AH, I dont agree.
AFAIK AirNZ kept ALL of their fleets flying. Not just the profitable regional bits, when perhaps they could have followed the QF excuse and parked up unprofitable jet routes.
My point is, every other carrier used their noggin and found ways of keeping out of the ash. It has been vindicated
AFAIK by no reports of any evidence of ash encounter at all.
QF used "safety" as an excuse to park up, and as I did at the time, I call BS.