EYIAFJALLAJOKULL HALTS AIR TRAVEL

SKWOOSH Travel Gel cushion works on the ground as well as in the air

As the ash (read silica and other highly abrasive forms of lava) from Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull volcano managed to keep European airspace shut down, affecting millions of travelers around the world, government agencies and airlines clashed over the flight bans. Some restricted airspace is now beginning to open up and some limited flights are being allowed as airlines push for the ability to judge safety conditions for themselves. The volcano continues to rumble and hurl ash skyward although at a slightly diminished rate. As the dispersing ash plume drops closer to the ground the World Health Organization is issuing health warnings to Europeans with respiratory conditions while frustrated, stranded passengers are slowly finding their way onto rescheduled planes that hopefully will take them on to their pre volcanic destinations. It is hard to imagine the discomfort that was experienced by many thousands of stranded travelers. At Skwoosh we are very sensitive to comfort, especially the lack of comfort. Discomfort to travelers stranded in airports, stranded on the tarmac or stranded in a cramped airline seat is the purpose of our commercial being. Hence, the Skwoosh travel gel cushion or the upgraded Pro Traveler gel cushion. Travelers who are prepared for all types of unimaginable situations always carry the Travel cushion in their hand luggage, briefcase or shoulder bag. It is so convenient ( approximately 8” W X 11” L x ½” H when folded) and handy to have with you that most Skwoosh travel cushions find a permanent home in frequent traveler’s hand luggage. The eruption of Eyjafjallajokull and the subsequent cancellation of thousands of flights came as a real surprise to many folks around the world. Before Eyjafjallajokull very few people in the world ever considered an erupting volcano to be a hazard to air traffic. In fact, the only vision many have of airplanes and volcanoes, is of a small plane circling an erupting volcano, taking pictures or performing some sort of scientific experiment. Not since Roman History class and the story of Pompeii, have most of us even given any thought to “volcanic ash”. Well one US airline has been and continues to prepare its pilots and flight crews for the dangerous pollution of air space by volcanic ash. Since the eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980, Alaskan Airlines decided to develop procedures that would minimize volcano disruptions to its flight schedules. Resources were added in 1989 with the establishment of the Alaska Volcano Observatory, a collaboration of aviation and weather experts. These collaborations lead to the creation of computer models that predict the trajectory for volcanic ash in Alaska and elsewhere in the Pacific Northwest. One thing is for sure, even with a great Skwoosh travel cushion, or a super comfortable Skwoosh Office gel cushion no traveler or airplane wants to get any closer than 35 miles from an ash plume.