US carriers cancel Europe flights due to ash

[scandal 951]

US carriers cancel Europe flights due to ash

Thu Apr 15, 2010 6:50pm EDT

Several European countries close air space (Recasts, Updates with new figures, Delta Air, US/London, ash effects)

ATLANTA, April 15 (Reuters) - U.S. airlines canceled half their trans-Atlantic service on Thursday because of a gigantic ash cloud spewing from a volcano in Iceland that has closed airports in northern Europe, industry officials said.

A comparable number of flights, and possibly more, will likely be canceled on Friday, the Air Transport Association trade association said.

David Castelveter, an ATA spokesman, said U.S. carriers canceled about 165 flights of more than 300 operated each day. Most go to Britain.

While routes were disrupted, the main problem from the eruption under the Eyjafjallajokull glacier was the impact on airports in northern Europe. Many of them were closed or planned to do so with the cloud intensifying and continuing an eastward path.

The ash cloud forced the grounding of flights to and from Britain. London, a hub for business travel and an expanding market for U.S. airlines trying to shake a two-year downturn, is the most popular trans-Atlantic destination from New York, Chicago, Washington, Los Angeles and Boston, according to the International Air Transport Association trade group.

The impact on carrier finances was not immediately clear.

"The real question becomes how long will the volcanic ash persist," said Morningstar analyst Basili Alukos.

U.S. airlines are due to start reporting first-quarter results next week.

Earnings are expected to reflect the effects of winter storms that caused significant flight cancellations earlier this year. Airlines around the world have also experienced declines in revenue because of the recession.

Disruptions resulting from the ash cloud could last another two days, the European air safety organization said.

Ash lowers visibility but abrasive particles also damage windshields, wings, and other aircraft surfaces. It can interfere with hydraulic and electronic systems, clog ventilation and damage the moving components inside engines.

Radar cannot detect ash, creating another hazard for pilots, and damaging effects can be present up to 72 hours after an eruption.

Bill McGuire, a professor at the Aon Benfield UCL Hazard Research Center in London said if the volcano continued erupting for more than 12 months, as it did the last time, periodic disruptions to air traffic could continue. [iD:nLDE63E0QP]

Delta Air Lines Inc (DAL.N) spokesman Anthony Black said in an email that the world's biggest carrier canceled 65 flights through Friday morning from the United States to cities including Amsterdam, Brussels and even Mumbai due to the volcanic ash cloud.

United Airlines, a unit of UAL Corp (UAUA.O), said it had halted 30 arrivals into Europe and 32 departures from Europe.

Continental Airlines (CAL.N) reported 32 cancellations and AMR Corp's (AMR.N) American said it had canceled 34 flights.

The volcano began erupting on Wednesday for the second time in a month, hurling a plume of ash up to 3.8 to 7 miles (6 to 11 kilometers). (Reporting by Karen Jacobs in Atlanta, Kyle Peterson in Chicago, Deepa Seetharaman in New York, and John Crawley in Washington; Editing by Toni Reinhold and Steve Orlofsky)

[Kathryn41 3,205]

Not just US carriers - all airports in the UK and many in Europe are closed today to all flights due to the cloud of volcanic ash high in the atmosphere.

http://uk.news.yahoo...an-45dbed5.html

. . . and the flight ban has now been extended into Friday afternoon:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100415/ap_on_re_eu/eu_iceland_volcano

Edited April 16, 2010 by Kathryn41

[Peikko 1,575]

The UK effectively closed it's airspace since either yesterday or early this morning, can't remember when I first heard it.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

Yep. French airspace is closed as well. This could last for up to six months, and could spread throughout the northern hemisphere. Radar cannot track the ash, since it doesn't contain the water necessary to give a return.

[Jenn! 918]

My MIL is supposed to fly through Paris to Boston next week on her first plane trip ever. I hope things don't get all screwy, but it's not looking good.

[Calypso 464]

U.S. airlines canceled half their trans-Atlantic service on Thursday because of a gigantic ash cloud spewing from a volcano in Iceland that has closed airports in northern Europe, industry officials said.

Iceland's Surtsey was formed after a series of volcanic eruptions in the 1960's. Perhaps another island of its nature is about to be born.

I smirk whenever I watch apocalyptic programs on History.com. It's not impossible for the earth to just come crashing down in any minute but it's not so comforting whenever they name probable supervolcanoes such as the Yellowstone Caldera and Lake Toba among others. California is not so far away from Yellowstone.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Iceland's Surtsey was formed after a series of volcanic eruptions in the 1960's. Perhaps another island of its nature is about to be born.

I smirk whenever I watch apocalyptic programs on History.com. It's not impossible for the earth to just come crashing down in any minute but it's not so comforting whenever they name probable supervolcanoes such as the Yellowstone Caldera and Lake Toba among others. California is not so far away from Yellowstone.

[Calypso 464]

Oh well, if a supervolcano erupts, it wouldn't only affect CA but the whole world just like what occurred 70, 000 years back after Lake Toba's supereruption. That caused a global volcanic winter and the human species almost vanished.

[lostinblue 1,989]

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/sciencefair/post/2010/03/global-cooling-what-happens-if-the-iceland-volcano-blows/1

Global cooling: What happens if the Iceland volcano blows

Lava spews out of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in Iceland on March 21. The small volcano eruption that forced more than 600 people to flee their homes in Iceland over the weekend could set off a larger volcano.

The potential eruption of Iceland's volcano Katla would likely send the world, including the USA, into an extended deep freeze.

"When Katla went off in the 1700s, the USA suffered a very cold winter," says Gary Hufford, a scientist with the Alaska Region of the National Weather Service. "To the point, the Mississippi River froze just north of New Orleans and the East Coast, especially New England, had an extremely cold winter.

"Depending on a new eruption, Katla could cause some serious weather changes."

Eyjafjallajokull, the Icelandic volcano that has continued to belch lava, ash and steam since first erupting last weekend, isn't the direct problem. It's Katla, the noisier neighbor, that's the concern. If lava flowing from Eyjafjallajokull melts the glaciers that hold down the top of Katla, then Katla could blow its top, pumping gigantic amounts of ash into the atmosphere.

Scientists say history has proven that whenever the Eyjafjallajokull volcano erupts, Katla always follows -- the only question is how soon.

"If it (Eyjafjallajokull) continues to belch, then you worry," says Hufford.

What's key in having volcanic eruptions affect the weather is both the duration of the eruption, and how high the ash gets blasted into the stratosphere, according to Hufford.

For example, he says, Mount Pinatubo pumped ash for two days in 1991, and spewed it 70,000 feet into the stratosphere. This dropped temperatures worldwide about four degrees for about a year.

"When volcanic ash reaches the stratosphere, it remains for a long time," reports Hufford. "The ash becomes a very effective block of the incoming solar radiation, thus cooling the atmosphere's temperatures."

Scientists are continuing to monitor Eyjafjallajokull for signs of further activity.

Contributing: Associated Press

By Doyle Rice

[Darnell 8,479]

I watched a 'rolling map' today on CNNI, my god - will it make it all the way to Turkey by the weekend?

Maybe boat, train and bus traffic will pick up, but where's the transit point in that part of the world, now, to jump a planeride? EEK.

[scandal 951]

It's the end of the world as we know it. Arriving 2 years ahead of schedule.

[Amby 490]

hmmmmm...this sucks

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

One of those was in that movie 2012, it killed Woody Harrelson! (just before POTUS Danny Glover took an aircraft carrier to the face!)

[krautlaus 7]

I'm seriously beginning to think that our relationship is jinxed - There's always something coming in between me and my babe seeing each other again... I'm supposed to fly the next few days.. guess it's not going to happen. Arrrrr I'm so mad! I bought my ticket just one fricking hour before the volcano erupted! :ranting: