The airlines have been through a lot over the last decade: 9/11, other terrorist attacks or attempted attacks, the SARS epidemic, bird flu outbreaks, mergers, record fuel prices, and, most recently, the worldwide economic recession. But no one, other than experts in the field, could have predicted the turmoil caused by the recent eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in Iceland. All airlines flying trans-Atlantic flights, particularly those to or from northern Europe, experienced major disruptions. Thousands of passengers were stranded in various airports for days until the eruption subsided or the winds shifted favorably. For a week airline schedules were continually revised to adjust to a changing situation on a daily basis.
展开▼
