"I hate Iceland"

[kevmacmeh]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34mHZgP9vkc

Kinda sums up what people think of Iceland wrecking their travel plans!

 

[tetrapak]

Poor Iceland, not only got their nice share from the recession, they are also blamed for their stupid volcanoes

 

[Gerry]

Aw, that bloke should love Iceland because Glasgow is NOT covered in ash (and the cancellations) and most flights to Europe are going there.

This will be a huge boon for the Scots (and Italians - also not affected). Having to stop in Glasgow is not a bad thing, imo.

The downside - putting a huge strain on available trains, buses, or whatever transportation is available on the ground. All tickets are being snatched up as quickly as they become available.

This is going to continue to spread and be a problem and may even get into Italy and Northern Africa. Heard Ryan Air has canceled all flights through Monday.

My wife has a co-worker who is stuck in Paris with her kids. They have no idea when they will be able to get back (supposed to have been this past Thursday).

 

[Dale Hubbard]

Bloody ash is messing up lots of plans. I bet most people personally know at least someone affected.

 

[katherine]

To the British and Dutch Governments:
There is no C in the Icelandic alphabet, so when you ask for Cash, all you get is Ash…

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/financ...llajokull-visits-volcanic-revenge-on-britain/

 

[tetrapak]

Nice one Kate!

 

[Gerry]

For what it is worth, during Hurricane Katrina my Uncle and his family were at ground zero in Diamond Head, Mississippi. His wife is an Iceland native.

For over a week I was unable to reach them. I posted many notices on nearly every board I could find (Red Cross, etc) wanting information.

One day, I got an email shortly followed by a phone call - it was the Iceland Consulate in the US that emailed me and the call was from Iceland itself!

The call was from the Icelandic ministry. They wanted to know if this person I was seeking was Karly (Middle Name?) Krístendóttir. I honestly did not know my aunt's maiden name nor recognized their elaborate spelling and alphabet. They had seen my posts on the internet and had also been attempting to make contact with her.

I explained the relationship and, based on where I was attempting to make contact and her Children's names (dual citizenship), this was in fact my aunt. They had also been trying to contact her.

The next day, my aunt called me. She was calling from a Satellite phone given to her. Two Icelandic diplomats were at her doorstep.

I can tell you this...yes, Iceland may be small. But I have never ever heard of concern and such quick response and action in all my life! Not only were the diplomats ensuring that my aunt and her family had everything they needed, they also took their neighbors in the community under their wing.

The consulate contacted me again to ensure if I needed any assistance in getting to my aunt and her family.

The fact that even though I had no ties to Iceland, I guess I do for having my aunt as part of my family.

 

[draggar]

Was that groundskeeper Willy?

I wonder if there will be any large scale environmental effects from this? I can't seem to get a scale of the size of this eruption.

 

[Seraphim]

Godbless Iceland, home of the true viking blonde!

The air here in Krakow has a dusty taste and feel to it though. Nothing like a mouth full of sulfuric acid.

 

[tetrapak]

I wasn't out at 2am, but I'll check how it is now!

 

[Gerry]

I am sure that this will cause for yet ANOTHER airline bailout.

They are losing millions a day, billions if all airlines globally are counted.

This is an absolute nightmare and mess for many people. Good luck finding a hotel room somewhere in these affected areas.

Perhaps travel insurance will see a huge boost.

 

[tetrapak]

It's a bit scary to think what if the volcano continues to spew ash for the next 2 years, like it did the last time in 1821. My parents laughed at me when I asked, what if I can't fly in the next two years from Europe? For them it is not so obvious, as for our generation. Just imagine how much the railway infrastructure should develop in the near future if this continues. And what will happen to the European economy? Surely it would have a huge impact. Yes, you can travel around Europe quite easily by car / bus / train, but what about overseas? I don't even know how long does a boat trip takes to America from here. As for the airline bailout.. Indeed, but many will go bankrupt too if this really continues longer than a few days.

"The other problem is that the volcano is still erupting and still transmitting the ash into the atmosphere," Miller said. "As long as the volcano is erupting, the ash will continue being transported by the wind, and flight disruption will continue." - http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/04/16/volcano.weather/?hpt=Mid

My sister is stuck in UK, but of course she can take a car, but many people are not so lucky.

 

[Gerry]

Just heard that now over 2 million people are stranded from completing their itinerary.

John Clease took a taxi from Oslo to Brussels paying over $5,000.00.

People are desperate to get to where they are going.

What could this mean? Possible upsurge in transatlantic cruise lines and a huge jump in live video conferences.


Also, worldwide this is costing over $200 million a day to the airlines.



In the long run, those places that are so dependent on tourists could suffer in a huge way. Plus, there are so many connecting hubs in Europe. My nephew just returned to Iraq via Atlanta to Germany to Kuwait to Iraq. Italy is starting to see the effects now and canceling some in bound and out bound flights. This may start drifting towards Greece. If that happens, then pretty much say every country in Europe is "grounded".

I can not imagine the added costs to those who need to travel. To get in and out of Europe, travelers may have to make their plans to include Northern Africa as inbound and outbound points. Fly to Northern Africa (which would be cool in itself - Cairo, Algiers, Tangiers, etc) and take ferries.

Be prepared to see this go on for a long time. We are at the mercy of mother nature.

 

[fab]

My daughter's brother in law is locked up in England.

 

[whitebark]

It's a bit scary to think what if the volcano continues to spew ash for the next 2 years

It would be a good time to buy shares in sea-based shipping and cruise companies!

 

[Gerry]

It would be a good time to buy shares in sea-based shipping and cruise companies!

Got that right!

There are already a handful of transatlantic cruises. Takes quite a while. Almost took one from Ft. Lauderdale to Italy.

As for shipping via freighter, might not be a bad idea to watch the stock of Sea-Land, Maersk, and a few others.

You can see from this chart that Maersk is already up since this event happened.
http://www.reuters.com/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=MAERSKb.CO

Already this is causing major failures in timely delivery of carriers like DHL, FedEx, UPS and other international/global shippers.

 

[tetrapak]

It would be a good time to buy shares in sea-based shipping and cruise companies!

Funny, this is exactly what I was explaining to my friends two hours ago

 

[britishbulldog]

I love Iceland,it's nice and quiet here living next to an airport