Volcano in Iceland Disrupts Europe Travel

A volcano eruption in southern Iceland has resulted in massive flight cancellations across Europe. The AP reports that flights into London’s Heathrow airport is closed, as airspace over Iceland and northern Europe, including Norway, Finland, and Sweden, has been deemed unsafe. It is not yet known when flights at Heathrow will resume.

Delays have also spread to other major hubs on the Continent, including Paris, Brussels, and Amsterdam, largely due to large numbers of redirected Heathrow-bound flights.

Oddly, flights into and out of Reykjavik’s Keflavik Airport have not been disrupted. The southeastern part of the island nation, however, has been partially evacuated, and residents are being advised to stay indoors as much as possible.

If you have plans to fly to Europe over the next few days, particularly to the U.K. or Scandinavia, check with your airlines immediately to find out what your options are. I’ll post any updates here.

**UPDATE** Airlines are beginning to announce policies for travelers affected by the volcano.Delta announced that “Customers booked on Delta-ticketed flights to, from or through the following European markets from April 15-18 may make a one-time change to their travel schedule without fees if tickets are changed by April 30, 2010.

• Amsterdam (AMS)
• Brussels (BRU)
• Paris-Charles de Gaulle (CDG)
• Dublin (DUB)
• London-Gatwick (LGW)
• London-Heathrow (LHR)
• Manchester (MAN)
• Shannon (SNN)

Travel for changed itineraries must begin by May 31, 2010, and changes to origin and destination may result in a fare increase.”