They seem less keen on reaching into their pockets and finding £1.7B to compensate the airlines however.
So where were all these airlines at the ICAO/industry meeting last month which was looking at volcanic ash issues and trying to come up with safe figures and policies. Oh yeah, that's right, IATA didn't bother to send anyone ...
Airlines want everyone else to make decisions for them and to blame anyone and everyone when it all goes wrong. Instead they should have been pushing the industry for research, for decisions on safe ash levels from engine and airframe manufacturers, and for pragmatic procedures to handle events (such as those used in Alaska, which were driven and formulated in the main by an airline). Sitting on their hands was of course cheaper and meant they didn't need to do any work or help make any decisions. For a while they've even got away with it.
well I had a zone infringement a few weeks back. Just goes to show the professional standard of UK GA.
I don't think you can tar all GA with that brush. It was probably just one of those Cessna 172 drivers
Incidentally, there was no restriction on ATC services in Scottish airspace by NATS units, except to IFR traffic. We even got several large jets from Prestwick to Manchester and Luton by helping them navigate the complex UK airspace system using high level and low level IFR and VFR flight where appropriate. Non NATS unit Liverpool also played their part with VFR clearances not above 3500' to enter their zone and transit across to Manchester, as did London Military and Essex Radar for the Luton arrivals.
Well anyone who does real risk assessment would quickly work out that several hundred body bags is actually a good return for wasting £1.7B from the airlines and almost certainly that much again from the general population.
Now all we have to do is ensure that all the gung ho folks who think nothing should have been done in the first place are the first ones in line. let them have the courage of their convictions. Join the line after Willie Walsh please