Re: UK flights/Airports shutdown for up to 3 days
 

Thanks :)

We've just confirmed a booking for Tioman Island on the east coast of Malaysia. Been there before but to a different resort. That time it was one of our best ever holidays, snorkelling etc. Perfect! Catching the bus to Mersing tonight. Can't wait! :cool:

Re: UK flights/Airports shutdown for up to 3 days
 

Lovely - have fun! :thumbsup:

Re: UK flights/Airports shutdown for up to 3 days
 

Thank you! :)

Re: UK flights/Airports shutdown for up to 3 days
 

Enjoy you lucky thing. Wish my validation trip had been scuppered at the end rather than the start. :D

How are Alfresco and Seasider getting on?

I had a lovely birthday in Blighty and have reorganised more or less everything for our validation trip, we will (hopefully) fly out on 24th May now.

Everybody in Australia was brilliant with reorganising hotel bookings, hire car bookings, various excursion bookings. Even my Sydney Observatory visit which was absolutely not changeable under any circumstances according to the booking conditions has been moved to another night without a quibble.

:thumbup:

Re: UK flights/Airports shutdown for up to 3 days
 

We're back! :thumbsup:

Got back today at 4pm. Took since Monday morning when we arrived in Madrid.

Now I see the whole flipping world is flying everywhere as if nothing ever happened!!! :frown:

As above. Happy to be back! Glad you had a great B'day. :thumbup:

Make the most of it P & Fam. :thumbup:

BTW: London is still here. ;)

Re: UK flights/Airports shutdown for up to 3 days
 

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.

Re: UK flights/Airports shutdown for up to 3 days
 

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.

Re: UK flights/Airports shutdown for up to 3 days
 

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

Re: UK flights/Airports shutdown for up to 3 days
 

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

Re: UK flights/Airports shutdown for up to 3 days
 

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

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. :rofl:

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 :D

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.

Re: UK flights/Airports shutdown for up to 3 days
 

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!

Re: UK flights/Airports shutdown for up to 3 days
 

Well done Seasider, glad you made it.

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

Re: UK flights/Airports shutdown for up to 3 days
 

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

Re: UK flights/Airports shutdown for up to 3 days
 

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



:lol:

Re: UK flights/Airports shutdown for up to 3 days
 

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

Re: UK flights/Airports shutdown for up to 3 days
 

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

Re: UK flights/Airports shutdown for up to 3 days
 

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

Best wishes

Re: UK flights/Airports shutdown for up to 3 days
 

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

Re: UK flights/Airports shutdown for up to 3 days
 

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:o

Re: UK flights/Airports shutdown for up to 3 days
 

Well we're now on a rollercoaster as, when I arrived, I was told no way was she coming home, they'd put a DNR on her, and it was going to be "soon". Yesterday I was told she's a little miracle and has fought off the post-op pneumonia despite being about 4 stone, and they're really much more optimistic although the bowel biopsy will take another couple of weeks (over 3 weeks? WTF???)

Won't go into detail on the rest of the issues but taking one day at a time.

Thanks for all your good wishes. People all over the world are thinking good thoughts for her. :)

PS Husband is flying over tomorrow with Emirates, so please keep those fingers crossed it really is about 24 hours for him. I hope he gets a good sleep on the plane after being my personal travel agent 24/7 for a week and then exchanging on an apartment today!

Re: UK flights/Airports shutdown for up to 3 days
 

Congrats on the apartment. Three weeks sounds a long time for a biopsy but what do I know. Glad she's picked up a bit, she may have some unfinished business - goodbyes, chat, etc. Quite often happens, on the other hand you could have her around for a few more years so enjoy the time you have.

Take care.

Re: UK flights/Airports shutdown for up to 3 days
 

Wow, that's quite a trip you've had! You, your hubby, your family and friends have shown such determination. All the best to you and :fingerscrossed: for your mum's recovery.

Re: UK flights/Airports shutdown for up to 3 days
 

Hi Seasider

Glad to hear your Mum's a bit better, hubbys on his way over and congratulations on the apartment! 3 good things! :thumbsup:

KK

Re: UK flights/Airports shutdown for up to 3 days
 

We arrived back in London late on Monday night after an Amazing Race type journey from Tioman Island. While packing to leave Tioman on Sunday we received a message that a flight had been arranged for us by Malaysia Airways and we were to fly at 2.10 pm the following day. After getting the ferry back to the mainland we had to take a series of buses from Mersing via Jahor Bahru back to Kuala Lumpur. Once at KL we had just enough time to re-pack our luggage and get ourselves to the airport. It turned out that the seats were only on standby and we were positions 24 to 27 in the queue :rolleyes:. But thankfully, we got on the flight. It's good to be home :cool:

Since we got back so late I felt tempted to take Tuesday off but decided against it and went to work armed with a couple of cans of Red Bull. It turned out to be a wise decision because our subsidiary GM over-rode the group's mean zero concession ruling with a much more generous extra one week's paid leave. This means that I've only had to sacrifice one additional day from my annual holiday allowance :thumbup: