London's two major airports were closed Monday as a cloud of ash from a volcano in Iceland moved east into England, British air authorities said.I've got some friends who are caught up in this. The Glory Gates Quartet has been in Romania for 10 days doing some concert and mission work and was scheduled to fly home this morning through Amsterdam. They've been told that they'll be delayed at least 24 hours, but there are thousands of people in the same boat. One of the guys decided he couldn't wait and ended up paying $1,100 extra dollars to get routed on a different airline through airports that were still open. It doesn't sound like the airlines mind taking advantage of the situation where they can.
All flights into and out of Heathrow and Gatwick airports have been canceled for a six-hour period beginning early Monday, airport officials said.
The affected flights are those scheduled between 1 a.m. (8 p.m. Sunday ET) and 7 a.m. (2 a.m. ET).
The Monday cancellations were the latest in a round of weekend closures of airports across the United Kingdom and into continental Europe.
Amsterdam's Schipol Airport announced it would be closed Monday from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. (midnight Sunday to 8 a.m. ET), according to an airport spokeswoman, who said officials were waiting on guidance from air authorities to decide when flights will resume.
And for future travelers problems like they're having over there now could be a regular occurrence. Scientists think the Icelandic volcanoes are entering an active period after about 50 years of relative quiet. Ash clouds and flight disruptions may become all too common. Plan a few extra days and extra dollars on your next European vacation.
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