Nobody loves Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull, a three-to-four kilometere-wide hole in the ground that belches clouds of molten minerals into the flight levels from its cavernous crater. It may be spectacular, but it isn't pretty.
The volcano is a repeat offender, having ejaculated into the pristine skies three times before. But in 920, 1612 and 1821 air traffic was light. The eruptions interfered only with the flight of sea birds. In 2010, clouds of ash clog jet engines, ground planes, inconvenience travellers and cost the airline industry an estimated US$200-million a day.
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