It's not only air travel affected, there is a sort of a domino effect from it. I saw on CNN that lots of associated businesses are affected by this stall in air travel. No flight, no demand for food, no movement of fresh produce going anywhere resulting in some factory-line workers not having to go to work. No income in the end.
One thing is for sure though. At least, this is better than a virus going around. Think H1N1 or SARS.. There is something to be grateful for, at least.
Below is an article from CNN. Also sharing some other snippets of news around some parts of the world. Have a great Monday and a wonderful week ahead.
Developments in volcanic ash affecting air travel
This picture shows travelers lining up to buy ferry tickets to Dover at the Calais port in northern France.
Even the Formula One teams are affected by the volcanic ash debacle with the burning question of how Formula One's 12 teams will get their huge loads of personnel and equipment back to Europe (from Shanghai) for the next race amid the region's ongoing travel chaos. The European season starts on May 9 in Spain.
Trust our very own Datuk Tony Fernandes to come up with a solution. Air Asia CEO and Lotus team boss Tony Fernandes offered his rivals a possible solution to fly to Kuala Lumpur on his Air Asia airline, and then into Britain's Stansted airport once the volcanic ash from Iceland has cleared from the skies.
Tony tweeted, "Many of the teams flying on airasia and then flying back on special charter on airasia. Sauber, Ferrari, Toro Rosso, Renault, Mercedes."
Smart-thinking, Tony!
Other ups and downs around the world.. in random order..
Emotional Nadal routs Verdasco for record sixth title in Monte Carlo
Solar-powered plane
Thai troops tighten security in Bangkok ahead of protest
Image source: CNN
P.S. Don't hate me but I'm still celebrating Manchester United's 1-0 win at the derby. :)
Didn't think the volcanic ash could wreck such a havoc on air travel. Hope it clears up soon so people can get home. It's horrible...being stranded somewhere.
ReplyDeleteWell....well....this is going to take some time right? :( A lot of airlines are already suffering from massive lost. :/
ReplyDeleteOnce the ash clear, F1 teams can fly directly to Europe. Why need to fly with Air Asia, with transit in KL?
ReplyDeleteMei Teng, being stranded can be traumatic indeed. As if we don't have enough problems with the environment already, eh?
ReplyDeleteTekkaus, yeah, massive loss all around. Ash clouds are now going south and east of the volcano so the air in Europe must be bad. Most airports are still closed with airports in northern Italy opening and closing after two hours. The ash can cause damage to the plane's engines though KLM's test flight showed no damage. It was reported that some airlines will resume operation from 6pm Monday and one only on Tuesday. We sure are experiencing a first on this one.
ReplyDeleteKS, wish I knew the answer to this one. Perhaps, they didn't see any point in being stuck in Shanghai. You may be able to get a clue from the article via the link on the post.
ReplyDeleteWow! Really unexpected how an unpronounceable volcano can create such havoc! LOL!
ReplyDeleteYeah, trust on AirAsia to take full advantage of the situation regarding the F1 problem! haha!
AirAsia already puts up an ad stating big relief for stranded travellers to use AirAsia to visit Asean countries! That's taking full advantage too right? : )
I have been following this volcanic ash thingy closely on the papers. It's interesting how much people complains when nature wrecked havoc on out lives.
ReplyDeleteGreat job from Tony (didn't know that prior to reading this entry), thanks for being my source of info!
And a hello there to HappySurfer. Keep us updated, and spread the cheers. ^_^