Getting to Ireland is our next big challenge

May 5, 2010, 1:36 pm

Three days til the final...

We live in London.  The Ultimate Job final is in Co. Cork.

 

This should not be a difficult journey to take.  There are regular daily flights from Heathrow and Gatwick to Cork and we are booked on a flight for Friday morning.

 

Normally, this situation represents almost no risk and we would simply plan to arrive at the airport with plenty of time to spare on Friday and enjoy a stress free and short hop across to Ireland.

 

However, this is not a normal week and Eyjafjallajokull is not just a normal hill.  

 

Due to the ash cloud hovering over Ireland most flights in to Dublin are cancelled.  Although flights are currently running in and out of Cork, there is a strong chance that the Irish Aviation Authority might suddenly decide to close Ireland’s airspace completely preventing us from travelling.

 

On Tuesday, when all airspace was closed, we frantically researched alternative travel arrangements.  A train to North Wales, ferry to Dublin and train to Cork seemed to be the best option.  However, we chose not to book alternative travel when the airspace was opened again on Tuesday afternoon.

 

Now it is Wednesday afternoon and the airspace is partially closed again and we face a difficult decision.  

 

In our ‘glass half full world’ should we believe that the cloud will pass and we will be able to fly on Friday morning?

 

Or in our ‘glass half empty world’ should we plan for the flights to be cancelled, book the required trains and ferry and deal with the risk of being a couple of hundred euros out of pocket?

 

Denise and I are optimists and we would normally plum for positive expectation but with such an ultimate prize at stake should we edge on the side of caution?

 

Stick or Twist? And how late can we leave it to make this critical call…

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