Airlines Offer Travel Waivers Due to Iceland Volcano

The ash cloud from the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in Iceland has resulted in major travel disruptions around the world. Around 17,000 flights supposed to pass through European airspace on Friday have been cancelled, according to Today in the Sky. (Update: Cancellations continued through the weekend; airspace and airports remain closed into Monday, resulting in billions of dollars lost for airlines.) Major airports, including Heathrow, Gatwick, Brussels, and Frankfurt are closed, many until at least tomorrow morning. (Update: Most airports are scheduled to reopen sometime on April 19. The two Paris airports will remain closed until April 20.) The reverberations from these cancellations had worldwide implications, prompting Cathay Pacific to warn passengers that flights to Europe from Asia are already fully booked for the next month, according to the New York Times.

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

American: Travel waiver issued for travel to or from Barcelona, Brussels, Dublin, Frankfurt, London Heathrow, Manchester (England), Milan, Paris Charles de Gaulle, Rome, and Zurich for travel through April 22.

Continental: Travel waiver issued for travel to, from, or through Amsterdam, Barcelona, Belfast, Berlin, Birmingham (England), Bristol, Brussels, Copenhagen, Dublin, Edinburgh, Frankfurt, Geneva, Glasgow, Hamburg, Lisbon, London Heathrow, Madrid, Manchester (England), Milan, Munich, Oslo, Paris, Rome, Shannon, Stockholm, and Zurich for travel through April 19.

Delta: Travel waiver issued for travel to, from, or through Amsterdam, Brussels, Budapest, Copenhagen, Dublin, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Kiev, London Gatwick, London Heathrow, Manchester (England), Munich, Milan, Nice, Paris Charles de Gaulle, Prague, Rome, Shannon, Stuttgart, Moscow, Venice, Zurich, and Berlin Tegel for travel through April 23.

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United: Travel waiver issued for travel to, from, or through Amsterdam, Brussels, Frankfurt, Geneva, London Heathrow, Madrid, Moscow, Munich, Paris, Rome, Tel Aviv, and Zurich for travel through April 22.

US Airways: Travel waiver issued for travel to, from, or through Amsterdam, Barcelona, Brussels, Dublin, Frankfurt, London Gatwick, London Heathrow, Madrid, Manchester (England), Munich, Paris Charles de Gaulle, and Zurich for travel through April 22.

Other carriers have also issued travel waivers and alternate transportation within Europe; check with your airline for more information. Click on the links below to find more information from each of the airlines:

• Aer Lingus
• Air Canada
• Air France
• Alitalia
• BMI
• British Airways
• Cathay Pacific
• easyJet
• Iberia
• Icelandair
• KLM
• Lufthansa
• Qantas
• Ryanair
• Scandinavian Airlines
• Singapore Airlines
• Spanair
• SWISS
• Virgin Atlantic

In addition, our sister site Cruise Critic lists information about cruises that have been cancelled or delayed, as well as information for passengers planning on flying to Europe for a cruise in the near future.