Fed: Qantas cancels more services due to volcanic ash

AAP General News (Australia)
04-20-2010
Fed: Qantas cancels more services due to volcanic ash

SYDNEY, April 20 AAP - Qantas is urging people to reconsider non-urgent travel to Europe
after cancelling more flights due to leave Australia on Wednesday and Thursday.

European airports have been shut and carriers diverted following a volcano eruption
in Iceland last Wednesday that sent a massive ash cloud across Europe.

Qantas has cancelled Wednesday's flights from Singapore to London and Frankfurt and
Thursday's scheduled flights from Bangkok and Hong Kong.

Flights from Europe to Asian destinations have also been cancelled for the two days.

However, the carrier says most flights between Australia and Asian destinations will
still operate from Sydney and Melbourne.

Qantas spokesman David Epstein says flight cancellations into and out of Europe have
now had an impact on more than 15,000 of the airline's customers.

"Qantas is urging passengers to reconsider any non-urgent travel to Europe," he said
in a statement on Tuesday.

"Customers due to travel on cancelled services will be transferred to next available
scheduled services or offered a refund."

He said Qantas was looking at operating extra flights once European airspace was given
the all clear, but people may be waiting weeks to get a seat.

"At this time there is no new or additional seat availability on services to Europe
until early May," he said.

"Qantas will be doing everything to meet passenger needs once flights into Europe are
able to resume, however access to UK and European airports will be difficult due to the
backlog of flights from around the world."

AAP evt/klm/maur

KEYWORD: VOLCANO QANTAS FLIGHT

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