Biggest Air Traffic Stall in History Affects Family from Belgium

The Eyjafjallajökull Volcano while errupting.

The Nackaerts family was stopped from getting 

home because they could not travel through the large cloud of debris from Iceland.

Eyjafjallajökull Volcano in Iceland created a major back-up in flights into and out of Europe. This volcano created a massive cloud of waste which could sandblast the jets of an airplane. Europe stopped most air traffic to avoid deadly crashes.

Jolien Nackaerts, an 18 year old senior at Westview High School, is an exchange student from Belgium. Her family had come to visit her during their spring break, which also happened to be at the same time the volcano started. They had a wonderful time until Friday, April 16^th, when they realized that their flight back to Belgium was cancelled. They had no idea when they were going to get back home.

"They didn't know when they would get home" –Jolien Nackaerts

The Nackaerts family was happy to spend more time with their sister and daughter, Jolien, yet had important things to do back in Belgium. Both of Jolien's parents missed work and important appointments. Jolien's mother was also working on getting a degree, but because she was stuck in Oregon, she will now have trouble graduating. Although they enjoyed it, their extra time with Jolien was costly.

Jolien's family stayed at the Park Lane Suite hotel for the week they were trapped in Portland. They were even lucky enough to see one of Jolien's dance performances. Everyday they would check on their flight to figure out when they would leave.

Part of the cloud of debris created by the volcano.

Finally, they had a plan for Friday, April 23^rd. They had to take a train from Portland, Oregon to Seattle, Washington, and then board a train from Seattle to London, England. After the lengthy flight, they would fly from London to Schiphol in the Netherlands, and then they would drive the final distance to Belgium.

After a sorrow session of goodbyes, the Nackaerts family left Jolien and began on their extensive journey home. Thankfully, they made it home safely, and only a week late.

This air traffic stall occurred, as luck would have it, at the same time that many children from Europe were trying to return home after spring break. The Nackaerts family was lucky because they were only delayed one week. Today, many families are still stuck on vacation.

by: Debi L.