Wol

BA has flown more than 1000 flights and 130,000 passengers since operations resumed.

Extra flights have been and are being flown to many places purely to repatriate customers - not for general sale. Cities include Hong Kong, Mumbai, St Kitts, Newark, Maldives, Bangkok etc.

The logistics involved are almost overwhelming but a full program is planned from Friday, plus extra services for those stranded. It will obviously take time, though.

Amazulu

Friends still stranded in the UK and can only get back to Perth until early next week - Malaysian
Another friend stranding in SA and cannot get on a flight back to London until Monday - Air France

Going to take a while to get back to normal.

joho

We flew in today from Heathrow, left Wed 10pm and arrived Sydney 6am this morning, thing we were the first plane from uk to arrive, cameras where there but we avoided them thank god, glad to be home.

Jo

Cheetah7

I wonder how long International mail will take to get back to normal.

Kooky.

Hi All. Here's a summary of my trip. This is the short version

Thurs - got news about Mum, read news about volcano.

Friday - booked Qantas flight, was cancelled just as I was packing. SIA got me on one to Singapore only. Arrived at Changi just after midnight, no airline offices open and no info to be had. Friend in Sg supplied bed and hugs.

Saturday - spent 6 hours on and off at SIA office. Cried a lot (genuinely, not tactically) and got flight to Istanbul (Europe airport). Left that evening.

Sunday - arrived in Istanbul early morning, joined a queue of over 400 at Turkish Airlines desk as husband had got me on a wait list and I had 4 hours to pay. Decided that wasn't going to work so joined Bus Class queue and said, am waitlisted, upgrade me, please get me on a flight, emergency. Not happening, in fact she said I couldn't pay as the waitlist was "not ok", which she couldn't explain in English but she did see my booking online. Still not sure of that one.

Gave up after a few hours of trying every airline desk and went to airport hotel. Meanwhile husband had got me on a flight from Istanbul (Asia airport) to Milan on Tuesday.

Monday - got taxi to other airport (130 Euros!) to see if I could get on the same flight on Monday. It wasn't going. Went round all the other airlines but nothing doing. Gave up after a few hours and went to airport hotel. Meanwhile husband in Sydney and Italian speaking friend in Sg trying to suss out trains from Milan to pick up Eurostar, with little chance of getting on Eurostar but had to try.

Tuesday - was 2 people from checking in for Milan flight when somebody delivered an email to ground staff - Milan just been closed. ****. really, really desperate to get back to see Mum. Left all the gesticulating Italians to tear apart the staff and started going round airline offices. Managed to get on a delayed flight to Frankfurt, checking in at that moment, with 90% chance of landing in Frankfurt but potentially rerouted mid-flight to Salzburg. I didn't care.

Husband and friends frantically working out train options for me, from both.

Landed and realised it was Frankfurt (budget airlines in Turkey, going to Germany, make announcements in Turkish and German). Yay, finally got a break. Husband had sussed out trains and managed to get me on a Eurostar Wednesday evening...from EuroDisney.

Booked trains from Frankfurt to Brussels, then Brussels to EuroDisney, then went to yet another airport hotel for the night.

Wednesday - slightly surreal, 3 trains and late lunch at Disney, then arrived in St Pancras about 21.30 and cried all over Mum-in-law. Spent a glamorous night in a motel on the A1 but you know what, I really enjoyed the M&S pork pies

Thursday - in-laws drove me up to Middlesbrough and straight to hospital. Confirmed the journey was necessary, and I may be here some time. But I'm here.

tomar

So glad to hear you have made it back in time. I never did for my Mum, and it still hurts all these years later. Talk about trains and boats and planes!

Bermudashorts

Well done Seasider, glad you made it.

moneypenny20

You've got there, that's all that matters now. Hope she's ok and you have some quality time with her.

CEM

Glad you made it eventually. Talk about persistance! Hope all's ok with your Mum.

bcworld

...the view on the volcanic ash crisis from Edinburgh!

flip

I'm so glad you made it Seasider - can't imagine what you've been through. All the best for your Mum.

Kooky.

Thanks folks, am slowly coming back down to earth. Mum is very poorly indeed, outlook not good.

CEM

I'm glad you got there ok, but really sorry to hear your Mum's so ill.

Best wishes

northernbird

Glad you made it, thinking of you at this difficult time.

Cheetah7

I am so glad you made it I really am.

Thinking about you, its the hardest journey any of us have to make and goes to show that we are not always '24 hours away'.

Take care