London's Heathrow Airport Scheduled to Close Due to Ash from Iceland Volcano
How Many Travelers Are Affected?
Heathrow Airport is the busiest airport in Europe with more than 1,200 flights per day. According to 2007 figures from the Airport Council approximately7,700 passengers travel through Heathrow Airport each hour. Those figures are said to be down slightly, but even then the closing of Heathrow Airport will affect many travelers and Heathrow is not the only airport in Britain scheduled to close.
Which Other Airports Are Affected:
Other airports affected by the eruption of Iceland volcano Eyjafjallajokull include: Manchester, Liverpool, Stansted, Birmingham, East Midlands, Bristol, Luton, Gatwick and Heathrow.
Details of Iceland Volcano Eruption
Iceland volcano Eyjafjallajokull erupted on Wednesday, April 14, 2010. This is the second time the Iceland volcano has erupted in a month. The last eruption was March, 20, 2010. The March 20th eruption followed nearly 200 years of inactivity.
What Can Travelers Do?
Travelers who've had their flights canceled due to the ash clouds from Iceland's volcano can expect according to the ABTA Travel Association that airlines will attempt to reschedule their journey or offer refunds. Because the cancellations are due to a "natural disaster" there is not a requirement to offer affected traveler's compensation. Those who have booked trips through tour agencies are encouraged to contact their travel agency to find out what type of accommodations can be made.
As a former frequent traveler I know how difficult it is to have your travel plans disrupted, all those affected have my sympathy. I would imagine with the scale of the closings making alternative travel arrangements will prove difficult for many. Hopefully the closing, which was scheduled to occur around 7:00 am EST today, 12:00 P.M. (London time) will prove to be short lived.
Sources:
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_people_on_average_fly_into_Heathrow_Airport_per_hour
Published by Joyce Carole
Joyce is a former marketing professional and aspiring freelance writer. She holds an MBA degree from the University of Pittsburgh and a Degree in Marketing from Robert Morris University. Joyce has worked for... View profile
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5 Comments
Post a Commentgreat write up
My daughter flew from Baltimore to Heathrow arriving on Thursday, April 15 at 9:25 am. She entered the airport to learn that all British Airways flights to Edinburgh had been cancelled, including her 11:35 am flight. She managed to get on a train to Edinburgh, which was packed with standing passengers. So even before noon, flights were being cancelled.
I've been reading about this. It sounds as though a lot more airports in other countries will have this problem soon. At least technology allows close tracking.
Why am I not surprised that they have yet another glitch at Heathrow! Last time I was there (Jan 10) they had problems with the snow and it was a big mess! I used to love Heathrow's organisation but with the new annex, everything seems to have got worse for travellers.
Wow, I hadn't heard, good report. Cheers :)