More from Eyjafjallajokull - The Big Picture - Boston.com

The source of the problems the last couple of days.
More from Eyjafjallajokull - The Big Picture - Boston.com

Latest travel news.

All British airports are now open and Transport Secretary Lord Adonis has said he expects them to remain open. Anyone booked and planning to go to an airport should contact their airline before starting their journey as some flights are delayed and others cancelled.

BAA have said that passengers with cars in airport car parks will not be charged any excess for delays caused by the ash.

British Airways:  it hopes to run all longhaul flights from Heathrow and Gatwick today. However, there will be shorthaul cancellations to and from London airports until midday.

Virgin Atlantic:  plans to operate its normal flying schedule, in and out of London Heathrow, London Gatwick and Manchester today.

However the airline has released this advice to passengers: 'Because of the short lead-in time, we will not be able to offer our usual range of on board catering on the flights departing from the UK.  Therefore, we are asking all passengers with special dietary requirements to make their own arrangements prior to boarding the flight.'

easyJet:  is planning to operate 900 flights across the UK and Europe today.

bmi:  plans to operate flights between London Heathrow and all its UK and Ireland destinations (Aberdeen, Belfast, Dublin, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Manchester). A reduced schedule will operate today, while additional aircraft are sent to international destinations to rescue stranded customers.

Ryanair: will NOT be resuming its Northern European flights (UK, Ireland, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Belgium, Holland, France, Germany, Poland, Baltic States and North Italy) until at least 1pm on Thursday.  Additionally, Ryanair has decided to cancel all of its flights between Ireland and the UK until 1pm on Friday.

Air France:  plans to fly all of its long-haul programme for Wednesday, although some flights in parts of northern Europe would remain suspended.

Iberia:  says all its flights are fully booked for the following week.

 

Flight restrictions , latest news.

DOT comment:  Flights from UK airports were able to resume from 22.00 last night, much of the UK airspace is re-opening in phases, the Department for Transport said.  "Most of the skies over the UK has been closed to commercial airliners due to the volcanic ash plume over the UK.

"There will continue to be some ‘no fly zones’ where concentrations of ash are at levels unsafe for flights to take place, but these will be very much smaller than the present restrictions."

The CAA will continue to monitor the situation with tests both in the air and on the ground.  "It will take time for flights to settle down to normal timetables. If you are hoping to travel, you should contact your airline before travelling to the airport," the DOT said.
 
There will continue to be some ‘no fly zones’ where concentrations of ash are at levels unsafe for flights to take place, but very much smaller than the present restrictions, according to the CAA.
 
But the Met Office advice is that ‘no fly zones’ do not currently cover the UK.

comment:  Please note that many airlines are closing out seats for the next few days so normal service may take some time to resume.  If you are already booked on a flight leaving today or tomorrow, then the airline should carry you.   ATP does not advise heading to the airport for 'standby' flights, but recommends passengers contact their normal ATP service team for reservations.

As previously advised, the high call volumes we are experiencing may have some impact on the normal ATP service levels.

British Airways are looking to operate all longhaul flights departing from Heathrow and Gatwick on Wednesday April 21. This will help to get more aircraft, pilots and cabin crew back who are currently in the UK out to cities around the world to help customers still awaiting a flight.

Willie Walsh, BA chief executive, said: “Safety is always our over-riding priority. We have many years of experience of operating in areas of volcanic activity all around the world.  “On behalf of the tens of thousands of customers stranded around the globe, we are delighted the authorities have paid heed to the arguments we and the industry have put forward.”

Even though UK airspace has been re-opened there will be shorthaul cancellations to and from London airports until 1300 UK time today.

Ferry: On Wednesday evening 21 April Northlink will operate a ferry from Aberdeen-Bergen.

At the request of the Scottish government, the MV Hamnavoe is being deployed to Bergen to repatriate UK citizens currently displaced due to the flight situation. There will be no sailings on the Pentland Firth route on Wednesday 21st, Thursday 22nd or Friday 23rd April 2010.