Volcanic Eruption Grounds Flights; Coachella Fest In Jeopardy For Some

A volcanic eruption in Iceland Thursday grounded hundreds of thousands of air travelers all around the world.

Airports in France, Amsterdam and the U.K. are closed, and people from all over the world who planned for months to attend Coachella Fest missed their flights.

Planning for the festival takes days, months and sometimes a year.

“We would have had to figure out our new holidays,” said Kaila Macivor, who flew into Palm Springs from Vancouver. “We took holidays off work.”

Flights are not cheap, and, neither are hotel rooms nor ground transportation.

“It took a lot of sweat to get here,” said Leanne Yee, who made her flight from Vancouver.

Brandon Morley landed in Palm Springs from Philadelphia Thursday, and said he would be “pretty upset” if his flight was canceled or delayed.

Morley and his friends took two months to plan their trip, and they couldn’t imagine having it cancelled because of a volcano.

“I didn’t even know they had volcanoes in Iceland,” he said, laughing.

News Channel 3 didn’t run into any European travelers. But, those flying in from Canada said they got lucky that their flights weren’t delayed, because many of the hotel rooms and tickets they purchased for Coachella Fest are non-refundable.

“For our tickets and everything, it was like $350 to $400 with the conversion,” said Macivor. “Then, for spending money here, probably like $300. So, quite a bit of money.”

“I actually had a friend who experienced a couple hours delay,” said Stephinie Badger, traveling from Washington, D.C.

But, Badger expects her friends to make it in time for the weekend.

However, passengers stuck in London weren’t so lucky. Heathrow Airport closed Thursday and grounded 1,200 flights and 180,000 passengers.

“We are looking at 100 percent occupancy for Friday night,” said Ciara Green, with Fantasy Springs Resort Casino, who mentioned that only one international guest had canceled her plans.

“But, she hopes to be here in time for the concert [Friday],” she said.

With the recent earthquakes in China, Chile, Haiti, California and now a volcanic eruption, Aracely Jarrell, a Beaumont resident, said, “the earth got drunk. It’s hungover and it’s throwing up. So, enjoy [the festival] Coachella. This might be your last.”