The ash cloud looms...

I don’t generally believe in good or bad luck but this bloomin ash cloud is back again just in time for another of my spring time trips abroad!  Currently sat in some depressing Comfort Inn hotel (no offence to the word hotel intended) near Heathrow I am starting to get some depressing and fear inducing flashbacks of last year!  Add Newcastle’s failure to see out a 3-0 lead with 30minutes to go yesterday to that and I am starting to feel bad luck is my friend!

Upon leaving the office a couple of minor airlines had cancelled flights, by the time I had arrived and eaten my starter KLM had announced the cancellation of some of their flights!  A cold sweat has definitely started to spread...!

Now I am sure Lufthansa flights will be fine in the morning and I am sure I will make it to IMEX in time for the first of my scheduled meetings.  Returning on the other hand I’m a tad less confident!  Financially getting stuck this time would be a lot easier, for two reasons – firstly it is a work trip and the joy of work expenses will save the day; secondly I’m travelling as a guest of Hilton hotels and therefore they’d cover the cost of extra room nights / alternative travel plans, etc.  However being stuck in Frankfurt when one of my clients – Revolution Events – are involved in 19 events over the next 6 weeks would not be ideal (perhaps that is an understatement).

The amount of work we – Connect Events – have on in the next few weeks is intense and being stuck abroad wouldn’t help; however on the positive side I suppose it would give us a good chance to test our ‘cloud’ facilities!  Not really sure what that sentence means but we have virtualised servers and access to a high capacity dropbox account (that is cloud in our books).  Perhaps it is a good thing then...?  To be honest the word ‘no’ doesn’t do that question justice! 

One thing is for certain and that is that it isn’t worth stressing or worrying about – I learnt that during the last cloud experience!  We can’t help it; if the airlines decide not to fly because ash settling in their engines may cause their planes to crash I am certainly not going to suggest they stop acting like idiots and get the planes in the sky!  If someone with a lot more knowledge than me decides to ground the entire European airspace (again) for 1, 3, 6 or 10 days me (and others getting angry) will make zero difference and just escalate the stress of the situation! 

With that in mind I think I’ll have another shandy (or 2)...and just hope I won’t be writing the next blog from Heathrow Terminal 1 waiting lounge or worse from a train seat somewhere between Frankfurt and London!

PS
Writing an blog which brings back animated memories isn’t advisable in a busy hotel bar judging by some of the looks my various grimaces and smiles have received J

www.connectevents.co.uk