I'm scared at what the ash might mean for Britain. Unexpected consequences?

[Jaro65]

Tell you what, you wouldn't get me on the first few planes after the flight ban.

Not without a face mask, anyway.

 

[djellison]

Well - I've got a seat reserved flying out of LHR next Friday to LAX.

Can't wait

 

[danielcox]

GOOD
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8633597.stm ?

So British airspace is open for flights again. But the actual situation of the ash hasn't changed. Neither has the evidence regarding how safe ash is to fly through.

But presumably this means it is safe to fly through the ash, which begs the question WHY did it take so long to be certain? Our tardiness has been costly. Or it begs the question: if there is no new information, can we really be certain that ash poses no threat?

There is an inevitable cock-up here. If the ash is safe, then the problem was not knowing that and unnecessarily prolonging the flight ban. If the ash is dangerous, the mistake is declaring it safe...
Time will tell which is the case.

Did it really take that long? Less than a week of changing weather patterns and tests? Ash tends to stop engines so I'd want to be damn sure it's safe.