

I''m sending lots of prayers and dust your way, Mayerling. I really hope you''re able to leave soon.

 

[mayerling]

Date: 4/16/2010 3:57:57 PM
Author: princesss

Date: 4/16/2010 3:54:23 PM

Author: mayerling

It looks like the ban will continue well into Saturday..maybe I should just give up hope

I''m sending lots of prayers and dust your way, Mayerling. I really hope you''re able to leave soon.

Thanks, princess. I appreciate it.

 

[bee*]

Ryanair have cancelled flights leaving Ireland to European destinations until Monday and Aer Lingus are waiting until 1pm tomorrow before they decide what they''re doing. I hope it doesn''t go on too much longer.

 

[curlygirl]

Good luck, Mayerling and anyone else that may be having travel difficulties.

I have some friends stuck in Cannes. If I had to be trapped somewhere, Cannes wouldn''t be so bad!!! But I guess when you had plans to get home and now everything is ambiguous, it takes any joy away.

 

[mayerling]

It''s not looking good. Apparently there''s a second cloud merging with the first cloud and making things even more difficult.

 

[MsP]

Another round of closures...

Paris is closed through Monday morning. Crazy. My department has about 12 people stranded in various places. It''s like a ghost town around here.

 

[mayerling]

Date: 4/17/2010 8:19:11 AM
Author: MissPrudential
Another round of closures...


Paris is closed through Monday morning. Crazy. My department has about 12 people stranded in various places. It''s like a ghost town around here.

I''m actually beginning to lose hope.

 

[y2kitty]

I''m dog sitting and the people that I am dog sitting for were supposed to fly from Barcelona to Geneva today but their flight was canceled. They are due to come home the 24th. I hope it clears up by then.

 

[mayerling]

Date: 4/17/2010 2:25:55 PM
Author: y2kitty
I''m dog sitting and the people that I am dog sitting for were supposed to fly from Barcelona to Geneva today but their flight was canceled. They are due to come home the 24th. I hope it clears up by then.

I hope it clears up too.

bee, did your friend make it to her wedding ok?

 

[iheartscience]

My parents are stuck in Sweden! They''ve been there for 18 days visiting my brother and his family. They''re ready to come home and now they have no idea when they''ll be able to come home. And I miss them!

My BIL is stuck in Copenhagen, too. He was there on business and was supposed to come back Thursday. My nieces and sister are so sad!

 

[MsP]

Date: 4/17/2010 12:42:12 PM
Author: mayerling

Date: 4/17/2010 8:19:11 AM
Author: MissPrudential
Another round of closures...


Paris is closed through Monday morning. Crazy. My department has about 12 people stranded in various places. It''s like a ghost town around here.

I''m actually beginning to lose hope.

For some airlines, they''ve cancelled all through Tuesday morning now.

I''ve had the *pleasure*(yeah right!) of trying to reschedule a few people''s flights. It''s not terribly easy or cost effective to sit on the pay phone or rented cell phone for 3-4hrs to reschedule a flight. For the airline I''ve been working on, you can''t do it online and the number they tell you to call is shut down(due to insane amounts of calls). I''ve been finding work around numbers and getting a hold of people who can make the reservations but it''s quite annoying. Thankfully all of the people I''m working with will have their expenses covered by the institution but imagine you''re on vacation with a family of 4 and your flight is delayed a week!... huge expense!

One cust service rep said it best though--"Miss, I know it''s frustrating but this is really a matter of safety. We''re losing huge amounts of money by shutting down--trust me, if we COULD safely run flights we would be. You don''t want your loved ones in the sky right now. It''s just too risky."

And this is true.

 

[PumpkinPie]

Date: 4/17/2010 12:42:12 PM
Author: mayerling
I''m actually beginning to lose hope.

I''m so sorry Mayerling! This is awful timing for you

 

[mayerling]

Date: 4/17/2010 5:10:28 PM
Author: MissPrudential

Date: 4/17/2010 12:42:12 PM

Author: mayerling

Date: 4/17/2010 8:19:11 AM

Author: MissPrudential

Another round of closures...



Paris is closed through Monday morning. Crazy. My department has about 12 people stranded in various places. It''s like a ghost town around here.

I''m actually beginning to lose hope.

For some airlines, they''ve cancelled all through Tuesday morning now.


I''ve had the *pleasure*(yeah right!) of trying to reschedule a few people''s flights. It''s not terribly easy or cost effective to sit on the pay phone or rented cell phone for 3-4hrs to reschedule a flight. For the airline I''ve been working on, you can''t do it online and the number they tell you to call is shut down(due to insane amounts of calls). I''ve been finding work around numbers and getting a hold of people who can make the reservations but it''s quite annoying. Thankfully all of the people I''m working with will have their expenses covered by the institution but imagine you''re on vacation with a family of 4 and your flight is delayed a week!... huge expense!


One cust service rep said it best though--''Miss, I know it''s frustrating but this is really a matter of safety. We''re losing huge amounts of money by shutting down--trust me, if we COULD safely run flights we would be. You don''t want your loved ones in the sky right now. It''s just too risky.''


And this is true.

I completely understand the safety concerns. It''s just come at a really bad time.

 

[mayerling]

Date: 4/17/2010 5:30:33 PM
Author: Maevie

Date: 4/17/2010 12:42:12 PM

Author: mayerling

I''m actually beginning to lose hope.

I''m so sorry Mayerling! This is awful timing for you

Thanks, Maevie.

 

[mayerling]

Updates:

Some major airlines have carried out test flights and had no problems and are now calling on governments to lift the ban.

Lots of people requiring urgent medical care have been unable to receive it because of the ban on air travel. Certainly puts things into perspective.

 

[bee*]

Date: 4/17/2010 2:40:51 PM
Author: mayerling

Date: 4/17/2010 2:25:55 PM

Author: y2kitty

I''m dog sitting and the people that I am dog sitting for were supposed to fly from Barcelona to Geneva today but their flight was canceled. They are due to come home the 24th. I hope it clears up by then.

I hope it clears up too.


bee, did your friend make it to her wedding ok?

Hi mayerling, yes she did thankfully although a ton of guests had to cancel as they couldn''t fly over. I also have a friend who''s in Tokyo on business who was meant to arrive home yesterday and he posted on fb today that air france said the earliest he''d make it home is April 27th!! I hope he makes it over before then!

 

[gwendolyn]

Yup, affecting us here! My parents are due to fly out of the UK tomorrow evening but we''re almost positive their flight will be canceled, so they''ll be staying with us for even longer (they''ve already been here for almost 3 weeks and we''re newlyweds with no privacy and no bed since we''ve let them have our bed). So, as much as we love each other, we''re all ready for life to be a bit more normal.

 

[mayerling]

Date: 4/18/2010 1:27:22 PM
Author: gwendolyn
Yup, affecting us here! My parents are due to fly out of the UK tomorrow evening but we''re almost positive their flight will be canceled, so they''ll be staying with us for even longer (they''ve already been here for almost 3 weeks and we''re newlyweds with no privacy and no bed since we''ve let them have our bed). So, as much as we love each other, we''re all ready for life to be a bit more normal.

Congratulations, Gwendolyn!

I hope your parents are able to go home soon.

 

[mayerling]

Date: 4/18/2010 1:20:27 PM
Author: bee*

Date: 4/17/2010 2:40:51 PM

Author: mayerling

Date: 4/17/2010 2:25:55 PM


Author: y2kitty


I''m dog sitting and the people that I am dog sitting for were supposed to fly from Barcelona to Geneva today but their flight was canceled. They are due to come home the 24th. I hope it clears up by then.

I hope it clears up too.



bee, did your friend make it to her wedding ok?

Hi mayerling, yes she did thankfully although a ton of guests had to cancel as they couldn''t fly over. I also have a friend who''s in Tokyo on business who was meant to arrive home yesterday and he posted on fb today that air france said the earliest he''d make it home is April 27th!! I hope he makes it over before then!

I''m glad she made it back ok. At this rate, I don''t think I''ll make it home until April 27th (or later) either.

 

[Viola]

Mayerling,

Have you considered taking the train? There are long lines for buying train tickets, but they do have extra departures, and it''s not impossible to get a ticket. My parents luckily got on a plane early this morning, from Istanbul to Rome, they''re in Rome until tuesday, then they will take the train to Frankfurt, Germany. I''m trying to come up with a solution after Frankfurt though, that''s only halfway home, we live in Sweden.

 

[mayerling]

Date: 4/18/2010 3:23:58 PM
Author: Viola


Mayerling,


Have you considered taking the train? There are long lines for buying train tickets, but they do have extra departures, and it''s not impossible to get a ticket. My parents luckily got on a plane early this morning, from Istanbul to Rome, they''re in Rome until tuesday, then they will take the train to Frankfurt, Germany. I''m trying to come up with a solution after Frankfurt though, that''s only halfway home, we live in Sweden.

I have actually. But where I''m going I can''t get to by train...

 

[mayerling]

Latest update: London airports might reopen tomorrow evening!