Don't Go to Europe Until Volcano Ash Settles

Airline passengers who've been delayed by ash clouds from an Icelandic volcano should hold off on going to Europe.
By Jason Notte ,

BOSTON (TheStreet) -- After a volcano in Iceland postponed his trip to Oxford, England, travel expert George Hobica had two words for those considering European travel: Don't go.

"I'm cancelling because I don't want to get stuck there," says Hobica, president of

Airfarewatchdog.com

, who was scheduled to fly to London on Sunday before Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull volcano belched a dust cloud over much of northern and central Europe and parts of Russia. "Let's say I get out and there's another plume and I'm there another four or five days. I'm not going to take that chance."

The problem isn't just the Iceland volcano, but an international travel industry already ill-equipped to handle such a crisis. Hobica says the woes of passengers stranded by 21,000 cancelled European flights are exacerbated by airlines that have pre-sold seats to tour operators and taken them out of play. It doesn't help that airlines spent much of the recession cutting capacity, with

British Airways

slashing 23% of its flights between London and New York within the last year and large U.S. carriers like

American Airlines

(AMR)

,

UAL's

( UAUA) United and

Delta Air Lines

(DAL) - Get Report

cutting capacity 9%, 6% and 3% respectively from 2008 to 2009. Though aviation information company

OAG

says capacity worldwide is up 6% from last year, that's not going to help a stranded, uninsured traveler get home.

"Some flight insurance does have coverage for natural disasters or weather-related delays, and this could qualify as a weather-related delay," Hobica says. "If you bought insurance 'before the known risk' then you would be covered to a certain extent."

Hobica says there are also policies that cover future hazards, like a second continent-darkening ash cloud, but that even insurance has its limits. He points to a policy offered by independent insurer

Travel Guard

that covers $150 in expenses per day, up to $750. While that isn't much, Hobica says it's more coverage than is offered by cheaper airline-offered policies that are fraught with restrictions. Airlines have been helping out by redirecting passengers to other flights and countries in an attempt to get them home.

"Travelers need to absolutely be aware of what airlines are doing right now in light of this crisis," says Anne Banas, editor of Airfarewatchdog's parent site, Smarter Travel. "While there are numerous cancellations and delays, most airlines are waiving change fees to help the situation."

United is offering waivers through the Netherlands, Ireland, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, France, Norway and Sweden through Sunday if passengers postpone or cancel trips.

Continental Airlines

offers similar options through Monday, while Delta and

US Airways

(LCC)

extend their waiver offers through Tuesday. According to Banas,

Aer Lingus

, British Airways,

Icelandair

,

KLM

,

Lufthansa

,

Scandinavian Airlines

and

Virgin Atlantic

are among carriers offering waivers and alternate transportation within Europe. Despite this, both Banas' and Hobica's advice to passengers is to play it safe.

"If I had to go to a wedding or an important event, I would take the Queen Mary over," Hobica says. "Just to make sure I could get back.

If you have plans to travel to Europe, check with your airline for possible cancellations and delays. Most will offer waivers if you can postpone or cancel your trip.

  • Continental: Travel waiver issued for travel to, from or through Amsterdam, Belfast, Berlin, Birmingham (England), Bristol, Brussels, Copenhagen, Dublin, Edinburgh, Frankfurt, Geneva, Glasgow, Hamburg, London Heathrow, Manchester (England), Munich, Oslo, Paris, Shannon, Stockholm, and Zurich for travel through April 19.
  • Delta: Travel waiver issued for travel to, from or through Amsterdam, Brussels, Copenhagen, Dublin, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, London Gatwick, London Heathrow, Manchester (England), Munich, Paris Charles de Gaulle, Shannon, Stuttgart, and Berlin Tegel for travel through April 20.
  • United: Travel waiver issued for travel to, from, or through Amsterdam, Brussels, Frankfurt, Geneva, London Heathrow, Munich, Paris, and Zurich for travel through April 18.
  • US Airways: Travel waiver issued for travel to, from, or through Amsterdam, Brussels, Dublin, Frankfurt, London Gatwick, London Heathrow, Manchester (England), Munich, and Zurich for travel through April 20.
  • Aer Lingus, British Airways, Icelandair, KLM, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, and other carriers have also issued travel waivers and alternate transportation within Europe; check with your airline for more information.

-- Reported by Jason Notte in Boston.

Jason Notte is a reporter for TheStreet.com. His writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Huffington Post, Esquire.com, Time Out New York, The Boston Herald, The Boston Phoenix, Metro newspaper and the Colorado Springs Independent.

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