Most people heading for European destinations had relatively minor problems despite a few cancellations. But severe disruption continued to hit transatlantic flights as aircraft were forced into long detours around the ash cloud, adding hours to flight times.

All European airports were open this morning after ash concentrations over the continent dispersed, but ash may head back towards Portugal and Spain this afternoon, causing more problems.

Airlines were reducing flights to some destinations but providing bigger aircraft to carry more passengers as they tried to keep to their timetables after another weekend of travel disruption.

The Eurocontrol air traffic body said it expected 28,500 flights in European airspace today, about 500 below average. Traffic levels yesterday were 1,500 flights down as the plume closed airports from Scotland to northern Italy.

Flights to and from the US, Canada and the Caribbean were often several hours late, while Ryanair cancelled 18 flights today, including some between the UK and Faro, in Portugal.

EasyJet, which had to cancel some flights yesterday, said it was operating a near-normal service today with “only a very small number of cancellations”. British Airways said it was trying to keep passengers informed “but it is a challenge when the cloud keeps moving around”.

The Civil Aviation Authority, which agrees no-fly zones based on Met Office data, said current forecasts indicated skies over Britain should remain clear for the next 18-24 hours.

Reported from: guardian.co.uk

The 13 guides will be free until Thursday, 22 April from the iTunes app store. You can access them via the links below.

The cities included are:
Amsterdam
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Berlin
Budapest
Copenhagen
Istanbul
London
Moscow
Munich
Paris
Rome
Stockholm
Vienna

Read original article: Free iPhone guides for stranded travellers

A spokesman for Arlanda airport in Stockholm said all transatlantic flights there were taking a longer route south to avoid the ash.
Cohenhagen airport is reporting severe disruptions. The Danish part of North Sea air space is closed, Danish air traffic controller Navair said, with further sectors of air space expected to be closed throughout the day as the ash cloud moves across the country. Ryanair said it would try to operate some flights out of southern Ireland today. The national carrier, Aer Lingus, canceled at least 40 flights in or out of Dublin, Cork, Shannon and Belfast. A spokesman for Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport said about 40 inbound and outbound flights had been canceled, mainly from Britain, Scandinavia and Russia.

The United Kingdom’s airspace was closed about noon Thursday (7 a.m. ET) and will be closed until at least 7 a.m. (2 a.m. ET) Friday, air traffic authorities said.

Some of the links or news articles that may be important:
- Google News on Iceland Volcano
- CNN: U.S. airlines cancel Europe flights
- Daily Mail UK: Icelandic volcano ash cloud cuts UK off and leaves thousands of passengers stranded
- Times Online: Volcanic ash cloud grounds flights over Britain
- CNN: Explainer: Why ash cloud endangers aircraft
- National Post: Airplane versus the volcano: why ash and planes don’t mix
- The Star: Volcano eruptions in Iceland could last for years
- New York Times: Volcanic Ash Shuts Down Air Traffic in North Europe

Charges will range from £10 ($16) per passenger for an economy class flight within Europe, £20 for a long-haul economy seat or £50 for an exit row seat.

Business-class passengers will be charged £20 for a short-haul flight and £60 for a long-haul flight.

Passengers now can choose a seat only in the 24 hours before departure, at no charge. The new policy is effective from October 7.

[Source: NYTimes]

Greyhound Bus

FirstGroup, Britain’s largest bus and train operator, and owner of the Greyhound coach brand in the U.S., said the buses would start running from London, Victoria, to Portsmouth and Southampton on September 14.

Tickets will cost as little as a £1, with the average journey costing £7. It plans to roll out more routes next year. The hourly bus service will take just under two hours non-stop and will offer free Wi-Fi, power sockets for each passenger, air conditioning, complimentary newspapers and leather seats.

Each bus will be named after women from popular American songs including Peggy Sue, Billy Jean, and Barbara Ann.

FirstGroup, which acquired Greyhound’s parent company Laidlaw two years ago in a £1.9bn deal, is hoping to compete with rivals by offering greater comfort and by keeping costs low. Each coach has 40 seats rather than the usual 50 and most bookings will be over the Internet.

the ULTra Personal Pods are being rolled out at Heathrow Airport / ULTra (Source: ULTra)

The future of public transport has arrived with UK’s Heathrow Airport rolling out driverless travel pods to transport passengers between terminals and the airport car park. The world’s first fully-automated ULTra Personal Pod cars, designed by Advanced Transport Systems, run on their own network and can reach speeds up to 40km/h.

The pods can transport four passengers and their luggage at a time, and waiting times will not exceed one minute. Promoted as being immune to accidents and traffic jams, using thinner roads and requiring no drivers, they are being hailed as the future of transport.

The airport’s fleet of 21 pods will take passengers to the correct terminal using information from their frequent flyer cards or by typing their flight details into the computer, with no stops in between.

“The PRT trial will offer an exciting, quick and environmentally friendly option for passengers travelling from the business car park to Terminal 5,” John Holland-Kaye, Commercial Director of Advanced Transport Systems, said.

Powered by batteries, they are more environmentally friendly than normal coaches. Heathrow Airport announced their interest in using the pods two years ago.

ULTra Pod (Source: UTLra)

ULTra Pod (Source: UTLra)

ULTra Pod (Source: UTLra)

ULTra Pod (Source: UTLra)

ULTra Pod (Source: UTLra)

ULTra Pod (Source: UTLra)

ULTra Pod (Source: UTLra)

ULTra Pod (Source: UTLra)

Photos: London

Click here to see the photos

Travellers can also pay £3 to use a “priority lane” to get through security more quickly. The airport said that drivers who did not wish to use the drop-off zone could leave passengers at the mid-term car park from where a free shuttle bus leaves every ten minutes for the two-minute journey to get to the terminal.

Abertis, the airport operator, also runs Cardiff and Belfast airports, prompting concerns that similar fees could spread to other airports across the UK.

Birmingham airport already charges drivers £1 for 15 minutes at its drop-off area near the terminal.

London Luton Airport (previously called Luton International Airport) is an international airport located 1.5 NM (2.8 km; 1.7 mi) east of the town centre in the Borough of Luton in Bedfordshire, England and is 30.5 NM (56.5 km; 35.1 mi) north of Central London. The airport is 2 mi (3.2 km) from Junction 10a of the M1 motorway. It is the fourth largest airport serving the London area after Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted, and is one of London’s five international airports along with London City Airport.

Read more here.

[Source: The Times Online]

The competition is open to anyone over 18 worldwide, whether you are a published writer or not. The theme this year is ‘Destination Unknown’ and entries must contain a strong travel element and be no more than 800 words. Entries may be posted or emailed.

Prizes:
First prize is an exciting holiday for two in Colombia. The winning story will be published in The Independent on Sunday and the author will earn a commission from the newspaper. The itinerary includes three nights’ accommodation in Bogota plus three nights in Cartagena at three-star hotels.

Closing Date:
The closing date for entries is noon (GMT) on Friday 15 May 2009.

Details here