I’m stuck in London, along with lots of other people. I’m sure you guys have heard about the Iceland volcano eruption and the resulting layer of ash that has shut down airports in most of Northern and Western Europe.
I’ve got a flight booked for late next week. A few days ago, that seemed incredible, as I was scheduled to leave then. Now, it isn’t so far-fetched.
I’m off to the airport office to fight for an earlier seat tomorrow, but I suspect my trip to this office may be in vain. The volcano is still spewing ash, and there is no end in sight to the airport shutdown.
So now I’m thinking of other options. I’ll be able to submit my expenses to the company that engaged me on this job, as long as they are within reason (i.e. no first class plane tickets, but hotel, food, and transport is covered).
How should I get out of here? Help me figure out the most logical route. Right now I’m favoring this one:
Either take the Eurostar to Paris or the train to Dover and the ferry to Calais. Then a train, bus, or rental car to Madrid, Lisbon, or any airport in Europe that can get me out. I may have to fly to the USA first, then back to Taiwan. I may also be able to get out from Italy, if I can get there before the cloud overtakes its airspace.
Of course all of this depends on what happens with the weather and the volcano, and we have little idea of what will happen at this point.
If I sound a little frazzled, I am. I need to get home. Advice from experienced travelers much appreciated.
If you’re lucky you could get a seat on a train, although most are taken … a train to at least Turkey, or Greece with connections to Taiwan. Or Rome might do … the cloud covers most of Northern Europe as far as Milan. Don’t know about Madrid, if they even have flights to Taiwan.
On the other hand I wouldn’t worry about a flight late next week, it’s going to be bad in the next days to come, air traffic problems probably resolved by the end of the week to almost normal. You’ll not doing the airline a favor trying to go early, it’s a mess already.
Take the Eurostar to Paris then catch the overnight train to Madrid. Should be far enough South to get a flight. When I was in Taiwan, thanks to my penny penching wife, we went to Spain for a three week family trip by taking an uncommon route that probably wouldn’t be sold out. You can book a Madrid–Helsinki-Hong Kong flight on Finnair for really cheap. Flights are every day if I remember correctly. The service ain’t as good as Asian airlines, but that’s what I would do if I were in your situation.
Not sure if Helsinki is one the locations where flights are closed from. The flights from Malaga and Lisbon to Helsinki are open (most of the flights are cancelled to Helsinki but Spain and Portugal seem to be ok), so I think this one is good to go.
You’re just panicking … your flight is late next week … and when you think about a solution so have others, you just move the problem around instead of cooling down and wait until things get clear when they reopen the sky …
[quote=“Tomas”]The airline called me and asked me to come in to talk about my flight status. I’m well aware that things are a mess. I’m in the middle of the mess.
But you’re right. I should think about the airlines now. Not my family or my work.[/quote]
Frankly speaking, you’re not yet in the middle of the mess.
Anyways, Belgian sky will probably reopen today afternoon according to the minister of transportation, maybe Holland will follow, or Germany.
Flights could resume Monday morning.
BP, please stop posting in this thread. You’re not helping me. You’re just presuming you understand what’s going on in my life and you’re pissing me off.
I am not panicking. I am thinking of backup plans. Please, just leave me alone.
[quote=“Chewycorns”]Take the Eurostar to Paris then catch the overnight train to Madrid. Should be far enough South to get a flight. When I was in Taiwan, thanks to my penny penching wife, we went to Spain for a three week family trip by taking an uncommon route that probably wouldn’t be sold out. You can book a Madrid–Helsinki-Hong Kong flight on Finnair for really cheap. Flights are every day if I remember correctly. The service ain’t as good as Asian airlines, but that’s what I would do if I were in your situation.
Not sure if Helsinki is one the locations where flights are closed from. The flights from Malaga and Lisbon to Helsinki are open (most of the flights are cancelled to Helsinki but Spain and Portugal seem to be ok), so I think this one is good to go.
Good luck!!![/quote]
I have no idea how they will fly from Portugal, Madrid to Helsinki, North European sky is closed.
[quote=“Belgian Pie”][quote=“Chewycorns”]Take the Eurostar to Paris then catch the overnight train to Madrid. Should be far enough South to get a flight. When I was in Taiwan, thanks to my penny penching wife, we went to Spain for a three week family trip by taking an uncommon route that probably wouldn’t be sold out. You can book a Madrid–Helsinki-Hong Kong flight on Finnair for really cheap. Flights are every day if I remember correctly. The service ain’t as good as Asian airlines, but that’s what I would do if I were in your situation.
Not sure if Helsinki is one the locations where flights are closed from. The flights from Malaga and Lisbon to Helsinki are open (most of the flights are cancelled to Helsinki but Spain and Portugal seem to be ok), so I think this one is good to go.
Good luck!!![/quote]
I have no idea how they will fly from Portugal, Madrid to Helsinki, North European sky is closed.[/quote]
Take a look at Helsinki’s arrival computers. Malaga and Lisbon flights arrived today.
[quote=“Belgian Pie”]If you’re lucky you could get a seat on a train, although most are taken … a train to at least Turkey, or Greece with connections to Taiwan. Or Rome might do … the cloud covers most of Northern Europe as far as Milan. Don’t know about Madrid, if they even have flights to Taiwan.
On the other hand I wouldn’t worry about a flight late next week, it’s going to be bad in the next days to come, air traffic problems probably resolved by the end of the week to almost normal. You’ll not doing the airline a favor trying to go early, it’s a mess already.[/quote]Going to Madrid seems the most obvious but whatever alternative you’ve thought of, everyone else has probably thought of it too. The ferries are all full too.
The news says airspace bans are in place until Monday or whenever, but annoying it always fails to mention when the cloud will disperse, so the bans may be be extended repeatedly until who knows when. KLM and Lufthansa say they have flown test flight at maximum altitude without crashing, but more tests need to be done. Belarus banned flights from certain altitudes. So flying over the cloud may be OK.
But you asked for suggestions, I best I can think of is to relax and wait till it’s all over. Aren’t you home now?
Drink lots of beer until you pass out. Miraculously you’ll find yourself at home in the morning. That’s worked for me before
Seriously though, I heard that there’s no way of knowing when the volcano will stop spewing ash. It could be months of that, so every time the wind changes they’ll need to stop flights again.
[quote=“greenmark”]I heard that there’s no way of knowing when the volcano will stop spewing ash. It could be months of that[/quote]I hope not, I’m going there in a couple of months.
Problem is that this is an escalating mess. The equipment -planes- needed to ferry people around are stuck there, under the cloud. They are saying now they may try to put the planes into position so when the cloud warning is over, they can be wher ethey need them to take the passengers where they want to go. The cloud keeps on expanding, and there is no way to tell when it will be over. Taking the chance to fly under those conditions will be a gamble, and I think if you really don’t have to, you’d better not.
Hence, Tomas is right in the sense that he’d better hurry or else he’ll be stuck there quite a while as teh mess gets more complicated. However, the waiting times and the mess all around seem to me not that cost-efficient. Moreover, as far as safety goes, his family would prefer to see him later on. The airlines may take risks to bring costs down, so for a few weeks travel wil be disruptive and even unsafe.
I’d take the furthest southern/western route, avoid Italy, maybe Spain, but then head to South Africa-bankok or Hong Kong and then TPE.
Trains, buses and rentals are fully booked. Private cars and taxis driving long hours to unknown conditions seem to be the only options.All airports in dissarray, and no hope in sight as no one can tell exactly when maybe the skies will open to flights again.
On another website, someone mentioned catching a ride with a private citizen as all forms of public transport are fast being overwhealmed. This is maybe a last ditch idea that you haven’t thought of?
I would HATE to be in your situation. People have told me before that they think I’m nuts because I’ve always refused to travel without my son, but I have a phobia of getting stranded away from him. It doesn’t make any kind of rational sense–until something like this happens.
The problem is that he needs to plan it very well, first of all , because of the costs, and second because of changing conditions, no one is sure that even if he gets to an airport atht may have flights going out and manages to find a sea and book it, that the airplane might actually depart as teh cloud keeps on expanding…*
As we say in Spanish: do it like the monkey, not letting go of one branch until you have the other in your hand.
ps.
says someone who used to fly like that all the time, get bumped somewhere else, and plan as it went.