Icelandic Volcanic Eruption - Significant Disruption to UK Flights

Wow, I've now spent a total of 3 hours on hold on the Thomas Cook phone line.

Really the worst hold music eva. It sounds like someone played a looping music sample down a phone to another person in Russia, who used an old mono tape recorder with an old and warn out tape to record the tune. This tape was then transported to the Thomas Cook headquarters in a slightly damp bag full of magnets.

Kill me, I just want my money back, I don't even care about compensation or even the cost of the phone bill.

Still could be worse, could be stuck somewhere else in the world not able to get home.
 
Meanwhile, A British Airways Boeing 747 has completed a test flight at 30,000ft from Heathrow to Cardiff, via the Atlantic.

Chief executive Willie Walsh - who is a trained pilot - and four crew were on board.

BBC business editor Robert Peston reported that the 550-mile, a two-and-three-quarter hour flight had encountered no problems.

Engineers in Cardiff will make a more detailed assessment of the plane's engine overnight.

Dutch airline KLM and German airline Lufthansa have also carried out test flights in their countries' airspace to see if it is safe for planes to fly.

KLM said it had flown a plane through the cloud of volcanic ash without suffering any damage.

Air France said it had successfully carried out a test flight from Paris to Toulouse.
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http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8628605.stm
 
Seems as if NATs are organising to lift the LHR curfew in order to clear the backlog (i.e allow flights through the night). Don't have the sauce, but interesting times.
 
cheechm said:
Seems as if NATs are organising to lift the LHR curfew in order to clear the backlog (i.e allow flights through the night). Don't have the sauce, but interesting times.
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It's not up to Nats, ther'll have to be input from the airport authority, the DoT and the CAA.

It would certainly be helpful though. At that time of the day, i.e. after midnight, the airspace over London is largely empty so it's the perfect time to clear backlogs and aid repositioning.
 
Scuzi said:
It's not up to Nats, ther'll have to be input from the airport authority, the DoT and the CAA.

It would certainly be helpful though. At that time of the day, i.e. after midnight, the airspace over London is largely empty so it's the perfect time to clear backlogs and aid repositioning.
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Sorry, I mis-phrased. NATs are scheduling controllers for night shifts as if they were day shifts.
 
cheechm said:
Sorry, I mis-phrased. NATs are scheduling controllers for night shifts as if they were day shifts.
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Where'd you hear that? They'd have to draft people in on overtime rather than changing their shift due to SCRATCOH regulations. I haven't been offered any overtime either! :(
 
Scuzi said:
Where'd you hear that? They'd have to draft people in on overtime rather than changing their shift due to SCRATCOH regulations. I haven't been offered any overtime either! :(
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Have you just been sitting on your bum over the last few days looking at pr0n?
 
Darg said:
Have you just been sitting on your bum over the last few days looking at pr0n?
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Pretty much but the past 4 days have been my normal days off. I'm back on shift tomorrow so.... lots of coffee drinking, poker and arse scratching!
 
pmbuzz said:
Scheduled to fly Bristol - Faro at 0625 Wednesday, getting worried that this is not gonna happen now :(
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Doesn't look too promising as they are saying that things might get worse Tuesday/Wednesday :(

My mate has been stuck in Turkey since Thursday - thankfully for him Thomas Cook have paid for the hotel etc.
 
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