Icelandic Volcanic Eruption - Significant Disruption to UK Flights

Does anyone have any suggestions as the best way to try and book tickets for 3 people from Washington DC (IAD or DCA) to Athens in the next 3 days? Leaving saturday at the latest.

I don't know if there's any point trying to book online, flights are coming up as available on sites like expedia, but I don't want to book just to be told it'll be delayed, would it be worth calling the individual airlines direct do you think?
 
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I watched the shadow transport minister talking this morning on the bbc and felt she didn't have a clue what she was talking about. Tried her best to attack Labour, claiming they haven't done enough or acted fast enough but had absolutely nothing to back those claims up with. Also kept hammering on about an "8 point plan" yet failed to mention in a single point that was on this plan. I don't like Labour one bit, but she really did fail to get any point across.
 
Due to the backlog of flights, some Airlines are not taking anymore bookings if you do find any they will be expensive.

Unfortunately this could take weeks/months before airlines are back to normal.
 
ColdAsIce said:
I watched the shadow transport minister talking this morning on the bbc and felt she didn't have a clue what she was talking about. Tried her best to attack Labour, claiming they haven't done enough or acted fast enough but had absolutely nothing to back those claims up with. Also kept hammering on about an "8 point plan" yet failed to mention in a single point that was on this plan. I don't like Labour one bit, but she really did fail to get any point across.
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this is the problem with our government should have precautions in place for such extreme event. for example extreme flooding, snowfall ect... they always make excuses and it becomes the blame game.
 
ColdAsIce said:
I watched the shadow transport minister talking this morning on the bbc and felt she didn't have a clue what she was talking about. Tried her best to attack Labour, claiming they haven't done enough or acted fast enough but had absolutely nothing to back those claims up with. Also kept hammering on about an "8 point plan" yet failed to mention in a single point that was on this plan. I don't like Labour one bit, but she really did fail to get any point across.
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Maybe as the 8 point plan has been all over the news the past 6 days? It's also on their site, fairly obvious stuff - so Labour 'stole' it. Not that I want to Tory bash, but they really just did state the obvious. And talk to the stranded holiday makers, they certainly don't think Labour did enough. And almost all airlines are fuming at Labour/EU (in as much as they'd fume at anyone in charge). So.... meh.
 
What's the situation regarding refunds? Apologies, I've only skimmed through the thread...

I'd need to look out the terms and conditions but I have a holiday booked for next month with Thomas Cook, as it's so close to the departure date, I'm assuming I have no hope of a refund and if the flights are cancelled, I'm basically ******?
 
The Funktopus said:
All I can say is that the iPod car connection and charging kit I ordered from an eBay seller in the US on the 13th had better be in the hold of a Goddamn aircraft crossing the Atlantic as we speak! >.<
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You'll be lucky, from what ive read mail to and from the usa/canada has and is going via boat and is expected to be a 2 week delay!.
Unless your lucky and they've held back the mail to go via an airline.

Im awaiting some items from Hong Kong, hopefully now the airspace is open mail will start to get flown into the uk.
 
meghatronic said:
they certainly don't think Labour did enough.
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What grinds my gears is this is all classic Labour/Gordon.

Announce the Navy is steaming in to help.
Outcome: one vessel which was docking to collect troops collects one hundred and something tourists and has to turn the rest away. The two other vessels never receive orders to dock and board people.

Announce 100 coaches are waiting in Madrid.
Outcome: never materialises. Supposedly 10 coaches are due midday today.

Announce Madrid as a travel hub for shuttling tourists back to the channel.
Outcome: tourists arriving in Madrid from across Europe are now classed as low priority. Priority is now on Long haul from Africa/Asia.

Bold, seemingly decisive plans that never materialise or end in abject failure yet they never get called out for them. Media moves on, politicos announce new grand plans..
 
dave1983 said:
this is the problem with our government should have precautions in place for such extreme event. for example extreme flooding, snowfall ect... they always make excuses and it becomes the blame game.
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It's a question of balance though. It does not make economic sense to spend millions of tax payers money on snow clearing equipment, when the UK currently only receives snow for about 2 weeks every 2 or 3 years! If this were to increase in frequency like it has for the past 2 years, I'm sure that as a country we will invest more in snow ploughs etc. Likewise, France, Italy, Spain and Germany were equally badly affected by both the snow, and the volcanic ash situation. We in the UK cope pretty well with flooding if you compare to other countries, and that is probably due to it being something that we are fairly used to.
 
Monday 19th April 2010 - 12:46PM
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Wednesday 21st April 2010 - 10:30AM
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Slightly more busy now eh? :o
 
shifty_uk said:
What's the situation regarding refunds? Apologies, I've only skimmed through the thread...

I'd need to look out the terms and conditions but I have a holiday booked for next month with Thomas Cook, as it's so close to the departure date, I'm assuming I have no hope of a refund and if the flights are cancelled, I'm basically ******?
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You will get no problem with Thomas Cook, our cancelled flight was last Thursday, refund came this morning, rebooked same holiday for May, if it fails I get refund again.

Biggest problem is Insurance as we took out single trip & now need to re do it but it won't cover volcanic disruption & neither will any taken out now or in the future probably.
 
Just seen an Emirates A380 pass over Canary Wharf...well right over my building...was at a pretty low altitude and had his landing carriage out...as he passed over saw a lot of condensation coming off the back of the wings where the flaps are.

Pretty nice to see planes finally coming back in as usual..its been pretty damn boring not seeing anything take off or land.

Saying that the A380 is one fugly fugly plane :/
 
Over Clocker said:
One is a very old Nigerian MD11, that suffered NON serious damage, and the other is just a report of being able to smell the ash during the climb, with no real concern shown.
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A Thomas Cook 757, reg G-JMCF, on a positioning flight as TCX952P, returned to Manchester due to a loss of compressor bleed air from one engine after crew sensed an ‘intense smell of volcanic ash’ during the climb between FL160-FL200. The aircraft was out over the North Sea off Nofolk/Suffolk.
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It wasn't just a smell of ash though, according to the above report. Agreed both incidents were not serious, but both planes were grounded.
 
Over Clocker said:
Volcanic Ash levels are set to breech the new safe levels around the North of Scotland later today.
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Source? Presumably that would mean more airspace closures for the affected flight levels?

Damn, I was starting to think my GF and daughter would finally be able to get home on Saturday (stranded in eastern Europe).
 
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