In US, welcome mat goes out for stranded travelers

[cali]

By JOHN CURRAN (AP) – 2 hours ago

KILLINGTON, Vt. — The Mountain Inn was ready to call it a season. Then came the call from a group of British schoolboys who'd checked out a day earlier after five days on the Killington slopes.

They'd headed home, only to find out after a six-hour bus ride to New York that they wouldn't be flying anywhere, thanks to grounded European air travel in the wake of Iceland's volcanic eruption.

Could they come back to Vermont? Sure, said innkeeper Chirag Patel. He called in two housekeepers, got his mother and father — co-owners of the inn — to come in to make up the beds and prepared for the unexpected return of 66 guests, even though he'd been planned to close the place for a few months Sunday.

At 2 a.m. Sunday, 60 weary teenagers and chaperones from The Judd School checked back into the 50-room Mountain Inn, across the street from Killington ski resort.

"I thought it would be good, I'm going to miss my geography test on Monday," a glum Miles Partridge, 15, said Monday. "Then when I realized it might be a bit longer, I thought I'd rather get back to my family then sort of stay in America."

Still, they were among the lucky ones. While thousands around the globe slept on airport floors or chairs, others got a dose of old-fashioned Yankee hospitality as Americans opened their homes, wallets and businesses to stranded air travelers waiting for Europe's skies to clear.

"The American people have been fantastic to us," said Peter Dayson, who was with a 41-person group of British collegians stranded in Logan, Ohio. "We're very humbled by the way we've been looked after and treated."

In Chicago, a suburban mom put an ad on Craigslist offering free lodging — in her finished attic — to any family stranded by the air travel ban, sympathetic to the strain it would be on their budget.

"We would benefit more than they would by getting a chance to meet a family," said Michelle Dolan, 40, of Park Ridge, Ill., a mother of three whose home is a 15-minute ride from O'Hare International Airport, where there were dozens of cancellations Monday. "I would almost pay for that experience."

In Newark, N.J., a family of Brits returning from Las Vegas got stranded at Newark Liberty International Airport, where a TV report on their plight drew numerous inquiries. Jeanmarie Keenan, of Scotch Plains, N.J., drove there to find Mick Jordan, wife Jane and 13-year-old son Billy low on cash and eating only one meal a day

Jeanmarie Keenan found her way to them and said, "Are you the Jordan family?" before taking them home with her.

<snip>

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5h8PRX-WylQ0zcZYJpTi6NWXDXjiQD9F6M8HG0

[saigon68]

1. Every culture has people like this

“A Jewish man was traveling on a trip from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road. By chance a priest came along. But when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. A Levite walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side. Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins, telling him, ‘Take care of this man. If his bill runs higher than this, I’ll pay you the next time I’m here.’ “Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?” Jesus asked. The man replied, “The one who showed him mercy.” Then Jesus said, “Yes, now go and do the same.

[aquart]

2. NYC responds to International Travel Delays

<http://www.nycgo.com/?event=view.article&id=227616>

More information about getting to and from NYC airports

Free Museum Admission
Through Friday, April 23, the following museums and cultural institutions are offering free admission to travelers presenting a transatlantic airline ticket dated April 14-23.
American Museum of Natural History
Brooklyn Children's Museum
Brooklyn Museum
Children's Museum of Manhattan
The Drawing Museum (Open Friday only.)
FDNY Fire Zone (Free admission to fire safety presentation.)
Green-Wood Cemetery (Free admission to Wednesday afternoon trolley tour.)
Merchant's House Museum
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Museum of Jewish Heritage - A Living Memorial to the Holocaust
Museum of the City of New York
Museum of the Moving Image
National Museum of the American Indian
New Museum
New York Botanical Garden
New York City Police Museum
The Noguchi Museum
Queens Museum of Art
Rubin Museum of Art
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
Sony Wonder Technology Lab
South Street Seaport Museum Staten Island Children's Museum
Staten Island Museum
The Studio Museum in Harlem
Tibet House
Wave Hill

Discounted Attractions
Through Friday, April 23, the following attractions are offering discounted admission to travelers presenting a transatlantic airline ticket dated April 14-23.
Madame Tussauds New York (Buy one, get one free; Code: 127)
Ripley's Believe It or Not! Times Square (50% off any Ultimate Adventurer Package through Friday.)

[aquart]

3. NYC responds to International Travel Delays

<http://www.nycgo.com/?event=view.article&id=227616>

The volcanic ash blanketing parts of western and northern Europe has resulted in flight cancellations for numerous visitors going abroad from New York City. To help stranded travelers make the most of their extended stay, nycgo.com has gathered an array of resources to make your extra days in the City as comfortable, pleasant and wallet-friendly as possible. The guide includes airline contact numbers, transportation options, and special discounts at local hotels, as well as information on affordable dining, free museum admission and all the other essential information you need to plan and enjoy the rest of your time in NYC. And for up-to-date information on events around the City this week, see our roundup of the best free things to do, and visit our full calendar of events.

More information about getting to and from NYC airports

Free Museum Admission
Through Friday, April 23, the following museums and cultural institutions are offering free admission to travelers presenting a transatlantic airline ticket dated April 14-23.
American Museum of Natural History
Brooklyn Children's Museum
Brooklyn Museum
Children's Museum of Manhattan
The Drawing Museum (Open Friday only.)
FDNY Fire Zone (Free admission to fire safety presentation.)
Green-Wood Cemetery (Free admission to Wednesday afternoon trolley tour.)
Merchant's House Museum
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Museum of Jewish Heritage - A Living Memorial to the Holocaust
Museum of the City of New York
Museum of the Moving Image
National Museum of the American Indian
New Museum
New York Botanical Garden
New York City Police Museum
The Noguchi Museum
Queens Museum of Art
Rubin Museum of Art
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
Sony Wonder Technology Lab
South Street Seaport Museum Staten Island Children's Museum
Staten Island Museum
The Studio Museum in Harlem
Tibet House
Wave Hill

Discounted Attractions
Through Friday, April 23, the following attractions are offering discounted admission to travelers presenting a transatlantic airline ticket dated April 14-23.
Madame Tussauds New York (Buy one, get one free; Code: 127)
Ripley's Believe It or Not! Times Square (50% off any Ultimate Adventurer Package through Friday.)

[liberal N proud]

4. This is the spirit in which people should be living

Help each other.

[NotThisTime]

5. Jay Peak resort in VT stayed open only because stranded students came back

They were to close when the students left... halfway to the airport the kids plane was canceled and the resort opened back up for them...

http://www.wptz.com/travelgetaways/23189242/detail.html

[Berry Cool]

6. It's a nice way to "pay forward" what was done for us on 9/11.

When US planes got grounded in other countries that day, many people there took Americans into their homes until they could fly back. Seems only right we should return the favor.

[lunatica]

7. comment removed by poster