Iceland's volcano affects Brisbane travelers' plans

By Siobhan Barry

Updated 11 hours 41 minutes ago

International travellers flying out of Brisbane are finding some of their flights are affected by the volcanic eruption at the other end of the world - in Iceland.

Qantas has cancelled four flights to London and one to Frankfurt.

The airline says it is making contact with affected customers.

Qantas is warning passengers flights to London and Europe scheduled for Saturday that those flights might also be cancelled.

Airline spokesman David Epstein says anyone travelling to Europe or London in the few days should not go to the airport until they have received firm confirmation their flight is operating.

"We haven't made a formal call about tomorrow but what I would say to people is do not be optimistic about flights tomorrow," he said.

"In fact my personal view is it may take until Sunday at this stage unless we hear something better from the UK authorities."

Qantas is advising all passengers leaving Australia for the United Kingdom and Europe to check its website before leaving for the airport.

The airline says the website will have the latest information on whether specific flights have been affected.

The Brisbane Airport Corporation (BAC) says some passengers flying to Europe via Asia have been told they could get stuck in cities including Bangkok or Singapore.

Passengers have been advised it might be better to stay in Brisbane unless they are happy to wait in Asia until the problem is resolved.

BAC spokesman Jim Carden says passengers flying to Europe should call their airlines before deciding whether to travel.

"All the airlines have various policies and it's prudent for people to check with their airline as to whether that airline will be flying on from the Asian stopover, and if not, whether the airline meets the cost of the passenger's accommodation," he said.

Singapore Airlines says it will still fly to Singapore but is warning people that hotels there are full and they should not board the flight unless they have somewhere to stay.

A volcanic eruption in Iceland that has spread ash throughout European airspace has caused airline chaos, closing airports and stranding tens of thousands of passengers.