Avoid flying in europe this summer?
 

I already bought round trip tickets from Chicago to Madrid on June 8-June 29. Last week, planning my "euro trip", I was thinking of taking cheap flights to berlin and amsterdam.... Now because of the volcano, I am thinking it twice and maybe going to Morocco, Turkey, etc... What do you guys think?

wait and see....if ash continues or stops, then decide....good luck...

No doubt the Volcano could last a while the one near there that erupted in the 1800's lasted for 2 years

It could indeed last a long time. Given how important air travel is to Europe at least internationally they will probably come up with a system where they can map the concentrations of the dust accurately. Than with that information can choose which flights are safe to run, or if airline hubs need to move into Spain or Italy.

Isn`t part of the problem that we don`t know where the dust clouds are going to end up? Is there any way to know for sure, if there is more volcanic activity this summer, that Spain and Italy are `safe`?

While the previous eruption did last over 18 months, ash clouds only formed the initial phase. The formation of the fine, dangerous ash was due to rapid cooling of the magma because of the pack ice in the volcano's caldera - once this has melted, the ash will no longer be in its current form.

I would keep the original itin, but make alternate plans for a flight back, if eruption related problems present themselves. Since this is now a "known event" you can't get travel insurance that will cover delays due to this volcanic activity. Perhaps book a secondary set of plane/train tickets to other places further south that may be less likely to be affected by the ash, if it continues and/or worsens.

I'm going ahead with my travel plans, but I'm not going anywhere that I will be stranded without resources (family/friends/colleagues I can stay with), so if I get stuck, it will just be an extended vacation, and I'll have several back up plans.

Good luck.

Also, if you do get stuck on the Iberian peninsula, it's really not much of a hardship. Between Madrid, Barcelona, San Sebastian, Lisbon, Porto, the Douro Valley, Granada and pretty much all of Andalucia, not to mention ferries aplenty to Morocco (don't waste your time in Tangier, though), you'll find it hard to pack it all into the 3 weeks you have there.

Assuming access to free flowing money, that is... ;)

And while it lasted 2 years, no planes were grounded. I think the public should be told. :D

Umm, some of us don't have a choice, and I, being one of those, will be crossing the pond with regularity. Otherwise, I still wouldn't worry, as none of us have any way of predicting mother nature's activities, or anything else in the future for that matter, and thus you should go wherever strikes your fancy. There's no sense in not taking a trip that far in the future and worrying about possibly irrelevant contingencies.

I have been price watching flights from CLT - ATH, and I have noticed since the eruption of the volcano, prices have increased even higher than before!! Do you guys feel that prices may drop next month once the volcano fiasco has begun to pass?? I know they can't be selling tickets THIS quickly!

I'm just guessing here, but some points to consider:

• (I've said this before) EVERYBODY and their mother buys tix for summer travel, especially TATL, in April. Think about it: March is a bit early for people to have definite plans, May/June is cutting it close, the "average" period is April. Prices for summer TATL travel are always higher in April, matching the demand. (Just count the amount of threads asking about cheap tix to Europe popping up in April vs. any other month.)
• The volcano caused havoc. Flights canceled days on end means pax have to be re-accommodated. For the next week or so (at the very least), flights are going to be PACKED. That means that the week or two following that, flights are also going to be packed, with people postponing their plans. IMO, any responsible rev mgt would zero out the lower fare classes for the next month or so.
• Are prices going to drop? Well, can you predict the activity of the volcano, or any cancellations in the near future?
• Bear in mind that you may be able to find cheaper alternatives, but it depends on how flexible you are, too. If price is your ultimate goal, there are various ways to achieve that, but it may entail several more connections, different airlines, etc.

bite thy tongue ;) as i've got a wedding to be at in paris on 26, june* and tix are all booked sfo-cdg-sfo 21, june-29, june.



*no not mine ;) but goalie-cousin and the whole goalie-family (parents & sis) is going so no volcano if you please :)

I heard that there wasn't a single flight the whole time.:)