This has been an interesting week for those trying to get to Europe with little or no information easily found. The volcanic ash is still affecting flights. (Editor’s note: My PHL-MUC Friday night flight was routed far south entering Europe over Portugal then traveled up the southern French coastline and over the Alps to Munich.)
First, remember that there two areas where airlines worry about volcanic ash. Where they are landing and where they have to fly over. This is important because it effects how or if you are affected. The area where you are landing has to be free from hazardous ash all the way to ground level but areas that you are flying over just have to be clear from 20,000 feet and higher so planes can fly over the ash cloud.
Here’s what the UK’s Met office, which is the Volcano Ash Activity Center for Europe, is showing at of 6 a.m. today for the surface up to 20,000 feet (FL200):
The black areas are “no fly” zones. You can see that while there is ash over Europe, none of it currently meets levels to declare a “no fly” zone for landing.
While the area in the center of the Atlantic might look scary, planes are well over 20,000ft when they fly these routes. The Met Office graphic for 20,000 to 35,000ft shows areas where planes may fly around the ash cloud (over Greenland and through the Straits of Gibraltar).
If you are preparing to leave, keep in mind that flying around will cloud will add time on to your flight and you should be prepared for delays.
Met Office forecasts show that high altitude ash over the Atlantic should dissipate overnight leading to shorter diversions for flights. However, they also show that high altitude ash will be encountered over central Europe by noon (GMT). It may affect overflights of Europe by long-haul flights, and will probably keep intra-Europe flights at lower altitudes.
If you are flying in the next 48 hours, you may want to check your airline’s website often and start putting a plan together to save your vacation.
Note: You can find the current source maps like the ones used in this post at http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/corporate/pressoffice/2010/volcano/ashconcentration/index.html
