On blame and recriminations

My mother didn't make it, but the aeroplanes are at least starting to fly again. As I write, hundreds of stranded passengers are being returned to the UK and Europe by means of through the night flights and 24-hour train services.

But inevitably, the recriminations have already begun. You would have thought that an erupting volcano was truly an Act of God - and admittedly no-one as yet seems to have come up with any conspiracy theories (it was Al Quaeda what dunnit, innit?) - but nevertheless, the blame has already started to fly in earnest. It chiefly seems to be aimed at governments, for failing to get everyone flying again soon enough. Many airlines are saying they will be asking for compensation.

Understandably the airlines are pissed off. After all, the aviation industry was losing some £150m a day while planes were grounded, and some airlines are apparently now perilously close to bankruptcy as a result.

But governments were only following the instructions of plane manufacturers, which specifically said if there's ash, don't fly. Imagine if they ignored this advice. Imagine if they'd just said, hang it all, let them fly - and a plane had gone down? Then we'd be in a whole lot more trouble.

It's a tricky situation - human being always want someone to blame. But this is a crazy situation. When I first heard on the news that Ryanair was planning to fly in the face of EU law and not reimburse passengers for anything more than the cost of the flight, my first reaction was disgust at Michael O'Leary's penny pinching ways. But on reflection, although I feel nothing but pity for those who were stranded, it's not the airlines' fault either. And if you get on a plane, you accept you are taking a risk. Hmmm. tricky one.