Up in the air

Today the world is celebrating the opening of the airspace to airline traffic. It has been amazing to watch the power and impact of a single volcano to the worldwide airline and travel industry. The skies have not seemed so friendly during the last week. I read estimates that over 95,000 flights were canceled and 40,000 Americans were stranded in the UK alone. Plans for many people are up in the air, many already missing vacations, weddings, funerals, concerts and other special events (Boston Marathon). Some say that the recent eruption of Eyjafjallajokull in Iceland has reduced air quality, has lowered temperatures due to reduced sunlight, and may possibly cause some acid rain.

Although many are up in the air today, some say that it will take weeks for the backlog of stranded passengers to make it to their destinations. Many have chosen alternate forms of travel. There has been a great demand for rail travel, but a strike by the French rail network has impacted availability. Ferry capacity and schedules were changed to help move people. I read that Whitney Houston had to travel by ferry to make her tour destination. The Royal Navy has even sent a ship to rescue stranded service personnel, and more ships are on standby. The Celebrity Eclipse cruise ship was sent to pick up stranded UK tourists in Spain. The Monty Python comedian John Cleese spent over $5000 on a 930-mile taxi ride, with three drivers taking turns at the wheel, driving from Oslo to Brussels after being stranded by the volcano.

I'm reminded of a favorite song by Three Doors Down. The neat video starts in the cockpit of an airliner. I'm sure many are hoping to be in the air and then landing in London very soon.