Dodging the ash

Thanks to Eyjafjallajökull, I have just spent five and a half days travelling from Abu Dhabi to Montreal. I suspect that, when I checked in with Lufthansa at Abu Dhabi, they already knew that I would not be able to complete my journey. Sure enough, we were among the last to land at Frankfurt before the airport closed. Three nights in a hotel were followed by a gruesome bus journey to Rome, taking 18 hours and 26 minutes precisely. Air Canada finally rustled up a 767 and a crew to take me, and my fellow exhausted travellers, to Montreal. I fared a lot better than many people, who camped out on army cots at Frankfurt

However, Star Alliance members were definitely adopting different procedures in dealing with their customers. For example, Air Canada stumped up two nights in a hotel near Frankfurt, whereas Lufthansa were prepared to pay for however many nights were necessary. And the Air Canada manager at Frankfurt told me that United Airlines were refusing to cover any hotel costs. Also, when rebooking a Lufthansa flight with Air Canada, I was initially told to go and speak with Lufthansa!

All this suggests that, although airlines commit to their alliance in fair weather, they are likely to absolve themselves of collective responsibility in foul weather, particularly if the terms being employed by one member do not suit another.