VOLCANOES! So hot they're hellacool!

sundaytimes.co.uk

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4011/4527537883_86a62fc320_o.jpg http://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/252/7589905.jpg

Same guy amirite?

So is there a consensus as to the best resource to stay updated about the air traffic situation?

well, after a few days of maxed out stress, it looks like we (ie me + wife and kids) have an exit strategy to get back to our normal life.

having been stranded in Turku (our unscheduled destination after a few days skiiing up in lapland) for a few days with little information beyond BBC World News channel, we now have a way out meaning i can now kick back and relax.

also, through all this, Finnair (the airline we flew with) have been shockingly bad.

the advertised phone line on their website all weekend was unavailable - even in middle of the night.

and the plan to get home : join the merchant navy and jump on board a cargo ship for 3 days !

can't wait.

can't get enough of shots like this...
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html

turku - stokholm ferry
stokholm - Copehagen - Ebsjerg train
Ebsjerg - Harwich Ferry

at least 3 days, I don' envy you.

or wait for this?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8628878.stm

turku - stokholm ferry
stokholm - Copehagen - Ebsjerg train
Ebsjerg - Harwich Ferry

at least 3 days, I don' envy you.

yup.
that was one of the plans we looked into.
unfort. the train from stockholm to copenhagen is prebooked up for a long time and given that there is only one per day it would be impossible to be sure as to which train we would all need.

not to mention that the same thing is true re the ferries (ie they too are all grid locked so no real way of knowing which one get us to stockholm)

and all this with a hyperactive 6 year old, 13 year old grump, and a stressed out better half in tow.

i think you can imagine the intense discussions that have taken place in recent times.

(oh, and not to mention the fact that my father was rushed into hospital yesterday due to ongoing complications since his recent lung cancer surgery)

however .. things have taken a turn for the better.

the quip re joining the merchant navy have turned out to be true.

we are jumping on board a turku based cargo ship at the weekend and heading for harwhich.

just hoping the stereotypes re vodka are tru. i think i'm going to need a few bottles.

how much are they charging you, if you don't mind me asking?

Royal Navy are now being deployed to bring peeps home

how much are they charging you, if you don't mind me asking?

300 euros each incl. food.

and yes, saw that re navy.

though very much doubt they will be deployed as far as Finland ..

A group of pupils from Kingswood School are stuck in Iceland, 12 pupils from Redland Green School are waiting to come home from Kathmandu, and pupils from Royal High School, in Bath, are stranded in Barbados.

The headmaster, four other members of staff, and 32 pupils from the Ashbourne school have been left stranded in New York after flying to the city for an art trip. The school was expected to reopen on Tuesday.

from BBC.. didn't realise how much of a travel industry niche has grown around school trips.

Aye, it's nuts. We got to go to Dundee :-(

we got a day at roche abbey nr. rotheram once. that was pretty cool.

The BBC News FAQs are answered by a Dr. Rothery and you went to Rotheram? That's a rother big coincidence.

bet they would've all rather had a trip to Inverary Jail.

didn't realise how much of a travel industry niche has grown around school trips

ikr maybe a gov serious about cutting carbon emissions wanna scale that back 20 years /jealous

those are almost all private schools though

i mean "stuck in barbados" is your clue

ok.
the weirdness has notched up a level.
i am hearing from family back in uk that radio 6 are reporting re the finnish merchant navy stepping in and helping people out.

keep hearing the word "stranded" being banded about. ffs, if you're having to extend your honeymoon in the maldives, you're not fucking stranded.

I vote for (the word already exists, but meh) volcanal as the new volcano-related adjective.

http://inapcache.boston.com/universal/site_graphics/blogs/bigpicture/eyja_04_19/e10_23055663.jpg

http://inapcache.boston.com/universal/site_graphics/blogs/bigpicture/eyja_04_19/e15_23053791.jpg

daft punk still helping out

Now people saying flights are probably gonna happen in the UK starting tomorrow afternoon?

kinda:

The volcanic eruption has reduced and the volcano is not currently emitting ash to altitudes that will affect the UK. Assuming there are no further significant ash emissions we are now looking at a continuously improving situation.

Based on the latest information from the Met Office, NATS advises that the restrictions currently in place across UK controlled airspace will remain in place until 0700 (local time) tomorrow, Tuesday.

From 0700 (local time) tomorrow, Tuesday, Scottish airspace will be open, and south to a line between Teesside and Blackpool. Mainland Scottish airports will be open.

lol xxp

ffs new ash cloud
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8631144.stm

I blame Tim Wheeler

have the red tops seriously not a nickname for this bad girl yet? and am I alone in thinking of this volcano as female?

Was wondering about that earlier. Five days of shutdown and no catchy title and no logo w/image of sad cute passenger, 7, for backdrop on news? Wtf. They crack out Big Freeze after 10 mins of snow.

http://www.eurad.uni-koeln.de/index_e.html

forecast

tomorrow

http://db.eurad.uni-koeln.de/prognose/data/alert/pm10_eur_1h_movd1.gif

day after

http://db.eurad.uni-koeln.de/prognose/data/alert/pm10_eur_1h_movd2.gif

^ Was thinking 'ha, Paris clear' but then remembered changing flights in Helsinki :/

my dad got the last flight from dublin to nyc on thursday before things were shut down

xpost: similar dad issues: my dad was meant to fly back from India tonight, but is on standby for Thursday. Thankfully, he's staying with friends so can hang out in Mumbai for as long as needed. Still want him back soon 'cos I was looking forward to my new kolhapuri chappals for the summer:

http://www.hotelpanchshilkolhapur.com/images/kol_chappals.jpg

fuck:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2705/4534593596_b232d031a2_o.jpg

http://www.flickr.com/photos/skarpi/4534593596/sizes/o/

From the BBC - so glad a huge supermarket chain is coping with the upheaval and is on course to make another £3bn profit this year thanks to sending Kenyan flowers to Spain.

More Top Stories

* Tesco overcoming ash disruption

my parents' flight to heathrow was cancelled last night; this morning it's miraculously "uncancelled"

... ?

it's not exactly encouraging to read that several BA flights are currently "en route" to Heathrow despite Heathrow currently being... closed!!

"A spokeswoman said the airline had contingency plans for each flight if Heathrow was still closed but would not say which airports it would use instead." !!!

talk about a game of chicken.. "well we had to land in Manchester. have fun getting to wherever it was you were going!"

i bet jesse used to like Insane Clown Posse.. he might have even had a juggalo girlfriend

haha wrong thread

Icelandic volcanologist studies the Eyjafjallajökull for 20 years, is stuck in Paris when it erupts.
http://www.expatica.com/fr/news/french-rss-news/eruption-strands-iceland-volcano-expert--in-paris_37908.html

I'm getting married on Saturday. We're meant to fly to NYC next Thursday. Resigned to this not happening now.

But British Airways's attempts to land 12 of the 26 long-haul planes heading to the UK at London Heathrow have been thwarted after the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) vetoed the plan and said no flights would be landing at the airport this evening. The 12 planes were diverted to Newcastle and elsewhere, including Brussels.

wtg ba

Better to at least be in the right country/a train ride away from your destination than stuck on the other side of the world, no?

holiday destination vs airport arrival lounge trying to buy same-day train tickets?

Congrats Nick! (sorry about the flight tho obviously)