On the horizon: Another Icelandic erruption

Volcanic experts in Iceland say that another volcano is on the verge of eruption which will inevitably disrupt traveller's plans. One of the most feared volcanoes in Iceland could erupt as early as Wednesday (July 13, 2011).

Its name is Hekla, nicknamed the "Gateway to Hell" by locals, and is located very close to Eyjafjallajökull which was responsible for closing Europe's airspace for the longest time since the Second World War. London Heathrow halted for five days resulting in travel chaos and billions of pounds lost for the airline industry. It effected 8 million passengers and more than 100,000 flights were cancelled or severely delayed.

It was just over a month ago that Grimsvötn volcano erupted but thanks to favourable winds, Europe's airspace was hardly effected at all.

What can be expected when Hekla erupts?

Now that ash cloud cancellations are becoming more frequent (unfortunately), this also means that airlines and airports are becoming far more equipped to handle mass-cancellations and passengers affected. Delays are to be expected. In some cases airlines may resort to flying at lower altitudes which means that weight restrictions will become more strict or the flight may only take-off half-full.

How to deal with natural disasters while travelling?

• Keep an eye on social media like Facebook and Twitter. Follow your airline's pages and watch for their updates. This is the future and reaching fans by tweets and page updates is the fastest and easiest way to stay informed! Also, EuroControl, who is in charge of Europe's air traffic control is a great source of info (@eurocontrol).

• If your flight has been cancelled, don't go to the airport. Call your airline and instead of asking "Is my flight leaving on time?" Your question conversation should rather go something like this...

I'm on Flight 823 from London to Budapest. Can you tell me which aircraft number is assigned to Flight 823?

Then, once you know the aircraft number, continue with...

Oh, it's tail number 334? Where is tail number 334 right now? ... In Mexico City?

By then you'll know where your aircraft is and whether or not it's realistic to go to the airport or not. It's much better to get this kind of information while talking to a real human being rather than from the airline's web updates.

• Have a Plan B. 

• If you're stuck, ask the airline to waive your rebooking fee due to the circumstances. In many cases this will be done in any case if the flight is delayed because of an ash cloud. If you have to re-route to get home another way, this is the time to ask for some grace from your airline. They know that a possible customer for life is the wager and they'll likely do it.

Have you ever been caught by an ash cloud? What about a natural disaster? How did you handle the travel situation?

The experts do say that Iceland's volcanoes have entered into a new period of extremely frequent activity and more eruptions around the country are expected in the near future which could mean that ash cloud cancellations could become the norm in Europe's travel future.

Image: vanderkroew / Flickr cc.