Volcano?

[throbber]

I've been grounded and enjoying the glorious weather at home here in Scotland for the last 4 days due to the volcanic ash plume. If you want to keep up to date with where the ash plume is located, forget the journos and go straight to the Volanic Ash Advisory Centre (London VAAC)website via the UK Met Office. They forecast the ash cloud location every 6 hours and where it is predicted to be over the following 18 hours.

http://metoffice.com/aviation/vaac/index.html

follow the link for the 'Issued graphics' after London VAA, unless you really enjoy plotting lats and longs in which case look at the advisory. On the other hand, plotting the coordinates will take your mind off the Pandora for several hours

The red line is the boundary of the ash cloud from the surface to flight level 200 ( roughly 20,000 feet ).

Upper winds continue to flow from the northwest, so I don't see the ash distribution changing much over the following few days and don't reckon to be back flying until at least midweek, if then.

 

[ging]

I've been grounded and enjoying the glorious weather at home here in Scotland for the last 4 days due to the volcanic ash plume. If you want to keep up to date with where the ash plume is located, forget the journos and go straight to the Volanic Ash Advisory Centre (London VAAC)website via the UK Met Office. They forecast the ash cloud location every 6 hours and where it is predicted to be over the following 18 hours.

http://metoffice.com/aviation/vaac/index.html

follow the link for the 'Issued graphics' after London VAA, unless you really enjoy plotting lats and longs in which case look at the advisory. On the other hand, plotting the coordinates will take your mind off the Pandora for several hours

The red line is the boundary of the ash cloud from the surface to flight level 200 ( roughly 20,000 feet ).

Upper winds continue to flow from the northwest, so I don't see the ash distribution changing much over the following few days and don't reckon to be back flying until at least midweek, if then.

Agree, the company I work for charter aircraft in/out of the UK. After Wednesday at the earliest is our informed guess.

 

[Dunny]

Still no movement from UPS, and won't be any tomorrow either apparently.

Might as well put your feet up, Craig - this could go on for months yet. IIRC, the last time this particular Volcano did it's thing, it didn't stop for two years

D.

 

[Loonie]

Grumble grumble stupid volcano.

 

[borgqueenx]

Grumble grumble stupid volcano.

Bursts out in tear...ashes.

 

[quadomatic]

Still no movement from UPS, and won't be any tomorrow either apparently.

Might as well put your feet up, Craig - this could go on for months yet. IIRC, the last time this particular Volcano did it's thing, it didn't stop for two years

D.

Someone posted earlier that airlines are running test flights to show it's safe to fly, so I'm guessing the wait might not be too long.

 

[Nupfi]

Still no movement from UPS, and won't be any tomorrow either apparently.

Might as well put your feet up, Craig - this could go on for months yet. IIRC, the last time this particular Volcano did it's thing, it didn't stop for two years

D.

Someone posted earlier that airlines are running test flights to show it's safe to fly, so I'm guessing the wait might not be too long.

There was a test flight in Austria today and everything went fine - but I don't think that's much of a help.

 

[Zotty]

Same here in the Netherlands. KLM has been testing with filters in the engines today. Filters came back clean.

 

[Sugar_Kane]

They could technically send the cases from China via train, straight through to the UK. That is a possibility if we are facing a bleak, volcanic ash covered future.

 

[PJDiddy]

Still no movement from UPS, and won't be any tomorrow either apparently.

"United Parcel Service Inc. (UPS) said Sunday that it has begun flying some Europe-bound Asian freight to Istanbul, Turkey, where it then will be trucked to its final destinations in a process expected to add up to three days to delivery schedules. UPS may look at opening a temporary air hub in Southern Europe, and then using trucks from there, if the flying ban looks like it is going to last more than a few more days. The main European hubs of UPS and FedEx Corp. (FDX) have been closed because of the ash cloud, although both have been able to continue moving freight throughout Europe by diverting to trucks. Getting cargo on and off the continent has been more problematic, however. FedEx, which didn't have an immediate update on Sunday, announced late Friday that it has stopped accepting deferred international shipments bound for Europe. UPS said it has informed U.S. customers that it has no way of flying cargo to and from Europe, although it noted that it's still willing to pick up goods and store it for the time being."

Got this off the newswires this evening.

 

[quadomatic]

I've been confused about this, but I'm guessing the volcano has messed up both the shipping of boards from Dallas to the UK, as well as cases from China to the UK?

 

[Sugar_Kane]

well the cases haven't shipped yet, but they are due to by the 20th (if painting is given the thumbs up) IIRC. Then again, I imagine there will be a gigantic back log of things that are waiting to be shipped, so the cases could still be affected

 

[xyta]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0hUNGYG8_w

 

[Izomiac]

Ok, someone needs to start packing Pandora parts in bags rather than boxes, that's just asking for trouble. Also, a volcano?!?! WTF did Craig et al. do to have such comically bad karma??? Was the last company retreat a visit to a flamethrower shooting range combined with a kitten mill? I'm half expecting the final completion date to be 2012 and a meteorite to vaporize the packaged Pandoras mere hours before they ship.

 

[Snow-Okami]

^ This.

 

[second exodous]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0hUNGYG8_w

That is an annoying song, this won't be one of those funny songs they'll play over and over on the radio will it? If it is I feel sorry for people that like that radio station.

 

[Mithrildor]

Schiphol will start flying again tommorrow. I guess other airports will start again soon.

 

[WizardStan]

Schiphol will start flying again tommorrow. I guess other airports will start again soon.

Airports have been saying they'll start flying again tomorrow since Thursday.
Tomorrow is the airline's current equivalent of Two Months(tm)

 

[throbber]

The volcano has now stopped emiting significant amounts of ash, so there is no longer a continuous supply into the existing ash clouds. Assuming there are no further eruptions then the existing ash should disperse. The upper winds should clear Scotland of ash overnight and push southwards to clear England later tomorrow. Quote from UK National Air Traffic Services (they control the airspace above the UK):

"Statement on Icelandic volcanic eruption: Monday April 19, 1530

The volcanic eruption has reduced and the volcano is not currently emitting ash to altitudes that will affect the UK. Assuming there are no further significant ash emissions we are now looking at a continuously improving situation.

Based on the latest information from the Met Office, NATS advises that the restrictions currently in place across UK controlled airspace will remain in place until 0700 (local time) tomorrow, Tuesday.

From 0700 (local time) tomorrow, Tuesday, Scottish airspace will be open, and south to a line between Teesside and Blackpool. Mainland Scottish airports will be open.

This is a dynamic and changing situation and is therefore difficult to forecast beyond 0700 local; however, the latest Met Office advice is that the contaminated area will continue to move south with the possibility that restrictions to airspace above England and Wales, including the London area, may be lifted later tomorrow (Tuesday).

We will continue to monitor Met Office information and review our arrangements in line with that. We will advise further arrangements at approximately 2100 (local time), today."

A sacrafice is needed to pacify the volcano god. Any volunteers

 

[Mithrildor]

Schiphol will start flying again tommorrow. I guess other airports will start again soon.

Airports have been saying they'll start flying again tomorrow since Thursday.
Tomorrow is the airline's current equivalent of Two Months(tm)

yeah but today a dutch Minister said they were going to fly again tomorrow.