Well, following on from my last post about the cruise industry boom in Oz, the region seems to have hit a bit of a stumbling block after an erupting volcano in Chile has caused a huge ash cloud to form. The situation is similar to that seen in Europe over the last few years and seems the be becoming a bit of a recurring situation with travel.
The volcano in question is 7,000 miles away from Australasis but the ash cloud has drited far enough to delay flights in the region.
Yesterday, Qantas cancelled all of the incoming and outgoing flights from Melbourne, as well as flights to Tasmania and parts of NZ. Virgin, Tiger and Jetstar airways have also cancelled flights and it is estimated that so far around 20,000 passengers have been affected.
As always when there are disruptions to flights, this is a very anxious time for those booked to fly out to meet a cruise ship as there is the possibility there of missing the start of the cruise. Unfortunately, with natural disasters, there really is nothing that anybody can do to speed the situation along and we just have to sit back and see how it plays out.
If you are flying to meet your cruise ship and are unsure of whether or not your flight will be cancelled, your best bet is to call your travel agent or flight provider before you set off for the airport. Australian news websites will be updating people on the situation regularly, so keep an eye on the news!
