Unofficial Christ's Hospital Forum

Talking of the Irish Spiv once more:

Every (volcanic) cloud has a silver lining.

This man campaigned for a "Yes" vote in the second Irish Referendum on the Lisbon Treaty for naked self-interest despite earlier commenting that it was undemocratic that the Irish should be compelled to vote more than once.

http://eureferendum.blogspot.com/2009/0 ... anair.html

Good to see him hoist by his own petard so to speak.

Re the "Blessed O'Leary" --- Had he refused to pay, under EU rules, he would have been hurt where it hurts most --- no not his Heart -- but his Pocket, as he would have been Sued Rotten, in the EUROPEAN Courts and had he defaulted, they COULD have denied him European Airspace !

I don't think his change of heart was Humanitarian !

Whether the "Shutdown" was excessive, I don't know, but I would rather be on the SAFE side !!
(This from one who has flown in Dakotas !!)

Home at last!

Very grateful for John's offer .... if we had got it sorted (flights from Treviso to Alicante were unaffected), I might even have made it to OBs Day.

Jonathan simply had to get home, and by calling the embassy, he was told that he could board a "secret" Embassy bus that would leave Milan with special cases on Wednesday arriving London sometime yesterday morning. He arrived safely after travelling non-stop for 23 hours on a packed coach with a blocked loo!

As it was, Ryanair found us a flight to Leeds tomorrow, but I persisted in calling them on Skype from our campsite (did you know you can do this from anywhere in the world for 0.01 Euros by calling their Irish geographical number and thereby avoid the premium rate Ryanair usually like to charge UK callers).

Finally, on Wednesday evening they said if we could get to Venice Treviso at 6am yesterday morning we could go to Stansted. We did. No check in opened until 7:30 for the 9:50 flight, but they printed new boarding cards for free (no printer at the campsite). At 9:30 they announced the flight was delayed until 13:30; at 13:30 they announced it was delayed until 15:30; at 15:15 they announced it was delayed until 16:30 and at 16:30 it flew - with loads of empty seats! Judith and Oliver each had a rwow of three seats to themselves while I could stretch out in the extra space afforded by sitting by the emergency exit.

As for re-imbursement, two out of three operatives said we were entitled to payment for reasonable food, accommodation and travel expenses. The third was a ******. I will let you know what happens - I read on another site that Ryanair do not like to pay up, but usually capitulate as soon as court proceedings are launched.

DavebytheSea wrote:Home at last!
As for re-imbursement, two out of three operatives said we were entitled to payment for reasonable food, accommodation and travel expenses. The third was a ******. I will let you know what happens - I read on another site that Ryanair do not like to pay up, but usually capitulate as soon as court proceedings are launched.

and welcome - you must be exhausted!
Unexpected pleasant surprise email from Ryanair today. Due to a French air traffic controllers' strike a flight from Stansted didn't take off. Naturally I claimed and got very little back. There were 3 of us each with return tickets; a simple letter to their head office requesting clarification eventually got to their customer service department and lo and behold, full refund for both outward and return journey for all three of us.
It was actually a bit more complex - they could have booked us on a flight to Girona, Spain (ie just over the border and an airport we do use sometimes) but we discovered the car hire would be an extra 800 plus euros so we declined it (and went to Malta instead!)
The moral is you get what you pay for and I can understand Learhy's comment that you shouldn't expect 6 days board and food plus a flight for 30 euros. If you are paying 1st class BA rates then that is a different matter. That said, I heard of some Sri Lanka Airways passengers who were exceptionally well treated during their delayed journey; it is the luck of the draw.

Despite Volcanos not being the most popular natural event ---- I am hoping to see both Stromboli and Etna, passing North of Sicily, by night-- hence the glows to photograph, and through the straits of Messina, before going up to Venice and visiting Croatia and Montenegro.

TBA and I believe that, after the Electio, in which we have been heavily involved, locally ----we deserve 21 days Cruising from and to Southampton, I to;d you I don't like flying !!!

Neill, be careful the Sirens don't get you as you pass Scilla, and that you avoid Charybdis.

All Irish flights grounded from 7a.m. Tuesday 4th. May for 6 hours - a cloud of volcanic ash passing over.

I seem to remember that Scylla and Charibdis were at the Straits of Gibraltar --- Which are BRITISH -- and there for OK
I was once told, by a Gunnery Officer, when I was up in the "Restricted" bit --- that he could land a Shell in any given square yard of the Straits !!!

If S&C are not there, I shall be corrected by a Classicist !

anniexf wrote:All Irish flights grounded from 7a.m. Tuesday 4th. May for 6 hours - a cloud of volcanic ash passing over.

Son, due to fly from Gatwick to Knock at 1.00pm, was told by Gatwick that the flight was on and by Aer Lingus, that it was canceled.
He rearranged his flight and they flew at 1.00pm as scheduled!

Neill, I have a friend who for the 35+ years of her marriage lived in Reggio, Calabria. In the village of Scilla looking down on the Straits of Messina, there is (or was) a restaurant caled Los Sirenos or something like that. From the hill looking down on the sea, you can, if conditions are right, that the currents are going every whichway, although it certainly doesn't look like a whirlpool.

Thanks Midget, information noted and stored !

I don't think we shall see much of S & C, since it will be night-time --- but Stromboli and Etna might be visible glows.


It may also depend on the Glow, from NTN, according to how many "Night-caps" he has consumed !!!!

Happy glowing, to you and TBA