LUFTHANSA Bulletin For Passengers Heading To Belgium, France, and Luxembourg

LUFTHANSA Bulletin For Passengers Heading To Belgium, France, and Luxembourg

Due to the attacks in Paris and the ongoing police activity taking place in and around Belgium, France, and Luxembourg, Lufthansa has asked passengers to be prepared for additional scrutiny.

Specifically, passengers are asked to carry their passport or identity card even if travel is taking place within the ‘Schengen’ region which normally does not require any border control or identity checks.  This applies to passengers traveling on any of Lufthansa Group’s airlines.

Passengers should expect spot checks for flights arriving or departing the above mentioned countries.  In addition there is a higher chance of random checks for other travel within Schengen zones.  It makes sense to act as though Schengen rules have been suspended and be prepared with proper documentation no matter where in Europe you may be.

According to the EU, this security enhancement will be in place through at least the middle of December with a good probability of being extended beyond that time frame.

Travelers who cannot provide proper identification are subject to being banned from entering a country or fines.

I’ll be in Europe next week and am curious to see how different things look and feel compared to my last visit a few months ago…..


a gingerbread man with a smile and a hand raised

Flying To Europe Tomorrow?  Sit On The Left Side Of The Plane…Trust Me!

Flying To Europe Tomorrow? Sit On The Left Side Of The Plane…Trust Me!

I received an e-mail alert earlier this evening ‘warning’ of a Solar Storm that promises to trigger an enhanced Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) event for tomorrow, April 20th.

According to the forecast the peak of the storm should take place at appromixately 02:00 UTC which will coincide nicely with overnight flights that depart the US and head for Europe.

Here is  a map predicting the intensity of the event:

a map of the earth

The Northern Lights should light up the skies over the North Atlantic.

 

A few weeks ago I was on a flight from Paine to Frankfurt and had the thrill of experiencing the Northern Lights for the first time in my life.   They are worth staying up for!

The photos below are a little blurry, but with exposure requirements and the speed of the aircraft, this is the best I could do.

If you have a point-n-shoot or DSLR, you’ll want to set your exposure to 1-2 seconds and set your ISO to the 3000-5000 area and hold your camera FIRMLY against the window.   However, you’ll have plenty of opportunity to experiment with your settings during the event to find the perfect combo for your camera set up.   Using your phone to take pictures will probably not yield good results.

Without a camera you will still be able to see them if they are intense.  If they are weaker, they will look like a thin stream of white clouds.  At least thats what they looked like to me until the camera showed otherwise.

Hopefully your photos will be better than mine!

 

a night sky with stars

a green and purple sky with stars

Substantial Geomagnetic Storm MAY Impact Your Travel Plans this Weekend

Substantial Geomagnetic Storm MAY Impact Your Travel Plans this Weekend

Normally, we’re accustomed to Severe Thunderstorm or Blizzard Warnings, etc. when it comes to weather forecasts and the potential impact on travel.   Now, there seems to be another type of warning that we’ll have to deal with:  A Geomagnetic Storm Watch.

NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, has issued just such a watch for this weekend after observing two large solar flares emit from the Sun that were pointed directly at the 3rd rock from the Sun (that being Earth).    Specifically, a G2 Geomagentic Storm Watch is in effect for Friday, while a G3 watch is in place for Saturday.   The G3 is the more severe of the 2 types.

Based on what I read today, these types of strong solar flares are not rare, but the problem is that this specific solar flare is aimed directly at the earth which apparently is a fairly uncommon occurrence at these strengths.

According to the experts, there is widespread potential (albeit it low) for power outages as well as interference with satellite communications around the world.   This would include navigation aids such as GPS and other communication links that airliners rely on when in flight.  Apparently, high frequency radio transmissions to and from aircraft can be seriously impacted as soon as tonight.

These same experts also suggest that there shouldn’t be major impact from these flares, but they hedged themselves by saying that since they know so little about them, it’s hard to predict just how much their impact would be.

So, should you be sitting in a terminal this weekend wondering why your flight is delayed, or why the gate agent is saying there is a weather delay even though skies are clear and blue, you may very well be delayed thanks to something that happened on the Sun yesterday!

 

 

 

ICELAND Closes Part Of Its Airspace Due To Volcanic Activity; Raises Threat Level To RED

ICELAND Closes Part Of Its Airspace Due To Volcanic Activity; Raises Threat Level To RED

Iceland’s Bardarbunga Volcano has been making news all week as 1000s of minor earthquakes began rattling the region.   On Saturday, the volcano began to ‘officially’ erupt which has prompted Iceland to close a small part of the airspace near the volcano as a precaution.  Thus far, the closure has not affected air traffic.

The the closed airspace covers a 100 mile x 140 mile perimeter around the volcano.    Iceland also raised their aviation alert to “RED” indicated that they expect a significant eruption which will expel dangerous ash into the atmosphere.

If you recall, back in 2010, Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokul erupted which affected over 100,000 flights and millions of passengers.   That eruption also wreaked havoc with airline profits and aircraft.

If your near term travels involve flying the North Atlantic corridor, basically the route used by Airlines flying between the USA and Europe, you may want to start paying attention to this event and perhaps plan a contingency in the event of an eruption that cripples travel.

If the situation deteriorates, Airlines will begin to allow passengers to rebook or cancel their travel plans without assessing any fees or penalties.   I suspect that this event will play itself out in the next few days so be prepared!