What are we going to do?

[annemarsh]

Yet another example of what a fantastic service this website provides!!

[JohnTheRef&Dot]

Re: What are we going to do?

Well It looks like we are all breathing a sigh of relief.
The Air is about to be filled of the noise from Jet engines.
We can all look forward to the sunny skies and warm waters of Arillas

ASH CLOUD
......................WHAT ASH CLOUD

[Erja]

I am cautiously optimistic *little muted yelps of joy*

[Sandy x]

Me too Erja....this time in 2 weeks I will hopefully be on my way....

[riggers]

Thank god this has is now over..(hopefully). We wouldn't have gone in June otherwise, Sue won't go on a ferry (even the bath is to deep for her). lol....Mind you she did say i could have gone on my own. (would i have done that)

Hoping for clear skies.....

Happy Hols All.

riggers.

[sunflower]

Hi Riggers,
Fingers crossed we will all be able to go to Arillas
as planned. Copenhagen Airport opened yesterday
after being shut down since thursday, but who knows?
Still, it's a while until June so hopefully the volcano will
have calmed down completely by then.
Connie x

[kevin.g]

connie/riggers
lets keep our fingers crossed .......yammas

[riggers]

Connie/Kev my fingers are crossed    yammas.

[Ang]

I know im off subject re corfu, but I just thought I would share the troubles my family have encountered due to the ash problems, they eventually got to the uk yesterday after being stuck in amsterdam for 6 days, they got off the ferry at Hull and found their way to manchester where they stayed with family,today they set off mid day down to west wales to visit us.....at 5pm they rang to say that they were stuck in traffic(m4 was closed) had been diverted off the M4 and were lost,1/2 hr later they had some how got back on to the M4, its now almost 9pm and they have only gone 10miles, with another 40 odd to go.And tomorrow we all have to be back in manchester for a 100th birthday party, the main reason they came over and to visit family in scotland and us in wales, they fly back to the US monday, so all in all 10days in the uk with family will have ended no more than a few waking hours
We feel so sorry for them, Im waiting now till they get further west on the M4 to go meet them as at night theres no way they will find us and some how americans dont have as good satnav as we do here...
Ang

[Sandy x]

What a nightmare....hope you all enjoy the few hours left of the visit....

[justphil]

Ah ang luvver, so identify with all that. We got stranded in Ibiza once, but it was holiday so we just extended our stay and partied on. 'Twas ideal when we had enough money to do it. But what about those who can't afford it?

Why do we put ourselves through all this crap? Leave from work, and after all the stress, a few hours at home, ruined by the air travel experience. 

I often wonder why we bother. Well in my case I would sell my body to be there in Arillas. (Not that anyone would buy it...) As y'all know, philandjen, the both of us, adore our place.

[Ang]

I didn't think id would say this but there are benefits to being european/british when flying the skies...
we eventually met our american family and took them down to mother in laws where they were staying the night  a very late supper was had and a good bit of banter.
They have had to pay for all of the delay as it seems their insurance classed the ash fall as act of god, they were on a 2 stop flight, so as the original carrier took them to Schiphol for a conecting flight to manchester and they did land they can not claim.
They also had to go without their luggage for almost 4 days it was being held as it had been unloaded, so all in all with hotel, food ,new clothes, a few tourist trip excursions and the ferry from rotterdam to hull, this delay has cost them the best part of £1500 or more, luckily the Dad had his credit cards
They are praying the volcano stays calm as they have to return to Schiphol monday morning to to get their New York flight back home.

So its off to manchester for us this afternoon, we cant leave any earlier than 2pm fingers crossed the roads will be clear so we get to the party in time
Ang

[kevin.g]

ang
have a good time at the party..........yammas

[mathsboffin]

We were due home from Corfu on the same flight as Sara on Monday 19th, originally due back on the flight on Friday 16th.  Turned up at the airport on the Monday, staff are there from about 10 am, to be told it was cancelled.  Next available flight to Bristol on Monday 26th.  On Thursday 22nd, around 6 pm, we had a phone call from the airport staff saying they were laying on a "rescue" flight to Gatwick at around 6 pm on Friday 23rd.  Did we want to be transferred onto it.  We took up the offer to be told to get to the airport on Friday morning.

Later that night we had an A4 notice from Easyjet pushed under our door, saying that as of Friday morning, our accommodation would be cancelled and we were to go to the airport "ready to fly", on Friday morning as there were rescue flights and stand by facilities for other flights. 

Arrived att the airport at around 9am, the Gatwick morning flight was totally full, people were being booked on to the rescue flight.  We took off at 1855, the plane had 64 empty seats on it and we landed at 2015 GMT. We then had to arrange to get to Bristol to get the car and then drive back to Worcestershire.

The airport staff were excellent throughout the whole of the time, arranged B&B accommodation for us and a taxi free of charge to our new hotel, the Corfu Mare Hotel.  They rang us when they said they would, they were very efficient and wanted to assure us that accommodation would be provided for us. 

I now need to claim for our additional 2 meals per day and our transfer costs from Gatwick to Bristol.  Any top tips on doing this, would be appreciated.

Finally we had a wonderful holiday from the 5th April until the ash cloud day!  We are a bit uncertain about our forthcoming trip to Arillas in August - not sure what husband's annual leave situation will be after this week out and whether I can face getting in a plane again and being on foreign shores.  I have found the whole experience really stressful, not least because our 17 year old son was home alone for the whole of the time.  Should have been 11 days, ended up being 19!

Sara I hope you get home safely - I guess you didn't know about the resuce flight or you were happy to stay until tomorrow. 

Regards

Sharon

[justphil]

Thanks for posting Sharon. So glad you got treated well. I hope for your sake that August happens. From where I sit, the loss of that would be the worst bit.

We would have been just like you, but home-alone 17 year olds can be very resourceful. We worry about our 28 year old who is back with us now... But somehow he and the cat get by!

You are entitled to those expenses based on European law. Make sure you keep all the receipts, and only send copies. EasyJet are liable, so put your claim in to them. Mostly the insurance gets away with it as an "Act of God." Don't get me started on that one....

Phil