USA: Volcanic ash cloud is disrupting U.S. flights to and from Europe

Record ID: 554584

  • Title: USA: Volcanic ash cloud is disrupting U.S. flights to and from Europe
  • Date: 16th April 2010
  • Summary: NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (APRIL 15, 2010) (REUTERS) VARIOUS BRITISH AIRWAYS TERMINAL AT NEW YORK'S JFK AIRPORT GROUNDED BRITISH AIRWAYS JET PASSENGERS INSIDE AMERICAN AIRLINES TERMINAL DEPARTUES/ARRIVAL BOARD INSIDE AMERICAN AIRLINES TERMINAL YOUNG BOY PLAYS GAME AT THE FOOT OF THE DEPARTUES/ARRIVAL BOARD VARIOUS DEPARTUES/ARRIVAL BOARD SHOWING CANCELED FLIGHTS TO LONDON'S HEATHROW AIRPORT (SOUNDBITE) (English) SARAH WATSON, TRAVELER FROM LONDON, SAYING: "People queued up waiting for information and those people were told that there wasn't going to be anything provided, that they would have to sort out their own hotels and that all the hotels are JFK were fully booked. They went off back to Manhattan, to hotels, sorted out their own transport and it was just that we were lucky enough to wait around long enough for them to provide something for us." VARIOUS HOLIDAY INN HOTEL AT JFK AIRPORT WHERE PASSENGERS WERE ACCOMMODATED (SOUNDBITE) (English) STEPHANIE AND GARY ALDERSON, TRAVELERS FROM LONDON, SAYING: GARY ALDERSON: "We did actually. I had to go to a funeral tomorrow morning, so I won't make that." STEPHANIE ALDERSON: "It was his gran, my girls great-great grandmother, which we are going to miss that." GARY ALDERSON: "That's a shame, obviously. We have dogs and cats in kennels." STEPHANIE ALDERSON: "And we have fish at home who might die because they don't have any food. But to be honest with you, at the end of the day, you don't want to fly during a volcano. I would much rather be delayed than being up in the air, worried about coming down before you're meant to." (SOUNDBITE) (English) VALERIE AND DAVID LEES, TRAVELERS FROM LONDON, SAYING: "It wasn't much of an inconvenience. We are retired, we have got nothing particular that we are going back for. We are relatively happy to stay here for a short while." WOMAN TAKES A PHOTOGRAPH OF THE DEPARTURES/ARRIVAL BOARD INSIDE AMERICAN AIRLINES TERMINAL DEPARTUES/ARRIVAL BOARD
  • Embargoed: 1st May 2010 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Usa
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: Disasters / Accidents / Natural catastrophes
  • Reuters ID: LVADRPVOVME6IVC0T7WC2QPE7ZPK
  • Story Text: Air traffic on one of the world's busiest routes, between New York and London, was halted on Thursday (April 15) as volcanic ash in Iceland disrupted flights across the globe.
    British Airways and American Airlines canceled some flights to London and delayed others, both airlines said.
    The route for most flights from the east coast of the United States to Europe crosses the North Atlantic near the ash cloud, making flying too dangerous.
    British Airways spokesman John Lampl told Reuters the airline had several flights out of the U.S. bound for Heathrow that were returned to their destinations when London airports were closed. Flights affected included departures from Chicago, San Francisco, Denver, Las Vegas and New York.
    New York affected passengers were being put up in hotels, including at a nearby Holiday Inn.
    Sarah Watson, who had been scheduled to return to her native Britain at dawn on Thursday, said British Airways initially refused to accommodate passengers, because Mother Nature was the problem.
    "People queued up waiting for information and those people were told that there wasn't going to be anything provided, that they would have to sort out their own hotels and that all the hotels are JFK were fully booked," Watson said.
    "They went off back to Manhattan, to hotels, sorted out their own transport and it was just that we were lucky enough to wait around long enough for them to provide something for us."
    Airports in Britain, Ireland and the Nordic countries have been closed because of ash from the volcano that erupted Wednesday.
    Stephanie and Gary Alderson, from London, said they would now miss their grandmother's funeral as a result of the inconvenience.
    "But to be honest with you... you don't want to fly during a volcano," Stephanie said.
    "I would much rather be delayed than being up in the air, worried about coming down before you're meant to."
    Air traffic was expected to resume late on Thursday night or Friday morning.
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