Heathrow airport stands empty at the height of the travel chaos.
As Europe gets back to normal today with all major UK airports open, many travellers count the cost of 6 days of disruption.
Whilst British passengers stuck in Europe may at last be able to return home, those stranded internationally such as in the US and Australia, have been told that it could be next month before they finally get the chance to return home as BA confirm that the disruption could take weeks to sort out.
Many Australians have been unable to travel to the UK such as wheelchair marathon champion Kurt Fearnley who was to defend his title in the London Marathon at the weekend. He was forced to withdraw from the race after being unable to travel from Australia to the UK.
And according to the Sydney Morning Herald, at least 20,000 Australians whose flights to Europe were cancelled may not be covered on their travel insurance. Travel Insurance Australia said that some travel insurance providers are claiming that the event was an “act of God”, a clause that allows them to dispute any claims made by travellers for expenses.
Some Australian travellers who have made it as far as Asia and Singapore on their way to Europe have been offered free flights back to Australia by Qantas so that they can rebook once the situation has stabilised. Around 800 Australians are stranded in Asia and many have taken up Qantas’ offer.
The problem is that although airspace has reopened, the airlines have to deal with the huge backlog and prioritise passengers accordingly, therefore whilst flights have been landing at Heathrow, few have been taking off, the priority being to rescue stranded Brits abroad and bring them home.
BA have announced that they are seeking to resume all long-haul flights departing from Gatwick and Heathrow today. Virgin Atlantic also said that it aimed to resume its normal flying schedule today but admitted that there will be severe delays.
So what has happened to the volcanic ash cloud that caused all the trouble? Well it’s still there and travel body Abta are warning that travellers should be prepared for another shutdown if the eruptions worsen. “The thing to remember is that aircraft and crew are going to be in the wrong place” said spokeswoman Frances Tuke optimistically.
If you are planning to travel to Australia or are wanting to travel from Australia to the UK within the next few weeks, you are advised to contact your airline before making your way to the airport, just to check that the flight is running on time. But for now it looks like things are slowly making their way back to normality in the skies above Europe once more.
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