Ash Cloud Experiences?

Hey guys, I just wondered what your experiences of the Ash cloud from the recently erupted Volcano in Iceland, in terms of travel, and getting home.

Here's mine:
I went skiing about 2 weeks ago in Austria. We intended to go for a week, but because of the ash cloud, our flight was cancelled. We rebooked, and the flight was cancelled again. This went on for about 4 days, with us booking flights and then them getting cancelled, and as the skiing season is coming to an end in Austria, our hotel closed. We had to go and stay in a hotel near the airport, and try and sort out a way home. Our flights were still getting cancelled after we booked them, so we tried the Eurostar. The website wouldn't let us book tickets and it kept on failing, but eventually (after about 50 tries) we managed to get seats on it from Brussels to London. We also had a flight booked from Munich to Heathrow in London that hadn't been cancelled yet, and when we got up in the morning, we found it was still running. So we decided to not bother with the Eurostar (The payment was fully flexible, meaning we could get a refund if we didn't get on it) and went to the airport. When we got there, it was still running but we had about 5 hours to wait till we could check in. We noticed that there was a flight leaving for Heathrow in about an hour from when we got to the airport, so my dad went and asked if we could get on it. Because my dad has to fly alot for work, he has a British Airways executive card, and when he showed this to the person at the desk, they put us straight onto the top of the waiting list for the flight . So we managed to fly home to the UK eventually. We ended up staying abroad about 5 days longer than we intended to be away, and now we are owed about 2000 GBP in refunds for cancelled flights, and the Eurostar. It was a pretty special holiday :L

What are your experiences?

 

I don't have a problem, yet. I watched the program about the BA Flight 009 last night on Channel 5, and it was quite interesting. I was thinking to myself, I really shouldn't be watching this considering I am flying in 4 weeks, and it's a possibility that some ash could still be up there.

Also, I don't get why people are complaining about being stuck abroad, it's an extra holiday, I'd love it.

 

Dude, it sounds like a picnic having the extra holiday time, but believe me. It's not when I heard about it I was like 'Yeah, 5 days extra skiing', but then when you have to start spending hours everyday working out alternative travel arrangements, not knowing when you are going to get home and spending shit loads of extra money on hotels, food, travel etc. it gets really difficult. You will be fine in 4 weeks though mate. Where abouts are you going?

 

Is your travel insurance going to pay out, or not?

Going to Gran Canaria for 2 weeks, can't wait.

 

Well, we have phoned up and looked into it, and they say that it isn't covered by our policy, therefore they won't cover it. I reckon that it isn't covered by the insurance because it is such an obscure thing to have happened, and its pretty unprecedented. We are still going to claim for the money though, on the grounds that the whole situation was completely out of our control, and that we did everything we could to get back ASAP.

Woah, that sounds amazing. Who are you going with? Your flight should be fine mate, flights are starting to return to normal now, things should be find in 2 or 3 weeks. If it gets to like, a week before you leave and things still don't look promising, just make sure that you make other travel arrangements or something. You will probably be okay though

 

nope but like 10 teachers at school are stuck in holiday (YAY)

 

I thought BA were still striking? Also I had found some ash on my brothers car.

 

And can you stop flaming 95% of threads you post on it's from a film called friday which I really like, Also I listen to a bit of his music, you don't know me please stop making judgmental comments on people you haven't met before. Just because someones from a different region in the world, I can't have an avatar picture, that's retarded.

On topic a lot of people have been inconvenienced by this if you don't care, and you are saying it as you was happy it happened. grow up.

 

is your school closed?

I'm not sure. Either they stopped, or some of them decided not to, because we got a flight back.

It wasn't just British people that were affected your ignorant moron. It was almost everyone who wanted to travel by plane in Europe, over the course of 5 days.

Judging by the content of your posts on this forum so far, I can see that you are a pretty undesirable individual. You are making yourself look highly unintelligent, which isn't really a reputation you want to have here.

 

Friday is for Americans only? What? Just leave, you aren't talking sense, and you are being boring.