BOH

So who of the FT regulars is stranded away from their home by the shutdown of airspace - and what are you doing with the time? Playing a waiting game in an airport, holed up in a hotel, taking a bit of holiday, golf etc.

Any novel ways of getting home being tried - in the days after 9/11 there were stories of stranded pax clubbing together and renting a car to drive thousands of miles across the USA to get home - is this being tried in Europe yet?

A Man Ray Kind Of Sky

Sitting in Encore Las Vegas, booked to fly LAX-LHR-NCL starting at 9.20pm PST 16/04/10 (BA268). It's showing as still running, but it's never going to happen in reality....

So, I've tried calling You First, but have spent �10 on hold so far, so e-mailed them with my hotel phone number and asked them to call back.

Planning to drive to LA anyway, as we have a hire car to drop off, and if I don't succeed in speaking to BA on the phone, at least I can wander into the airport and speak to a real person.

We can run our business from a hotel room, as long as we have a phone and e-mail; problems start when we're incommunicado for 10+ hours.

However, I'm very chilled about the whole thing as I have faith in BA to make the best of a bad situation. It's not as if there's anything we can do about it. I have a very low tolerance threshold for idiocy when it comes to customer service, but I plan to be very very patient with anyone I speak to over the next few days as this is really a once in a lifetime event.

We went to LA last year and didn't do everything we wanted to, so if we do get stuck there we have a few plans.

My main worry is my 4-month pregnant wife. She's also chilled out about it, but is a little nervous as it's our first. Also, she's in a high risk group for DVT (according to our consultant) so really doesn't fancy being stuck in economy for 10 hours. I hope that, even if I have to sit at the back, BA will see sense and make her a priority in terms of honouring the original class of booking.

All in all though, it's something to tell baby about when he or she comes along....

flyingbee

Bored in Beijing!

I'm enjoying a second day in the Crowne Plaza, courtesy of BA. I am passing my time looking at FT, reading and watching TV. For a bit of excitement this afternoon, I might do a bit of hand-washing in the sink (clean clothes supply running dangerously low) and some work.

Really, really fed up with eating hotel buffet food every meal. I'm looking forward to getting home eventually.

BOH

Brilliant! (

PS: Hope your hands get clean

drabics

Bloody Spaniards delayed us at the edge of the runway so that the window closed to get into UK airspace yesterday. Ultimately, the computer said, "no."

Must survive on tapas, paella, and sangria

Will need vacation time afterwords.

TMC

I'm not technically stranded but I am currently in Tokyo part way through a LHR-NRT-HKG-PVG-CTU-HKG-LHR - due to fly back next Thursday and see that all BA HKG-LHR flights listed as still operating have now been zeroed out in all classes through to next Friday so things could yet get interesting.

I've toyed with setting up meetings in either DBX, KRK, MEL or even going the wrong way back via ORD if this continues as I'll have little left to do in Asia but need to get to those locations some time in the next few months.

Gaz

I'm sitting on a Virgin train from Manchester to London, keeping an eye on developments online and getting updates on the phone now and again. Having a very good TA has been a godsend at this time (although still hasn't got me out of the UK yet!).

I'm confirmed on a late flight to Newark out of LHR that isn't yet cancelled - in Y but hey, beggars can't be choosers. Hoping it may be one of the first to go if restrictions are relaxed at 7pm today. If this is cancelled, which there's a good chance of, I've got a Eurostar ticket to Paris tomorrow with an alternative booked to Toronto tomorrow from AMS.

Must've been confirmed on about 10 flights since yesterday and also booked two fully-flex Eurostar tickets. If I don't make it, at least I tried!

Cyba

Cyprus. A friend is stuck in beirut. I'm considering going over to meet up with him! I hear it's a nice city.

Hedley_Lamarr

"Stuck" in Sydney in the Stamford Hotel. Fantastic view of SYD airport from the hotel window, and I'm off to the gym/sauna/pool.

^ to BA for getting us into the hotel so quickly

Only downside is I will miss Gil Scott Heron at the RFH on Tuesday night if I don't make it back in time.

johnny5a

Do it! It's brilliant, my wife and I flew over last weekend from LCA.

redshift27

If you are stranded, I would not sit around waiting for UK airspace to reopen. This may not be anytime soon. If it was me, I would be booking myself onto a flight to an open European airport, e.g. MAD or FCO and planning to get back to the UK by rail / sea from there. (Eurostar is rammed I hear.)

johnny5a

Not me but Mrs Johnny5a is working today instead of travelling back to LHR from LCA.

I guess she'll spend the weekend at the gym and the pool in the hotel.

BOH

On our local radio this morning that travel agents have seen a marked number of enquiries from stranded pax wanting to see if thay can join cruises part way through their itinerary in Europe. For example, can they join cruises stopping at Barcelona, Rome, Nice, Gibraltar etc on thei way back to Southampton. And the other way round from Southampton outwards.

A Man Ray Kind Of Sky

I've now been on hold to You First for half an hour.

Thank Christ for Skype. I'd never used it before today, but I'm able to call the UK from Las Vegas for around 1.5p a minute.

henners

On a delayed ferry awaiting departure from Dublin, looking forward to the delights of a ferry-load of passengers trying to get onto the dinky little train from Holyhead...