As of Monday, April 19, approximately 63,000 flights throughout Europe have been canceled as a result of the atmospheric ash effects of Iceland’s volcanic eruption last Thursday. London Gatwick and other major European airports hope to have up to half of their daily flights take off by tomorrow, but we anticipate substantial cancellations for several more days. Even as flights resume, there will be a large backlog as the airlines recover and accommodate the thousands of inconvenienced travelers.

This is the largest disruption to airline travel in history, affecting more travelers than the 911 shut downs. As a result, telephone communications with airlines is so overburdened that hold times can be in the hours, if they are even taking calls on the public lines. Covington is committed to help our travel clients in this unprecedented situation. We are available to assist our clients, although we face the same communication difficulties. Our after hours team has added staff to assist with the overwhelming number of calls, and we continue to proactively contact affected customers. We are receiving updates from our airline partners as information becomes available.

We recommend the following actions to anyone currently stranded:

• Airline Websites – Use the airline websites to check your flight status rather than calling. We are not recommending that you book online, but do use the website to check available information.
• Ground Transportation – Many car rental companies in Europe have announced they are no longer allowing international rentals. EuroStar has added 28 additional trains crossing the Chunnel, but availability remains very full. If it is not imperative that you get to another city, we recommend that you stay in your current location.
• Hotels – Contact your current hotel immediately to extend your stay. Clarify the rate for the additional nights and cancellation timeframe, should your flights resume.
• Official News – See current airport delay statistics on Covington’s website. For the latest information on European airport closings and related news, consult the European Organization for the Safety of Air Navigation. Other major news sites and airline Web sites also offer real-time updates for travelers.