Eruption disruption maroons locals abroad

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As thousands of Britons marooned in foreign lands, as a result of the Islandic volcano eruption, make their way home, with the re-opening of UK air space, the Chronicle has been tracking the travel woes of three local people.

James Ingram, a civil servant from Newtownards, and his girlfriend Sarah-louise Hindes, have endured a 'nightmare' week.

Along with tens of thousands of other Brits, they were left stranded in Spain.

The couple were due to fly home to Northern Ireland on Monday, April 19, but upon arrival at Alicante airport, Easyjet informed them the earliest flight they could be booked on was April 30.

On Monday, James explained that Easyjet was paying for their hotel, but they had to check in every morning at 6am at the airport to be re-assigned a new hotel.

James told us: "We are angry and frustrated. It is no one€s problem, but we are having to borrow money to keep us going. We can€t relax at all, we are just hanging around the airport hoping to hear something.

"Everyday we have to turn up at the airport at 6am in the hope we will hear something or be told something new. We have to haul our luggage with us, because every day they assign us to a different hotel."

James said his employers are understanding, but said he is still worried: "Work have been great, but at the same time I'm concerned, if I am stuck here until April 30, that I will have to use all the assigned holiday days for the time I€m stuck here, which would leave me out of money and out of days off.

"Each day we get the same empty information from the British Embassy representatives. They aren€t letting us know anything. They haven€t let us know anything about the navy boats or anything else for that matter. We have met people who aren€t able to get on a flight home until May 15. Some are happy about it, others are not."

Yesterday (Wednesday), James and Sarah-Louise had a stroke of luck and managed to get on an Easyjet flight bound for London: 'We were in the airport as usual. There was an Easyjet representative walking up and down shouting €Anybody for London?'. We said 'yes' and ran to the plane.

"I couldn't believe it, the flight was half empty. All those people waiting around Alicante airport and they didn€t even fill the flight. We can't wait to get home. Sarah-Louise is really missing her little girl."

The couple got a bus to Liverpool and are hoping to catch a ferry to Belfast today.

In a similar predicament, on the other side of the Atlantic, is Newtownards Chronicle staff member Robert Keenan, who is stranded in New York.

Like James and Sarah-Louise, Robert was re-booked on a flight much later than his original departure, by the airline. Unfortunately Continental Airlines, refused to compensate passengers and Robert was forced to book into a hotel in the city at a cost of $580.

Robert arrived in New York last Friday via Mexico and was due to fly home the same day. Upon arrival at JFK Airport he was told about the cancellations and told the earliest flight he could be booked on was today (Thursday).

Robert said he is surviving on KFC, Taco Bell and bagels and is glued to the news for volcano updates: "When I arrived at the airport I was told to head to re-accommodation desk to re-book the flight. After a wait of about an hour, staff announced no re-booking was possible and that we had to go and reclaim our luggage. Airline staff told me to try at 6am when desks re-opened and that Continental would not provide hotels or compensate, because it was an 'act of God situation'.

"I spent that night at the airport desk with some other passengers, all were tired and subdued. At around 9am the next day the desk started to deal with us. The earliest Belfast flight was Thursday at 9.25pm, so I took that. I got a hotel that had a vacancy and booked it and have been here ever since. Cost $580 for five nights. I'm trying to make money stretch - two meals a day seems to work. I'm doing ok compared to those at the airport - I understand they have it tough."

Robert is hoping to make his flight today, but is apprehensive whether he will make it all the way home: "As I understand it, if Belfast is closed the plane may be diverted to London or other European airports (Madrid, Rome or Paris). It all depends on the ash cloud."