TPG Stranded as Bali Airport Closes Due to Volcano Ash
Since Bali’s aging volcano Mt. Agung began erupting five days ago, authorities have advised residents and those visiting to remain calm. However, on Monday morning local time, Denpasar Airport (DPS) was forced to close due to the volcano’s ash — and TPG himself is stuck on the island.
According to The Telegraph, the alert for Mt. Agung has been raised to its highest level, just days after it first erupted. As a result, those within 10 kilometers of the volcano have been ordered to evacuate. At this point, Denpasar’s Ngurah Rai International Airport (DPS) is closed for incoming and departing flights. Based on the airport’s latest report, more than 7,000 passengers are stranded.
The head of Bali’s geological agency, Kasbani, said the island doesn’t expect a big eruption; however, the government is forced to remain alert and anticipate anything. The National Disaster Mitigation Agency reports that the airport will consider reopening operations on Tuesday after evaluating the situation. The airport said that it would “make it easier” for passengers to get refunds for their travel or to make alternative arrangements.
Of course, each airline has its own rules on rebooking travel. Virgin Australia and AirAsia cancelled their flights on Sunday afternoon into DPS or Lombok (LOP). In addition, Qantas and Jetstar said flights were continuing as of Sunday afternoon but were subject to immediate change without much warning.
Cathay Pacific has issued a weather waiver to waive rebooking and rerouting charges for all tickets on or before November 26, 2017, for travel to or from DPS between November 27 and December 4, 2017.
Singapore Airlines has issued an announcement informing passengers of cancelled flights. Customers with travel booked between November 27 and December 4, 2017, to or from DPS, can contact their nearest Singapore Airlines ticket office for rebooking. The new travel date must commence on or before January 31, 2018.
We have yet to hear anything from Qatar Airways as of this writing, but will update this post when we receive new information.
If you have travel booked to Bali in the coming days, weeks or months, it could be a good idea to rethink those plans. At this time, it’s not known how Mt. Agung will continue to evolve, but you can follow along with TPG himself on both Instagram and Facebook as he navigates the Mt. Agung eruption in Bali.
Featured image by NurPhoto/Getty Images.
from The Points Guy
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