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April/May 2010 - Volcanic Activity in Iceland and Impact to United's Operations

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April/May 2010 - Volcanic Activity in Iceland and Impact to United's Operations

 
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Old Apr 17, 2010, 1:40 pm
  #211  
 
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Originally Posted by climmy
If this kept up, would UA have to start turning the widebodies on domestic runs just to get the pilots their required take-offs and landings?
Very unlikely, at least for this reason. Getting them current in the sim is much cheaper. Or, alternatively, they can get them to do a few landings on their own at the same airport.
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Old Apr 17, 2010, 1:43 pm
  #212  
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Originally Posted by NeoOfTheCRS
Thanks US2. So for Star Alliance escapes out of (or into Europe)

it looks like LIS to EWR is available on both CO and TAP

BCN to EWR is available on CO

FCO to PHL on US, FCO to IAD on UA, FCO to EWR on CO

MAD to EWR on CO and MAD to IAD on UA.

(Maybe a few others i missed)

I see seats on many of these routes available on Sunday... so you just have to be willing to take the train wherever you want to go from there. France, Germany and Switzerland are probably best reached by Barcelona--its right over the boarder from France
Also:
MAD-PHL on US, which has seats tomorrow at $2270 for full Y
BCN-PHL on US, also available in Envoy only tomorrow at $3223

However, the question is whether the cloud will drift further south. From the map I posted, MAD looks to be OK, but the ash is awfully close to BCN.

Also, Spanair would have BCN-MAD service and their website as of now shows flights to be operating.
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Old Apr 17, 2010, 1:54 pm
  #213  
 
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Originally Posted by NeoOfTheCRS
Thanks US2. So for Star Alliance escapes out of (or into Europe)

it looks like LIS to EWR is available on both CO and TAP

BCN to EWR is available on CO

FCO to PHL on US, FCO to IAD on UA, FCO to EWR on CO

MAD to EWR on CO and MAD to IAD on UA.

(Maybe a few others i missed)

I see seats on many of these routes available on Sunday... so you just have to be willing to take the train wherever you want to go from there. France, Germany and Switzerland are probably best reached by Barcelona--its right over the boarder from France
www.db.de will give timetables for European train travel:

Unless you travel to France, FCO is a much better choice than BCN.

BCN - Paris is 9-10 hours. FCO -Zurich is 8-9 hours (vs 13-14 from BCN) FCO- Munich is 10-11 hours (vs 18-22 from BCN). Berlin is bad either way 16-19 hours from FCO, 22-23 from BCN).

But this is mostly hypothetical: trains, ferries, buses, and rental cars are sold out....

According to the news, a number of airlines are using charter buses to bring home stranded passengers.
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Old Apr 17, 2010, 2:00 pm
  #214  
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Adding to the mix is a post from the AA forum that a French rail strike is disrupting service there, complicating the option of trying to get out via Spain. When it rains, it pours.
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Old Apr 17, 2010, 2:06 pm
  #215  
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So it looks like the only UA flights to Europe flying are FCO and the pseudo-flight to MAD. Is anyone on one these flights upcoming and still planning on going? I would be worried about getting back. Since there is no travel waiver for those destinations yet I wonder how UA would handle it. This reminds me of the the civil unrest in Thailand a couple of years ago, when I naively boarded a flight into Phuket and then had no easy way to get back out.

Last edited by aau; Apr 17, 2010 at 2:11 pm
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Old Apr 17, 2010, 2:34 pm
  #216  
 
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UK airspace now closed until 1300 BST (8am EDT).

BBC:
Passengers face further disruption after flight restrictions were extended until 1300 BST on Sunday as the danger from Icelandic volcanic ash continues.

The National Air Traffic Control Service (Nats) said forecasts showed the ash cloud progressively covering the whole of the UK after 1900 BST.

British Airways has cancelled all long and short-haul flights in and out of the UK on Sunday.

Officials warn that European airspace could be disrupted for several days.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8627545.stm
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Old Apr 17, 2010, 2:38 pm
  #217  
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Good source for info here: http://www.eurad.uni-koeln.de/index_e.html
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Old Apr 17, 2010, 2:39 pm
  #218  
 
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Well, my mini Griswold European adventure continues.

I was in Munich due to fly MUC - ORD tomorrow, enjoying a beer at the beer tent of their Spring Festival, when I absent mindedly checked my iPhone for tomorrow's flight and saw "CANCELLED".

I quickly jumped on the 1K line and grabbed a seat Tuesday from FCO. Then, getting a train from MUC to FCO was getting a challenge. Eventually took the MUC - Verona train that got in at 9:00 PM and going Verona - Rome tomorrow.

Now, if that ash cloud comes further south, I will really be messed up. Oh, well. Worse places to be than Rome.
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Old Apr 17, 2010, 3:14 pm
  #219  
 
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Apparently, there was a big snafu with all train tickets issued today from Paris- Madrid. Mr SFOisHome, and co-workers, all got emails saying Eurorail was very sorry but there was a glitch in there system and no tickets bought Saturday via their website would be honored. WAH-WAH.

I think he has given up, and succumbed to sitting in a Pub drinking with his coworkers. A tleast his company has offices in London he can work out of.

I called the 1k line again, and once again, they were very unhelpful, which is too bad. The woman did not seem to understand I was willing to buy a whole new ticket, and kept going on about the original tickets etc. Oh well!

Like DawgmanOH said there are worse places to be stuck!
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Old Apr 17, 2010, 3:27 pm
  #220  
 
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Originally Posted by ALadyNCal
On what DAY? There is the risk of the cloud moving south
Hes trying right now really, though he has quite a trek ahead of him- Last I heard-from LHR hes heading to the port, and from there trying to charter something across the channel. He then will either try for MAD and if that fails he said he might try for an eastern route. Some south-east European airport to Hong Kong then to the US? (What an adventure.)

Originally Posted by DawgmanOH
Well, my mini Griswold European adventure continues.

I was in Munich due to fly MUC - ORD tomorrow, enjoying a beer at the beer tent of their Spring Festival, when I absent mindedly checked my iPhone for tomorrow's flight and saw "CANCELLED".

I quickly jumped on the 1K line and grabbed a seat Tuesday from FCO. Then, getting a train from MUC to FCO was getting a challenge. Eventually took the MUC - Verona train that got in at 9:00 PM and going Verona - Rome tomorrow.

Now, if that ash cloud comes further south, I will really be messed up. Oh, well. Worse places to be than Rome.
You could go for the gold and head even more south-east, next stop Kuwait!! ^
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Old Apr 17, 2010, 3:28 pm
  #221  
 
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Originally Posted by SFOisHome
I called the 1k line again, and once again, they were very unhelpful, which is too bad. The woman did not seem to understand I was willing to buy a whole new ticket, and kept going on about the original tickets etc. Oh well!

Like DawgmanOH said there are worse places to be stuck!
I find that weird... granted, I think the UA staff is looking at the trouble LHR is having and not sure if or when we can get a plane in. I am surprised now though they are refusing to either rebook for something later in the week or even allowing to try to purchase another ticket somehow else.

I'm sorry for all the trouble you two are having with the 1K line.
-CLE-
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Old Apr 17, 2010, 3:57 pm
  #222  
 
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My flights to Dubai, DXB from IAD seem to be going out for the past few days, and show fine today, tomorrow, etc.

What ROUTE would they be taking? the great circle mapper shows they would fly OVER RUSSIA and the pole of course and then down europe, north to south. Why would these flights still be flying then?
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Old Apr 17, 2010, 4:10 pm
  #223  
 
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Originally Posted by SFOisHome
I called the 1k line again, and once again, they were very unhelpful, which is too bad. The woman did not seem to understand I was willing to buy a whole new ticket, and kept going on about the original tickets etc. Oh well!
You might not have reached the 1K line.
The general understanding is that all phone numbers go to the same routing system, which routes them based on the MP number you enter. But if all the 1K lines are busy you might get routed to a 1P or GM line.
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Old Apr 17, 2010, 4:13 pm
  #224  
 
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Originally Posted by nmenaker
My flights to Dubai, DXB from IAD seem to be going out for the past few days, and show fine today, tomorrow, etc.

What ROUTE would they be taking? the great circle mapper shows they would fly OVER RUSSIA and the pole of course and then down europe, north to south. Why would these flights still be flying then?
They can divert further north.

Originally Posted by neko
www.db.de will give timetables for European train travel:

Unless you travel to France, FCO is a much better choice than BCN.

BCN - Paris is 9-10 hours. FCO -Zurich is 8-9 hours (vs 13-14 from BCN) FCO- Munich is 10-11 hours (vs 18-22 from BCN). Berlin is bad either way 16-19 hours from FCO, 22-23 from BCN).

But this is mostly hypothetical: trains, ferries, buses, and rental cars are sold out....

According to the news, a number of airlines are using charter buses to bring home stranded passengers.

If you're disparate, I'd advise MAD over LIS, as it's much easier to get to continental Europe from MAD.

Last edited by iluv2fly; Apr 17, 2010 at 4:32 pm Reason: merge
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Old Apr 17, 2010, 4:16 pm
  #225  
 
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Originally Posted by nmenaker
My flights to Dubai, DXB from IAD seem to be going out for the past few days, and show fine today, tomorrow, etc.

What ROUTE would they be taking? the great circle mapper shows they would fly OVER RUSSIA and the pole of course and then down europe, north to south. Why would these flights still be flying then?
The DXB and KWI flights have been flying directly east and below the ash cloud -following the north African coast etc. Probabaly more weight restricted than usual too due to the longer flight time.
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