Passengers Stranded at Lindbergh by Volcano

One man waiting in line could miss his mother's funeral

Thousands of planes stayed on the tarmac Friday to avoid the hazardous cloud of volcanic ash sifting down on parts of northern Europe. The eruption is causing further travel chaos worldwide, including here in San Diego.

This morning at Lindbergh Field all flights appeared to be on time -- but some international travelers with domestic connections got bad news.

Poway Resident Hans Pupping says his parents are on their way to Amsterdam for a funeral.

"Unfortunately my dad, I lost my grandmother, and he's trying to get to a funeral in Amsterdam,” he said. "He might miss the funeral. I mean what can you do?"

Eurocontrol, the European air traffic agency, said the travel disruptions that reverberated throughout the world Thursday were even worse on Friday, with about 11,000 flights expected to operate in Europe instead of the usual 28,000. It said delays will continue well into Saturday as the massive yet invisible ash cloud moves slowly south and east.

"There will be significant disruption of air traffic tomorrow," spokesman Brian Flynn said, adding the agency would hold a meeting Monday of aviation officials from all 40 Eurocontrol countries.

Officials say the volcanic ash could damage jet engines and are cancelling flights as a precaution. The interruption in air traffic is believed to be the biggest since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Travelers are turning to ground transportation to get around. A spokeswoman for a Dutch train company NS Hispeed says additional trains have been put into service.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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