Scientists forecast decades of ash clouds

[Synicus Maximus]

Source: Times of London

THE Icelandic eruption that has caused misery for air travellers could be part of a surge in volcanic activity that will affect the whole of Europe for decades, scientists have warned.

They have reconstructed a timeline of 205 eruptions in Iceland, spanning the past 1,100 years, and found that they occur in regular cycles — with the relatively quiet phase that dominated the past five decades now coming to an end.

At least three other big Icelandic volcanoes are building towards an eruption, according to Thor Thordarson, a volcanologist at Edinburgh University.

Read more: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article7127706.ece

[hlthe2b]

1. Time to bring back and upgrade the cross Atlantic passenger ships

What alternative is there?

[protocol rv]

2. Ground effect vehicles, or high bypass turbofans with extra engines.

I like the ground effect vehicles myself.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ground_effect_vehicle

[jwirr]

3. What about alternatives to food?

[Submariner]

4. Maybe it's that time?

[alp227]

5. AP: Ash Cloud Prompts Closing of London Airports

Filed at 7:23 p.m. ET

LONDON (AP) -- Europe's busiest airport was set to close early Monday morning as a dense crowd of volcanic ash drifts across England from Iceland, aviation authorities said.

The airspace over London's Heathrow Airport will be closed at 1 a.m. Monday (0000 GMT; 7 p.m. EDT), Britain's National Air Traffic Service said in a statement late Sunday night.

More: http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2010/05/16/world/AP-EU-Iceland-Volcano.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss

And based on the London Times report you posted, I'd say that if the airports continue operating as usual for those decades then the news will get clogged up with more airport closure news and overall the travelers will be royally screwed.