Post by wheelspinner on Jun 13, 2011 5:21:08 GMT -5
We were lucky not to get caught up in this. It was touch and go last night and this morning, but fortunately our flight did leave, just a bit late. My brother's business partner was in Queensland at the same time and got the full brunt; he was hanging around Brisbane airport for 8 hours trying to hop a plane to Melbourne.
OTOH, we were treated to a spectacular sunset on the way home.
Hard to believe that an incident on the other side of the word could have such an impact.
Flights resume, thousands delayed as ash cloud 'completely covers Tasmania'
Megan Levy
June 13, 2011 - 3:40PM
Chilean ash plays havoc with flights
Over 100 flights cancelled as ash from Chilean volcano enters Australian airspace.
Qantas and Jetstar have resumed some flights to and from Melbourne this afternoon after a volcanic ash plume from a Chilean volcano forced the cancellation of hundreds of services.
Airservices Australia said the ash cloud from Chile's Puyehue volcano, which erupted more than a week ago, was completely covering Tasmania and parts of Victoria, including Melbourne.
Passengers have been warned to expect delays as airlines attempt to clear a massive backlog of flight cancellations, estimated to have hit more than 60,000 travellers since last night.
Qantas took the drastic step of cancelling all Qantas and Jetstar services in and out of Melbourne, including overseas flights, from 6pm yesterday due to the density of the ash over the city.
But a Qantas spokesperson said all domestic flights to and from Melbourne were departing as scheduled after 1pm today, except for flights to and from Tasmania and New Zealand.
Those services would not resume until at least tomorrow because of the volcanic ash.
The first Qantas services to leave from Melbourne Airport were flight 616 to Brisbane and flight 683 to Adelaide, which were originally scheduled to leave soon after midday but were delayed.
Jetstar also resumed services out of Melbourne Airport and Avalon this afternoon, with the exception of flights to and from Tasmania and New Zealand.
Virgin Australia, which resumed some flights out of Melbourne, Tasmania and New Zealand this morning, said it would be flying planes under the ash cloud, which is 8.5 kilometres high.
However, passengers have been warned they still may experience delays and some cancellations due to the past day's disruptions.
Tiger has suspended all domestic flights until 5pm today.
It comes as a meteorologist warned a second volcanic ash cloud could drift across south-eastern Australia within the next two days, with the potential to cause further disruptions to airline schedules.
Supervising meteorologist at the Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre in Darwin, Gordon Jackson, said the cloud currently over Victoria and Tasmania would remain for the next 12 to 36 hours.
"It's in an area where there is very little wind, therefore, it's not going to be moving northward, so [it will be] moving to the east and to the west and spreading out a bit," he said.
Mr Jackson said the centre was monitoring a second ash plume hovering over the ocean south of Australia.
"It depends on how the wind is moving. It may actually be brought up over Tasmania and Victoria in 48 hours," he said.
Meanwhile, extra seats made available on tonight's Melbourne to Tasmania ferry for stranded air passengers have sold out.
More seats have been made available on the Tuesday night service but these are going fast as people struggle to find ways to get home.
TT Line, the operator of the Spirit of Tasmania ferries, had made 110 extra seats available tonight and another 110 for tomorrow's service - all of which are in the ferry's cinema.
A spokesman for the company said it was unlikely the company would have to run extra ferries.
"We're monitoring the situation, and certainly keeping an eye on what the airlines are doing," he said.
"We're not ruling anything in or out just yet."
The ash cloud over south-eastern Australia was similar to the one from a volcanic eruption in Iceland earlier this year, which sent European airports into chaos.
"But it's actually travelled a lot further' it's travelled halfway around the world already," Mr Jackson said.
"Because it has been up in the air for over a week, this ash, we are not seeing as much possibility of ash falling down underneath the cloud."
Engineer and aircraft maintenance expert Peter Marosszeky said the volcanic ash was like sandpaper that could choke up a plane's engine.
"Volcanic ash in the air has disastrous consequences on aircraft that fly through the cloud," he said.
"The dry nature of ash, mainly pummice stone, acts as an abrasive on all exterior parts of the aircraft."
With AAP
Read more: www.theage.com.au/travel/travel-news/flights-resume-thousands-delayed-as-ash-cloud-completely-covers-tasmania-20110613-1fzqa.html#ixzz1P9LRzYvK
OTOH, we were treated to a spectacular sunset on the way home.
Hard to believe that an incident on the other side of the word could have such an impact.
Flights resume, thousands delayed as ash cloud 'completely covers Tasmania'
Megan Levy
June 13, 2011 - 3:40PM
Chilean ash plays havoc with flights
Over 100 flights cancelled as ash from Chilean volcano enters Australian airspace.
Qantas and Jetstar have resumed some flights to and from Melbourne this afternoon after a volcanic ash plume from a Chilean volcano forced the cancellation of hundreds of services.
Airservices Australia said the ash cloud from Chile's Puyehue volcano, which erupted more than a week ago, was completely covering Tasmania and parts of Victoria, including Melbourne.
Passengers have been warned to expect delays as airlines attempt to clear a massive backlog of flight cancellations, estimated to have hit more than 60,000 travellers since last night.
Qantas took the drastic step of cancelling all Qantas and Jetstar services in and out of Melbourne, including overseas flights, from 6pm yesterday due to the density of the ash over the city.
But a Qantas spokesperson said all domestic flights to and from Melbourne were departing as scheduled after 1pm today, except for flights to and from Tasmania and New Zealand.
Those services would not resume until at least tomorrow because of the volcanic ash.
The first Qantas services to leave from Melbourne Airport were flight 616 to Brisbane and flight 683 to Adelaide, which were originally scheduled to leave soon after midday but were delayed.
Jetstar also resumed services out of Melbourne Airport and Avalon this afternoon, with the exception of flights to and from Tasmania and New Zealand.
Virgin Australia, which resumed some flights out of Melbourne, Tasmania and New Zealand this morning, said it would be flying planes under the ash cloud, which is 8.5 kilometres high.
However, passengers have been warned they still may experience delays and some cancellations due to the past day's disruptions.
Tiger has suspended all domestic flights until 5pm today.
It comes as a meteorologist warned a second volcanic ash cloud could drift across south-eastern Australia within the next two days, with the potential to cause further disruptions to airline schedules.
Supervising meteorologist at the Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre in Darwin, Gordon Jackson, said the cloud currently over Victoria and Tasmania would remain for the next 12 to 36 hours.
"It's in an area where there is very little wind, therefore, it's not going to be moving northward, so [it will be] moving to the east and to the west and spreading out a bit," he said.
Mr Jackson said the centre was monitoring a second ash plume hovering over the ocean south of Australia.
"It depends on how the wind is moving. It may actually be brought up over Tasmania and Victoria in 48 hours," he said.
Meanwhile, extra seats made available on tonight's Melbourne to Tasmania ferry for stranded air passengers have sold out.
More seats have been made available on the Tuesday night service but these are going fast as people struggle to find ways to get home.
TT Line, the operator of the Spirit of Tasmania ferries, had made 110 extra seats available tonight and another 110 for tomorrow's service - all of which are in the ferry's cinema.
A spokesman for the company said it was unlikely the company would have to run extra ferries.
"We're monitoring the situation, and certainly keeping an eye on what the airlines are doing," he said.
"We're not ruling anything in or out just yet."
The ash cloud over south-eastern Australia was similar to the one from a volcanic eruption in Iceland earlier this year, which sent European airports into chaos.
"But it's actually travelled a lot further' it's travelled halfway around the world already," Mr Jackson said.
"Because it has been up in the air for over a week, this ash, we are not seeing as much possibility of ash falling down underneath the cloud."
Engineer and aircraft maintenance expert Peter Marosszeky said the volcanic ash was like sandpaper that could choke up a plane's engine.
"Volcanic ash in the air has disastrous consequences on aircraft that fly through the cloud," he said.
"The dry nature of ash, mainly pummice stone, acts as an abrasive on all exterior parts of the aircraft."
With AAP
Read more: www.theage.com.au/travel/travel-news/flights-resume-thousands-delayed-as-ash-cloud-completely-covers-tasmania-20110613-1fzqa.html#ixzz1P9LRzYvK
