Recriminations Over Flight Chaos

Airlines and passengers are pushing for compensation over the travel chaos due to the extreme amounts of volcanic ash from Iceland. There has been much arguing about the closure of large parts or European airspace. This has been in affect for almost a week now and the situation does not seem to be getting any better. Airlines want compensation from the government because they are losing business over this whole mess. Passengers are furious because many of them are now stranded in various parts of the world (and will continue to be) until the ban on flights is lifted. Some argue that this whole thing could have been avoided if they actually looked at the facts instead of banning all flights based on a "hunch." It was poor decision making by the government from the beginning. Also, there was a push for the original reimbursement policies to be modified to be more realistic in this case. It is not realistic to honor their policy of providing accommodations for every person who is affected by the ban. The airlines want to compensate the passengers for the cost of the ticket, and nothing else. To counter the argument that the international safety regulators had been too cautious, the European Volcanological Society remarked, "This was not an over-reaction. We... do not know enough about these clouds and what can happen to planes flying into them." They believe that there were very few options beyond the flight ban. This was the best course of action to ensure the safety of the passengers and flight crew.

Submitted by: Nate Heberlein

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8636439.stm