still stranded

　Kさんからは
「‥‥無事にイギリスに着かれたでしょうか。大変だったですね。」
というメールをいただきましたが、‥‥じつは、まだ日本にいます。:>_<;

　以下、BBCニュースを引用しつつ、客観情勢をご説明します。
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8641428.stm
UK airlines are seeking volunteers to give up seats so the thousands of people still stranded after the volcanic ash disruption can get home.

British Airways (BA) has asked customers who are booked on long-haul flights up to 2 May to make way for those who were stranded.
And Virgin Atlantic says many such volunteers have contacted the airline.
But many airlines' long-haul passengers still face weeks of delays, with re-booked returns stretching into May.
← 日本人の場合は、これに加えて「ゴールデンウィーク」繁忙期に入るので、大変。

British airspace reopened on Tuesday following almost a week of grounded flights. Although more planes than usual are flying, tens of thousands of Britons are still stuck overseas.
The company says those volunteers can then re-book on later flights at no extra cost, but the re-arranged flight has to be at least seven days after the original departure date.

STRANDED PASSENGERS
Egypt: 10,000
Florida: 9,000
India: 8,000
South Africa: 5,000
California: 4,000
Thailand: 2,500
Malaysia: 2,000
Other significant regions: Caribbean ; Dubai; Maldives
← どうしてこの一覧に Japan は無いの？
Source: Industry figures compiled by travel journalist Simon Calder

Some passengers have complained that BA appeared to be selling empty seats on earlier flights to new passengers.
BA said its computer system forced empty seats to be made available for sale, but the tickets had been significantly overpriced* so they would remain unsold and stranded customers were not being asked to pay anything extra when their flight was re-booked.
Virgin Atlantic is also taking up offers from volunteers who can fly home at a later date.
← * ANAもまたエコノミーで35日以上往復便で40万円ほどの値を付けています。
　いつの間にか(2009年秋でしょうか)、JALもBAも１日２便のシステムをやめていたんですね。成田＝ヒースロウ間の定期直行便が４社合わせて１日６便だったのが４便になり、消化できる乗客容量が4／6になっていたところにこの事態で、対応力（耐性）が減っている。臨時便を運行する余力もないからこその、苦肉の対策と受けとめておきましょう。
　ぼくとしては、ケインブリッジにおける諸々はさておき、5月12日、エセクス大学でのセミナー報告が最初の喫緊の要事。その準備もできてないので、落ち着かないことこの上ありません。
　「在日」だからといって、いろんなこと申し付けないでね！

Virgin boss Sir Richard Branson said the blanket ban on flights had been an "overreaction", insisting that there had been "no danger at all" to flying.
He said that Virgin engineers had advised that there had been plenty of flight corridors which were "quite safe" and called for compensation for the air industry after the ban cost his airline ￡50m in six days.

On Thursday, Transport Secretary Lord Adonis told the BBC the flight ban had perhaps been "too cautious" but that regulators had needed time to test the impact of the ash on aircrafts.