Did Governments Act Responsibly in Closing Down Airspace when Iceland's Volcano Erupted?

Online, May 5, 2010 (Newswire.com) - Eyjafjallajökull volcano, a volcano that had been dormant for almost 200 years, erupted in Iceland on March 21, 2010 forcing an unprecedented no-fly zone across much of Europe.

Thousands of flights were cancelled or postponed and millions of travel plans were affected. This caused the greatest chaos to air travel since the Second World War.

Not only did thick drifts of volcanic ash blanket parts of Iceland but invisible plume of grit drifted over Europe. Did governments act responsibly when they emptied the skies of planes, and sent hundreds of thousands scurrying in search of hotel rooms, train tickets and rental cars?

In a recent survey performed by Sensors Quality Management Inc., out of 500 North Americans surveyed, 85% felt that governments acted responsibly, when they closed down airspace. Many of those surveyed indicated that it was acceptable to place public safety ahead of inconveniences to both personal and business travelers.

But 15% of those surveyed felt that governments did not act responsibly. The main reason given was that they felt there was not sufficient "proof of harm" of the volcanic ash. In effect, they felt that governments over reacted by implementing flight bans that affected millions of travelers.

Sensors Quality Management Inc. (SQM) is a Toronto based supplier of Quality / Service Assurance and Market Research, services. Although the main focus of the business is Mystery Shopping Programs, SQM offers its world-wide clientele a variety of other services, including: field merchandising, online comment cards, internal audit software, and integrated customer feedback programs.

For additional information, please contact:

Mr. David Lipton
Sensors Quality Management Inc.
895 Don Mills Road
Suite 400, Tower 2
Toronto, ON M3C 1W3
Phone: 416-444-4491
Fax: 416-444-2422
[email protected]