Eyjafjallajökull Volcano Updates

Monday, May 10, 2010
9:19 AM CDT

Airports reopen after volcanic ash cloud air disruption

Airports across Europe have reopened after volcanic ash from Iceland caused flight disruption over the weekend.

Eurocontrol, the European air safety body, said the cloud of volcanic ash had now dispersed.
Lisbon airport in Portugal reopened on Monday morning at 0900 (0800 GMT), four hours earlier than expected.

However, Eurocontrol said flights were still being rerouted around clouds of ash being blown over the Atlantic Ocean, causing delays.

The agency said it expected some 28,500 flights within the European area on Monday, about 500 below the average for this time of year.

Portugal's civil aviation authority said airports on the Azores and Madeira islands remained closed. As the weekend ended, some airspace closures were still in place over Iceland, as well as Portugal and the Atlantic. In all, more than 300 flights were grounded over the weekend in Portugal, AFP news agency reported.France and Austria were forced to ground some flights on Sunday night.

Spanish airspace began returning to normal on Sunday after 19 airports in the north of the country were closed on Saturday. However, seven airports - Asturias, Santander, Bilbao, Salamanca, Valladolid, Leon and Burgos - were forced to close again from 1500 GMT on Sunday. In Italy, airports at Milan, Pisa and Florence reopened after midday on Sunday, but disruption was widespread and there were delays for UK-bound flights. And French authorities grounded at least 70 flights bound for southern Europe from airports in Paris, Lyon, and Nice.

In Scotland, airports in Inverness, Kirkwall, Wick, Benbecula and Stornoway were shut for a time, but UK air traffic control service Nats later said there were no airspace closures.

And the Irish Aviation Authority imposed restrictions on Donegal, Sligo and Knock airports in the west of the country on Sunday afternoon. Last month, ash from the Eyjafjallajokull volcano shut down airspace across Europe for five days.

Recent images have shown activity in the volcano increasing and emitting ash up to 20,000ft (6,000m).

Passengers are urged to check details of their flights before travelling to the airport.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8671677.stm

11:37 AM CDT

Atlantic ash cloud forcing US-Europe flights south

DUBLIN — A mammoth cloud of volcanic ash is stretching 1,250 miles (2,000 kilometers) across the North Atlantic and forcing aircraft to divert south into a long-haul traffic jam, Irish and European air authorities said Friday.

Forecasters warned that the rapidly spreading cloud of ash from Iceland's Eyjafjallajokul volcano was projected to reach southern Greenland and the northwest tip of Spain by Saturday.

They stressed that the aviation obstacle does not pose any immediate threat to shut airports or ground aircraft once again, but is forcing trans-Atlantic jets to divert into increasingly clogged air corridors. Most are diverting south into Spanish air space but, as that route suffers jams and the cloud grows closer, more flights are facing diversions north into the Arctic.

In Brussels, the European air-traffic management agency Eurocontrol said flight control centers on both sides of the Atlantic were drafting new routes for aircraft that would add one to two hours to the times required to cross the ocean. Eurocontrol advised aircraft to carry extra fuel.

Ireland, which has borne the brunt of this week's renewed invasion of Icelandic ash into European air space, shut down but then rapidly reopened six western airports Friday as the cloud remained sufficiently west of its Atlantic coastline.

Ireland and Scotland also suffered airport shutdowns Tuesday and Wednesday. They were the first such closures since a majority of European air links were shut down April 14-20, stranding 10 million passengers.
The Irish government's emergency task force on the ash crisis said the cloud already measured 2,000 kilometers by 1,300 kilometers (1,250 miles by 800 miles) and was being pushed by winds both northwest and southeast.

The Irish Aviation Authority produced interactive maps illustrating how the cloud should grow even larger, running from Greenland to Spain, within the next 24 hours. It said Irish flights to and from the United States should operate Saturday but would suffer delays because of the particularly circuitous routes required.

Ireland's two major airlines, Ryanair and Aer Lingus, shifted services to Dublin Airport in the east and Cork Airport in the southwest during Friday's early-morning shutdowns of other Irish airports. Uncertain how long Shannon Airport in western Ireland would be shut, Aer Lingus opted to bus hundreds of U.S.-bound Aer Lingus passengers four hours east to fly from Dublin instead.

Eurocontrol said trans-Atlantic airlines could no longer safely fly over the Atlantic ash cloud because it has climbed to 35,000 feet (10,500 meters) and into the typical cruising altitude of aircraft. Until recent days, the ash had remained below 20,000 feet (6,000 meters).

Eurocontrol said as the ash cloud has expanded southward, it has squeezed the air space available to trans-Atlantic flights, creating a traffic jam in Spanish air space.

"Flights are having to be rerouted south of the no-fly zone, which means there are many more aircraft passing through the Spanish air traffic control sectors, rather than taking the usual routes over Ireland," said Eurocontrol spokeswoman Kyla Evans.

Until Eyjafjallajokul stops its emissions, the key to the future course of Europe's ash crisis will be the prevailing Atlantic winds.

When the winds blow to the northeast toward the unpopulated Arctic — typical in springtime — the danger to aircraft is minimized. But when they shift southward, as happened both this week and in mid-April, airlines' ability to land and depart safely can be jeopardized.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jh7lQ-qBxQMPzPd3Iap7_s3YDBfQD9FI2C1O0

8:52 AM CDT

Ireland Re-Opens Airports, Ash Cloud Still A Risk

Ireland lifted restrictions on flights in and out of the country on Friday, but said a volcanic ash cloud drifting south from Iceland still posed a risk of future disruption.

The Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) said six Irish airports, including Shannon, an important stop-over for flights to the United States, would re-open gradually on Friday morning after announcing their closure late on Thursday.

Ireland's main airport Dublin remained open.

"While the northerly winds are keeping the bulk of the cloud out in the Atlantic, the increased size of the cloud continues to pose a risk especially if the winds change," the IAA said in a statement.

The ash cloud had disrupted flights on and off since Tuesday but had begun blowing away from Europe on Thursday. Overflights of Ireland from Europe had not been banned and restrictions in Britain, where Scottish airports had been closed, were lifted on Thursday.

Much of Europe's air traffic was grounded last month because of ash from an erupting volcano under the Eyjafjallajokull glacier in Iceland. Some 100,000 flights were cancelled and millions of passengers stranded.

The latest disruption signaled that travel hold-ups could continue into the summer travel season.

Tuesday was the first test of a European system of progressive closures, including partial no-fly zones, introduced after the ash cloud prompted a blanket ban that was criticized by airlines forced to ground thousands of flights in April. (Reuters)

http://news.airwise.com/story/view/1273236920.html

Thursday, May 06, 2010
4:57 PM CDT

Ash cloud forces Irish airport closures, Dublin clear

(Reuters) - Flights in and out of airports on the west coast of Ireland will be grounded on Friday but a volcanic ash drifting south from Iceland will not close Ireland's main airport in Dublin.

Ireland had lifted all restrictions on its airports on Thursday after the ash cloud blew away from Europe after disrupting flights for several days.
The Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) said six Irish airports, including Shannon, an important stopover for flights to the United States, will close from 0200 GMT to 1200 GMT on Friday.

"The restrictions are required as the increased level of recent volcanic activity has created a massive ash cloud stretching 1,000 miles long and 700 miles wide," the IAA said in a statement.

Overflights of Ireland from Britain and Europe had not been banned and restrictions in Britain, where Scottish airports had been closed, were also lifted earlier on Thursday.

Much of Europe's air traffic was grounded last month because of the pall of ash from the erupting volcano under the Eyjafjallajokull glacier in Iceland. Some 100,000 flights were canceled and millions of passengers stranded.

The closures cost Europe's airlines 1.5 billion euros to 2.5 billion euros ($2 billion - $3.35 billion), the European Commission has estimated.The latest disruption signaled that travel hold-ups could continue into the summer holiday period because of ash from the same volcano.

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE64568D20100506

Wednesday, May 05, 2010
9:23 AM CDT

Ash cloud grounds flights in Scotland and Ireland
 
Problems could herald summer of air traffic hold-ups

DUBLIN/LONDON - Two airports serving Glasgow, Scotland’s largest city, were closed until 1800 GMT, while flights from the Irish capital Dublin faced restrictions from 1000 GMT until at least 2300 GMT.

The latest disruption, which could signal that travel glitches will continue into the summer holiday period, was caused by ash being blown from the same volcano in Iceland that caused mayhem for 10 million travellers last month.

The European air traffic agency Eurocontrol said about 300 of 29,000 scheduled flights were likely to be cancelled across Europe on Wednesday. “The situation is not expected to improve in this area during the day,” the agency said in a statement.

“The whole of Ireland, west Scotland and north-west England could be affected, with risk to operations at Manchester and Liverpool airports,” it continued.
In addition, according to Eurocontrol, roughly 900 flights in Greek airspace would be cancelled assuming a general strike in Greece against austerity plans lasted until midnight.

A graphic on the Web site of Britain’s official weather forecaster, the Met Office, suggested the ash cloud would remain over much of Ireland, Scotland and western England into Thursday.

British Airways said it was cancelling all flights to and from the Scottish cities of Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen until 1200 GMT.
Irish budget airline Ryanair also cancelled flights to and from Glasgow Prestwick and the Northern Irish cities of Belfast and Derry until 2300 GMT.
It also warned that services at the English airports of Liverpool, Bristol, Leeds and Manchester could be affected.

Britain’s Civil Aviation Authority said it did not anticipate problems in the southeast, where the major airports serving London are located.
“The situation now is what I would describe as more fluid and for that reason it’s much more difficult to predict which airports will be open,” Ian Hall, a director at Britain’s National Air Traffic Service, told BBC TV.

Passengers were warned to check with their airlines before going to airports that were facing possible problems.

Much of European air traffic was grounded last month because of the spread of ash from an erupting volcano under the Eyjafjallajokull glacier in Iceland. Some 100,000 flights were cancelled and millions of passengers stranded.

Tuesday was the first test of a European system of progressive closures, including partial no-fly zones, introduced after the ash cloud prompted a blanket ban that was criticised by airlines forced to ground thousands of flights in April.

European transport ministers have agreed to set safety limits for flying through the ash, which can paralyse jet engines, and to unify European airspace.
http://www.montrealgazette.com/technology/cloud+grounds+flights+Scotland+Ireland/2988718/story.html

Thursday, April 22, 2010
2:30 CST

Air traffic across Europe is operating at near normal levels as airlines continue to move large numbers of passengers who have been stranded for over a week due to the volcanic ash cloud. Some airspace restrictions still apply in certain areas and it is reported that it could take up to a week for air traffic to return to normalcy due to the backlog of stranded passengers. 

According to ASI Group, the new aviation regulations put into place this week – combined with a lessening of volcanic activity – appear to have lowered the likelihood that a blanket ban on flights will be reintroduced in Europe. However, it is impossible to predict with any certainty whether severe disruptions to European air traffic will continue, as it will depend largely on volcanic activity and wind patterns.  Companies with employees traveling in Europe may want to develop contingency plans in case airspace closures are re-enacted, such as ensuring that travelers are provided with approved tools to continue business if stranded overseas.

Please contact your Account Manager with any questions or concerns.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010
9:30 a.m. CST
 
European skies are reopening to flights after stranded travelers endured a week of travel mayhem. The BBC is reporting that about 75% of European flights are due to operate today but delays are expected as many planes are out of position and need to cope with the back log of flights.
 
Space is still limited but opening up slowly due to the many no-shows that are occurring on flights so wait-listed passengers are being accommodated.  We encourage all travelers to reconfirm flights and status prior to departing for the airport.
 
Pending any further volcanic eruption, Travel and Transport will post additional communication regarding this situation on our web site at www.tandt.com.
 
We thank all of our valued clients and travelers for your patience during this situation.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010
4:00 p.m. CST

Reports this afternoon are showing that about 50% of all scheduled European flights operated today. Additionally, the British CAA has just recently announced that British air space will reopen tonight at 10:00 p.m. BST (5:00 p.m. EST).  More than two dozen British Airways flights have taken off for London, (some from the U.S. West coast) hoping to take advantage of this window of opportunity.  While the airline is aware that London airspace is currently closed, they are hopeful that the airspace will be open by their arrival time. Should this not be the case, the airline does have contingency plans for landing at alternate airports.

There are many questions being raised as to why some carriers are adding additional seats and have flights going, while others are not.  From the reports that we are being supplied, positioning of aircraft, airport locations, etc., all have an impact on what the carriers are able to do until the ban is completely lifted. Travelers should be aware that on some flights originating from the U.S. to Europe, over 50% of booked travelers were no-shows today, allowing for those waitlisted to secure a seat on the aircraft.

Travelers should note that some carriers are not allowing new bookings to be made before May 1, 2010 to ensure those stranded travelers are fully accommodated.

The BBC is reporting this afternoon that weather forecasters are predicting a change in wind direction by the weekend could blow the volcanic ash away from the UK.

Travel and Transport will continue to monitor this situation and will post any pertinent information as we receive it on our web site at www.tandt.com. Our UK Partner, Portman Travel, is also continuously updating their site at www.portmantravel.com regarding this emergency situation and the impact to its customers in the UK. We also invite you to visit www.cnn.com and www.bbc.com to view up-to-the-minute news alerts and travel updates.

This situation is very dynamic, causing information to change rapidly. Travel and Transport is using a number of different new sources and information outlets to provide the most accurate and up-to-the-minute information to our travelers. Some of these sources include NATS, BBC, CNN, Eurocontrol, Sky News and our RADIUS partners located throughout Europe.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010
9:30 a.m. CST

While it appeared that the situation regarding travel in and out of Europe was starting to improve yesterday afternoon, the formation of a new ash cloud spreading to England and Northern and Central Europe is causing more cancelled flights to the U.S. today.
 
Travel and Transport is continuing to increase staff as this is a dynamically changing situation. There are a few suggestions that companies may consider to offer their stranded travelers.
•         Increase corporate card spending limits.
•         Ensure that travelers do not check out of their hotels without confirmation of further travel.
•         Do not travel long distances through Europe to attempt to catch another flight.
•         Continue to remain in constant communication with Travel and Transport for information on flights, re-bookings, and refunds.
 
Travel and Transport will continue to monitor this situation and will post any pertinent information as we receive it on our web site at www.tandt.com. Our UK Partner, Portman Travel, is also continuously updating their site at www.portmantravel.com regarding this emergency situation and the impact to its customers in the UK. We also invite you to visit www.cnn.com and www.bbc.com to view up-to-the-minute news alerts and travel updates.
 
We would like to thank all of our travelers for your patience during this trying time. All of our employee-owners are working hard to ensure that our client's are minimally affected by this strenuous situation and can resume their scheduled travel just as soon as possible.

Monday, April 19, 2010
4:00 p.m. CST

As of 4:00 p.m. CST, reports show that the Eyjafjallajökull Volcano is spewing less ash. As of this afternoon, multiple in and outbound flights to and from the US to various destinations are operating. We anticipate that there will be a ramp up of service by carriers over the next couple of days. The remnants of this natural disaster on travel, however, will be felt for several days to come for the thousands of passengers trying to rebook their travel plans.

Travel and Transport is continuing to work with airline carriers regarding their flight plans once the ban is fully lifted. The decision to add more flights or seats is currently still unknown.

Based on the reports that we are being provided, there are still limited available flights now through April 28, 2010. As a result of this information, we are analyzing a detailed city pair matrix to determine if charters or shared charters are a possibility for our clients. If you are interested in this option once the ban is fully lifted, please contact your Account Manager immediately.

Travel and Transport will continue to monitor this situation and will post any pertinent information as we receive it on our web site at www.tandt.com. Our UK Partner, Portman Travel, is also continuously updating their site at www.portmantravel.com regarding this emergency situation and the impact to its customers in the UK. We also invite you to visit www.cnn.com and www.bbc.com to view up-to-the-minute news alerts and travel updates.

We would like to thank all of our travelers for your patience during this trying time. All of our employee-owners are working hard to ensure that our clients are minimally affected by this strenuous situation and can resume their scheduled travel just as soon as possible.


Monday, April 19, 2010
9:30 a.m. CST

Travel and Transport has been continuously monitoring the effects of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland that is causing significant travel issues around the world. The status of travel in and out of Europe is changing every hour and reports as of 9:00 a.m. CST show that approximately 1/3 of the 23,000 flights that operate in Europe on a normal day are in route today with most operating in southern Europe.

During this past weekend, Travel and Transport's After-hours Emergency Services department experienced high call volumes that may have caused some of our travelers to experience longer than normal hold times. Due to this issue, we immediately added staff to our team which eliminated the extensive hold times.

Travel and Transport's Command Center in Omaha, Nebraska is coordinating all emergency efforts relating to this natural disaster. These emergency efforts have included investigating all travel options throughout Europe and travel options to and from Europe to the U.S. These options include:

• Trans-Atlantic cruise ship sailings (6-7 day crossing)
• Charter flight options
• Regularly scheduled air options
• Ground transportation options including trains, ferries, car rentals, limo,   intercity and inter-country taxi services, and bus service
• Hotel availability