Seriously thoughtful UK flights grounded by Icelandic volcano

[HarryT]

The election is 6th May - two weeks on Thursday.

[FlorenceArt]

Well, I do hope people can manage to get back by then

My parents are still stranded somewhere in Greece I think - they sent a text message on Sunday and I haven't heard from them since.

[poohbear_nc]

The airlines are in a real "between rock & hard place" - be cautious and lose billions, or chance a flight and risk an ash-induced crash -- and all the ensuing lawsuits, governmental inquiries, etc. I wouldn't want to make that call.

[Panda Rose]

My children are stuck here in the UK, and they want to go home to Cyprus. Fortunately he can work using the computer and Internet, others are not so lucky. And he has his mother to feed him!

[seagull]

I'm not sure if it's been posted here yet but I seen this on another forum, it certainly makes it a little less gloomy...

"Dear Iceland,
We asked for cash, not ash"

[HarryT]

Already posted.

[seagull]

...Anyway, this incident makes me wonder what sort of plans we can get together in the event of a MAJOR eruption like Yellowstone (it's got to happen sometime)

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by seagull

...Anyway, this incident makes me wonder what sort of plans we can get together in the event of a MAJOR eruption like Yellowstone (it's got to happen sometime)

How essential is flying to most people? We may have become used to getting anywhere in the world in a day, but I'd guess that there are very few people who actually NEED to do so. Eg, you can get pretty much anywhere in Western Europe on the train in a day (24h); I'd guess that the same would be true in the US, too, with modern high-speed trains.

[FlorenceArt]

Originally Posted by HarryT

How essential is flying to most people? We may have become used to getting anywhere in the world in a day, but I'd guess that there are very few people who actually NEED to do so. Eg, you can get pretty much anywhere in Western Europe on the train in a day (24h); I'd guess that the same would be true in the US, too, with modern high-speed trains.

In the greater scheme of things (as in, in the long term, we're all dead), we don't, but the whole economy is built, in part, on things and people flying from one place to another. I expect this will have to change slowly though, as fuel prices can be expected to go higher and the economic balance of the system will change.

[beppe]

Originally Posted by seagull

...Anyway, this incident makes me wonder what sort of plans we can get together in the event of a MAJOR eruption like Yellowstone (it's got to happen sometime)

A much better plan.
this event -> this plan
MAJOR event-> MAJOR plan

Or not?

[GeoffC]

Originally Posted by seagull

...Anyway, this incident makes me wonder what sort of plans we can get together in the event of a MAJOR eruption like Yellowstone (it's got to happen sometime)

prayer ....

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by FlorenceArt

In the greater scheme of things (as in, in the long term, we're all dead), we don't, but the whole economy is built, in part, on things and people flying from one place to another. I expect this will have to change slowly though, as fuel prices can be expected to go higher and the economic balance of the system will change.

The overwhelming majority of goods, though, travel between continents by sea, rather than air. It tends to be only small, high-value, or highly perishable goods that are shipped by air.

[GeoffC]

seemingly the main, perishable ones are, flowers ....

[cmdahler]

Originally Posted by seagull

...Anyway, this incident makes me wonder what sort of plans we can get together in the event of a MAJOR eruption like Yellowstone (it's got to happen sometime)

In that sort of event, you're talking about a complete breakdown of societal structure over a huge swath of the planet. There isn't much in the way of a plan you could construct. Even were you able to reliably predict the event with, say, six months' advance notice, you're still faced with constructing a plan that would require evacuating pretty much the entire western two-thirds of the United States, Canada, and Mexico; and the global climate consequences would stretch on for years. I doubt with existing technology that we could possibly construct a "plan" that would be even remotely effective in preventing hundreds of millions of deaths from that kind of an event; a great deal of human society would undergo a monumental breakdown and rearrangement that would be basically unpredictable in its outcome. I hope I'm not here to see it.

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I've now had personal proof that the ash really is there: it rained here yesterday morning, and my car is now covered in a sort of very fine sandy residue; obviously the rain brought down a lot of ash with it.

One small consollation, my car is parked under a roof... In Bremen...

Originally Posted by HarryT

How essential is flying to most people? We may have become used to getting anywhere in the world in a day, but I'd guess that there are very few people who actually NEED to do so. Eg, you can get pretty much anywhere in Western Europe on the train in a day (24h); I'd guess that the same would be true in the US, too, with modern high-speed trains.

this is the first time in a long time I took a plane. Believe me, it'll be a long time before I'll catch another one... I hate this. I really can't stand the uncertainty of not knowing when I'll be home. Even if I'll get home... I've heard people will have to wait for 2! weeks before they can get home (aka, the first plane with an empty seat will be in 2 weeks...).

Ryanair has suspended flight till at least Thursday, 13:00...