Volcanic Ash Cloud Causes More Air Travel Chaos

The volcano in Iceland that caused so much travel chaos a few weeks ago is still smoldering, and with a new blast of volcanic ash drifting southeast, flights from Scotland and Ireland have once again been halted today according to the BBC.

So far the cloud has not shown to be as thick as the other week, and airports in Northern Ireland are now open again, but the volcanic activity continues, and who knows what the coming days and weeks will bring.

The airspace over Scotland's Outer Hebrides still remains closed however, which is affecting the Tiree, Barra and Benbecula airports plus Campbeltown in Argyll.

Fortunately the cloud of volcanic ash does not extent above 20,000 feet, and since most flights, certainly those of jet airliners, usually operate between 30,000 to 40,000 feet, international flights across the Atlantic are unaffected. However, should the cloud spread and cause airports to close, further chaos will no doubt ensue again.

I assume that the ash does not usually rise above 20,000 feet due to changes in the atmospheric currents and the weight of the ash. If this did rise higher, it would take much longer to drop to earth, and if caught up in the jet stream it could circulate around the whole of the North Atlantic region, and cause disruption to North Atlantic air travel for many months if not years.

The biggest problem with the flight cancellations in April was that airports were closed for a 12-hour period, pending a review of the conditions. This was combined with many Europeans taking Easter vacations and the airport closures coinciding with their dates to return home.

Had the airports been closed for 3 or 4 days initially, there would have been an uproar, but alternative arrangements would have been made to get people home immediately.

Since the closure was only for 12 hours, people expected the airports to re-open later that day or at the latest the following day, and this of course did not happen. Each day the same thing, another 12 hour delay, and what to do?

The longer the delay continued, the more likely many people thought that the airports would re-open at any time, and so many travelers decided to stay put.

Many of those who did decide to try and get themselves home were fleeced by car rental companies and hotel operators, who knew that there was an increase in demand and took advantage of them. It was an unprecedented disruption, which could repeat itself at any time unfortunately.

Will This Affect Summer Travel Arrangements?

This summer, I wonder how many European tourists will opt for travel to destinations that do not require them to fly? I predict that there will be an increase in traffic across the English Channel, plus to resorts across Europe, with people taking advantage of visiting places closer to home.

This will be good news for UK resorts like Bournemouth for example, where for the last few years hotels have not been fully booked, as poor summers in the UK have led to more people going overseas. This year might see a reversal in that trend.

What If The Ash Cloud Continues To Cause Disruption?

Hopefully, the volcanic activity in Iceland will dissipate, however should the eruption continue, and the cloud spread further, we could easily see a repeat of the chaos in April if not worse.

Should the wind direction take the cloud of volcanic ash across the North Atlantic towards the USA, this could affect flights in and out of Canada, and possibly much of the Eastern Seaboard.

Many areas of Canada and the USA are fairly remote, and overland travel whether it be by car or train takes a lot longer than air travel, which is the normal mode of transport in parts of these countries between cities that are more than 100 miles apart.

If the cloud was to drift far enough to affect major airports such as Detroit, Boston, New York or Washington, even to drift far enough west to affect Chicago, then a lot of businesses would be affected, and this could have a severe effect on the status of the airlines, which are already struggling to stay afloat in today's economic climate.

Imagine a situation where there is no air mail, no commuter planes, a severe restriction on flying in and out of major cities, maybe for weeks at a time. This would change the way that we live in many ways, and lead us to realize just how fragile our way of life is.

One thing that I haven't read anything about is the effect that the ash cloud has had on satellite television or on satellite communications in general. I assume that there has been little or no disruption, but with all that dust in the air, I would think that this might have had an effect on the clarity and speed of transmissions.

Let us just hope that in these days leading up to 21st December 2012, that the apparent increase in volcanic and earthquake activity is just an apparent increase, and not a statistical fact. I am not quite ready for the world to end - yet!

Sources:

RTE News Travel Updates

Irish Airspace To Close From 7am Tuesday