who has got family stranded by the volcanic ash?

[MrsShu]

me ! easy jet have cancelled return flight

Just to let everyone know that DP is on a ferry to Dover right now

He spent last night in Basel and then managed very easily to get trains to Strasbourg, then TGV to Paris, then train on to Calais. Sounds like trains in France okay (now the strike is over).

He said Calais wasn't too bad, few hundred people there but he's on as a foot passenger, he was there just before midday and was booked on a ferry at 2.40. So again, sounds like the ferry situation isn't too bad at Calais if anyone's considering heading that way.

He hasn't figured out how to get home from Dover but who cares, he's almost here

I can't wait. I can't wait to tell the girls (once we know when he'll be back)

Good luck to everyone else still travelling/stranded.

Yay, Norkily. Glad that he is almost there.

Train Norks?

does anyone know if BA are paying out 'duty of care' to people stranded (i.e. for food and accommodation?). i can't get through at all to find out.

Dh made it home yesterday, but got food poisoning just as he was leaving Frankfurt on a coach and had a miserable trip back. Please tell your loved ones to be careful what they eat...I can imagine that there is a lot of past its due date food around right now.

Can anyone explain why I've just seen 4 planes (high up - vapour trails) flying overhead. We're in Herts, between Luton and Heathrow, but they wouldn't have taken off from there as far too high.
I thought it was UK airspace, as well as airports, that's closed to traffic. So how come people are flying over us?

Scary - yes will be train though he has no idea if it's very busy out of Dover and then it will be rush hour so he might take a while (he was going to look into coaches too)

Clam - we've seen some low flying stuff here from local airport but nothing high. Test flights?

It might be that some planes are allowed to fly through UK airspace under the VFR rules? We have got the odd plane going over Amsterdam too. There are definitely shorthaul and a couple of longhaul flights landing here according to Flightstats.com.

I've just seen a plane too - high up, we are half way between gatwick and heathrow - I assumed it had come from scotland.

Check the BBC site - they've opened up the airspace over the UK for high flying 'over UK' flights, so allows flights from the middle east to go the US or US to Eastern Europe over the UK.

Clam, they've opened up airspace above 20'000 feet. Meaning that planes from NY to say, Austria, can pass over, but nothing can start or land.

oops, Handbag beat me to it

Alibaba - just seen your post about the sleeper to Paris and then Eurostar. Fab, fab, fab news and certainly safer than the 'ferry from Bilbao' option that DH was alluding to this morning when he rang me.

Thanks for the update. Grest to know that it'll be Sunday afternoon at the VERY latest! Not a bad 15 day trip all in all then .

Brother left Venice this am and now in Milan. Is booked on overnight train to Paris. No eurostar availability, so having read Nork's message (thanks!) have told him to get normal train to Calais and cross as foot passenger. Poss home tomorrow night!

Good luck to your brother Jackgsgrannie.

I was really unsure from all my reading of news/online sources of info - I thought DP should be heading for Eurostar but it seems like he did the right thing so hope it works out well for your brother too.

Just seen a plane land at Geneva airport

Three planes landed in the past 20 minutes, first ones we have seen for days. Really disturbed the peace that we were enjoying down at the beach.

hope that dh will get home from Munich tomorrow

soph depends on where their flight started/ ends and the nature of their ticket. My in laws have been quoted 100£ per person for accom in NY and £25 subsistence.

Sounds like things are moving a bit now.

Norkily - great to hear dh is nearly back in the UK - what a journey!

Wrinkly - so pleased for you and MB and Baby. I'm sure MB appreciates what a treasure she has with you.

Madas - thinking of you. Hoping all going well.

Does anyone know if Schipol is open? Everywhere I look it says it is but then on its own website it says it isn't and I don't know where else to look?

DH has actually got a flight booked now for 12.00 midnight Thurs/fri night from Dubai to Qatar then to Munich and then to Heathrow as all direct flights jammed but I seriously don't think its going to happen. If he can get to Schipol I can get him on a ferry from Hook of Holland to Harwich and then pick him up from Harwich but I can't find out anywhere if schipol is open and I don't want to book a ferry if he can't get there!

The Heathrow website says my DH's plane from Bahrain is due to land at Terminal 5 at 19.12.
Do you think this is true or will the plane be diverted?
I don't know whether to go to the airport to meet him or not.

"Dh made it home yesterday, but got food poisoning just as he was leaving Frankfurt on a coach and had a miserable trip back. Please tell your loved ones to be careful what they eat...I can imagine that there is a lot of past its due date food around right now. "

Ate a lot of out-of-date sugar-snap peas did he?

Norks, the Gulf Air flight from Bahrain has just been cancelled having been due to take of at 2.45.

I know he'll be BA but wouldn't hold your breath - can you call BA?