Hero: Land-based operators

Train and coach operators were the heroes for many this month when they laid on extra services over to help stranded airline passengers, whose flights were grounded by the vast volcanic ash cloud.

The response of French rail workers to the travel chaos was compound the problem with a timely two-week strike. In the UK, however, where a national rail strike planned for the Easter period was prevented after a High Court judge ruled it illegal, coach and train operators were able to respond...