<p>That’s great that she had the foresight. I am concerned about medically fragile travellers who may not have brought enough medication for these extra delays – guess they make their way to urgent care & try to get more medication and whatever else they need to handle the delays like everyone else.</p>
<p>I’m guessing the roadways must be pretty busy, with folks who can’t fly trying to get onto some land transportation and head south to possibly fly out if they don’t want to wait until they can get a flight out of originally scheduled airports?</p>
<p>^One should ALWAYS take copies of prescriptions (including glasses) on trips to Europe. Filling them once you are there is, for the most part, pretty easy. I lost some medication on my last trip to Rome and just had my husband copy an old label which I took to a pharmacia and got my prescription filled right over the counter.</p>
<p>I don’t see what people think the US gov’t should do to help people stranded in Europe get home. Sure the British navy is ferrying people across the CHANNEL - but that’s not anything like ferrying people across the ATLANTIC OCEAN! You’re comparing a trip of a couple hours to a trip of several days! Even if we had dispatched ships when this started, they’d just be getting to England now, and they’d have just as long of a trip to get back to the US. </p>
<p>And yes, the US has airbases all over Europe… but the point is the PLANES can’t fly, so how do you expect the airbases to rescue the travelers?</p>
<p>Maybe the gov’t could try to arrange for hotels and housing, but unless the skies clear and we have a bunch of Army transport planes just sitting around Europe, it’s going to take the commercial airlines to get Americans across the Atlantic and home.</p>
Well, since that base was closed to military flights with injured soldiers, I don’t think they should have been ferrying tourists and business people home.</p>
<p>I can’t feel too sorry for most people stranded and “out of money.” If you had the finances to plan a European vacation in the first place, “running out of money” is relative. Where is the Red Cross? It seems that this is a natural disaster of sorts and there should be help with emergency housing, medical care, etc. for those who simply have no alternative. At least, those in England don’t have to worry about a language barrier. </p>
<p>And I would strenuously object to my tax dollars being used to rescue people in this situation. This is not a war zone. Ferrying people across the English Channel is different that getting them across the Atlantic. </p>
<p>I have a colleague who is stranded with a group of students who were on a spring break trip. The delay is currently estimated at four days.</p>
<p>" I can’t feel too sorry for most people stranded and “out of money.” If you had the finances to plan a European vacation in the first place, “running out of money” is relative "</p>
<p>I don’t agree with this assumption. I don’t think that most people traveling have access to a lot of extra money when they are traveling. Some people are simply visiting relatives and doing so on a budget , not just extravagant European vacations.
But I agree that this is an inconvenience and not an emergency that needs government intervention</p>
<p>I was thinking more in terms of providing a clearinghouse for available rooms, or perhaps negotiating for blocks of rooms at lowered rates, etc - not paying for them. </p>
<p>My point was that people pointing fingers at the US gov’t for not solving the problem and getting them home are being unrealistic. It’s a LONG way from Europe to the US, with a big ocean in the way. </p>
<p>But if my son ends up stranded in London on his way home from semester abroad (his flight is supposed to connect there) and can’t find a hotel room/hostel, it would be nice if the US Embassy could at least give him some guidance as to where rooms might be available and/or if there are local citizens willing to help travelers out.</p>
<p>
At JFK airport in NYC, providing cots and blankets, and some food.</p>
<p>^^^
LaFalum84,
That was the kind of government assistance I had in mind. A clearing house of sorts via the US embassy for those that needed it or some sort of ability to help those with emergency situations. But there was a big nothing, nor any recognition from our government that a number of it’s citizens were even in this situation. At least they could have given us a BC, “I feel your pain” or looked like they were even concerned with the situation.</p>
<p>And yes, it was seeing all the support here at home for foreigners stranded and having my family experience nothing but price gouging and stress on the other side of the pond that got me upset. I’m glad Americans went out of their way to help those stranded here, don’t get me wrong. </p>
<p>Meanwhile, we have much to be thankful for. The most wonderful supervisor at American Airlines helped book my H & D on a flight that just got added. They are on their way home!!!</p>
<p>Yes, it would be nice if there could be some clearinghouse and info about reasonable accommodations could be made available to travelers stranded. Glad to hear that some of the stranded are getting to their destinations. Good that the Red Cross is helping folks who were/are stranded in the US.</p>
<p>H’s colleagues are finally able to start their journey back to the UK tomorrow, will be anything but direct. H had to travel elsewhere domestically this week and had to leave them, but other employees were willing to help out.</p>
<p>One of my former colleagues (since retired) and his wife were two of the many stranded in Gander Newfoundland after 9/11, they still keep in touch with the gracious Canadian hosts. I hadn’t heard any stories of Americans doing something similar here, so I’m glad the Red Cross did help out…</p>
<p>Guess it is always a good thing to know where the nearest US embassy is, after all. Didn’t notice this news item, buried under all the other stuff about the travel, volcano & stranded folks, probably.</p>
<p>I hope your flight goes off as scheduled. Aer Lingus has cancelled several flights since last Tuesday. More than 500 flights in Europe were cancelled yesterday.</p>
<p>I may get to go through this all over again when my other daughter returns from Berlin in 10 days!</p>
<p>Good luck to the stranded. What got my H and other D home was constant contact with the airline…try to make a connection with a supervisor if you can find one who’s helpful.</p>
<p>At least when it’s an EU airline that cancels, the passengers are either booked in hotels and given meal vouchers, or can book their own hotels and eat on their own, save the receipts and send them in for a refund. Flights are rebooked free. At least D isn’t having to spend money for that or transportation while there. She starts an internship in Madrid immediately upon finishing classes, so won’t be home until July, but who knows how long the cloud will affect travel. She just emailed that a whole new group of Spaniards just arrived at her hotel because flights were cancelled. She heads to the airport tomorrow at 4am London time. We’ll see what happens.</p>
<p>My S has great timing, he came home from his semester in Europe last week. I was the happiest person in the state when he walked thru the door at the airport.</p>