The cloud of volcanic ash that has made Europe a no-fly zone is also affecting flights at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, with 20 flights to cities like London, Manchester and Brussels cancelled. More cancellations are likely.
Kate Brownsett is just one affected traveler. She didn't have good luck Thursday trying to get back home to Birmingham, England.
After flying back and forth from Chicago to Boston, she was back at O’Hare waiting for the next plane into London’s Heathrow Airport.
"The MET office in the UK are telling them they can’t open until 5:00 in the afternoon," she said. "They are saying we could be here up until Tuesday."
The situation is much worse in Europe where thousands of flights have been grounded and all British and continental airspace has been closed to non-emergency traffic.
The Eyjafjallajokull volcano, one of Iceland’s largest, began rumbling in March, but an explosion Wednesday sent clouds of ash more than six miles into the air. The highly abrasive volcanic ash can erode cockpit windows, reduce visibility and even stall engines.
Authorities said flights across Europe will be grounded until the cloud, which has spread more than 1,300 miles from the volcano, dissipates. The entire airspace of the UK, Ireland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Belgium have been closed.
Iceland sits on one of the key routes between North America and Europe, so many transatlantic flights will be affected as well.
Maureen Ajha, who is also trying to get back to the UK, said she is frustrated. She has flown from Columbus, Ohio to Chicago in hopes of getting one of the first planes allowed back in.
"You really have to fend for yourself out there," she said. "I am almost half-way home.”
Airport officials suggested that people with travel plans to Europe continually check their airline's Web site.
"They will update their flight information and offer messages to passengers there before anywhere else," said O’Hare spokeswoman Karen Pride.
