Everyone please post links to humorous videos of news readers or other people failing to say the name of the volcano correctly!

In this case, I don't see why we should limit the videos to English, could sound funny when mispronounced in any language.

My favorite, includes one allegedly correct pronunciation:

Eyjafjallajökull - You're doing it wrong!

Alaska really, really depends on aviation. There are many small and medium-sized towns that, literally, are not connected to anything via road or navigable water -- the only regular transport in or out is via air.

Has Alaska Airlines already solved the volcano problem?

"[airlines] had a stake in reopening airspace as rapidly as possible — but they were stymied by confused and panicked government policymakers. Officials relied on generic computer models rather than sending up test planes from day one to more precisely map the ash cloud in real time.

"That’s what Alaska Airlines has been doing ever since it was nearly closed by the [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_St._Helens]Mount St. Helens[/url] eruption 30 years ago. Since volcanoes are an ever-present threat to Alaska’s operations, it has well-developed protocols for coping with ash clouds in a safe manner..."

[url=http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/22/the-new-age-of-travel-blimps-and-beyond/#robert]Read the rest[/url] at the NY Times blog
(might be a little slow to load because of Google maps real-time air traffic widget on the page.)

My understanding is that, eventually, UK (and other?) authorities started flying test planes into the ash cloud. I suspect the Euro aero industry-regulator complex is still trying to figure out what the results mean. In Alaska, apparently they have already worked it out, although on a smaller scale.

Alaskans still have the frontier spirit, so they are somewhat more tolerant of aircraft accidents. Still, their accident rate is quite low, considering that they have many threats to aviation besides volcanoes.

Even when there's no volcano, there's so much we could do to make air travel more safe and efficient:
[url=http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/stories/DN-nextgen_14bus.ART0.State.Edition1.4117a06.html]
Satellite-based air traffic control system slow to get off ground[/url]

Here is another area that Europe could leapfrog ahead of the US, if it can find the magic formula for innovation. However, I fear Europe is still in love with heavily unionized, high-speed rail. Generally, rail sees a more efficient air transport system as a threat.

Cloud deniers! Excellent :-)

But I am just a humble cloud skeptic.

Yes, it sounds like a question of protocols. The EU has a standard for the max amount of ash; measurements seem to show that the ash levels were easily below that level; but no bureaucrat could be found to sign the document certifying this!

In the US, our FAA has a very "effective" system -- someone has to die before there is a change. So, perhaps after a stranded passenger has a heart attack, there will be a change and Europe can return to the air.

I think our FAA is weak in Alaska, or maybe it makes exceptions for them. If Alaska had the same rules as the rest of the US, the state would come to a halt.