Significant concern remained, however, about the dangers posed by the clouds of volcanic ash being spewed out of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano. A senior U.S. official told Reuters news service that glass buildup from the eruption was found in an engine of a NATO F-16 fighter plane, underscoring dangers to aircraft flying through the ash cloud.
Airports in Portugal, Spain, the Balkans, Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey were open for flights on Monday, the Associated Press reported. But officials in Britain, France, Germany, and the Netherlands -- home to four of Europe's five largest airports -- said their air space was still closed.
The tentacles of the crisis have already stretched into the global supply chain. Auto factories in China that use electronic parts flown in from Germany faced a sudden halt in shipments. A logjam forming in the international diamond trade threatened to delay the shipment of necklaces and wedding rings if flights are not resumed between cutters in India and dealers in Antwerp, Belgium.
It's nice to know the Chinese are using German electronics in their crapcans. Toyota, take note. As for the jewelry, just tell her the diamonique was all you could get, damn that volcano! Heh.
Even if flights to European hubs including London and Amsterdam, home to the world's largest flower market, were to resume immediately, Kenyan flower industry officials said there would be a temporary oversupply that could push prices down for the next week.
When she says "Honey, you hardly ever buy me flowers!" (hopefully she'll leave out the line "What did you do this time?"), it might be less than beneficial to tell her "They've never been this cheap!".
However, it is disturbing to find out that all those famous Dutch flowers are from Africa. My heart is broken. Welcome to the 21st century, you old fart.
With the volcano still erupting, there was no telling when the ash clouds over the region could clear. But the airlines were clamoring for aviation authorities to roll back the bans anyway.
A handful of carriers have run test flights to determine whether ash particles were dense enough over Europe to cause engines to fail.
Speaking as a guy who has repaired many engines that were worn out by desert sand leaking in through a faulty air filter, ARE YOU PEOPLE NUTS?!!! They may not seize, quite the opposite when the clearances open up and all they'll do is go 'Whoosh!' instead of making power and they won't last as long. I guess if the engines wear out three months from now over the Atlantic they won't be able to blame the volcano or their own stupidity. I guess jet engines are cheap, and it's only four bolts and a fuel line. Yeesh. Someone who knows about jet engines please chime in on this.
Still, KLM acknowledged that it conducted its test flight when there was a gap in the clouds containing the heavier concentrations of ash. The other airlines conducted their tests at lower altitudes.
Oh. Well, that's OK then.
Rumor has it that the KLM pilots flew through an undetermined type of cloud over Amsterdam that made the engines giggle. Also reported was a strange perfumy smell in the cabin. Amsterdam has many attractions.
Note to airline pilots flying to, from, or over Europe until the ash goes away: Put a really loud horn on the damn things and follow roads so there's always a place to set 'er down in a pinch. Add floats or pontoons for overwater flights.
Airplanes are flying sardine cans full of people. I guess there's a risk-benefit thing for airline profits and their government subsidies. What's the loss of a few cans of sardines when there's money involved?
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