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☆ Meet the heavy metal-drumming CEO bringing back cheap transatlantic travel, and learning from the mistakes of his airline's failed predecessors
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-10 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Birgir Jónsson is the CEO of Play, an Icelandic airline offering cheap transatlantic flights. Jónsson told BI how Play keeps costs low, and how important volcanoes are to Icelandic tourism. From 2014 to 2015, he was the deputy CEO of Wow Air, an Icelandic ultra-low-cost carrier that went bankrupt in 2019. AdvertisementHis foray into the sector began as CEO of Iceland Express, which was acquired by Wow. While other airlines had to avoid the country's airspace — lengthening journey times — Play got planes at discount prices.

Persons: —, Jónsson, Icelandair, it's, York's, New Orleans —, Etienne De Malglaive, Los Angeles —, They're Organizations: Jónsson, Service, Wow, Iceland Express, Icelandic Post, Southwest, Ryanair, York's Stewart, Airbus, North, British Airways Flight, Nasdaq, Russia Locations: Icelandic, Europe, New York, London, Reykjavík, Romanian, Manhattan, Iceland, New Orleans, Eyjafjallajökull, India, Los Angeles, California, Dubai, Russia

GRINDAVIK, Iceland (AP) — A volcano in southwestern Iceland erupted Thursday, less than two months after a previous eruption in the area forced the evacuation of the coastal town of Grindavik. The eruption began about 6 a.m. local time, sending lava into the air along a 3-kilometer-long (1.9-mile-long) fissure northeast of Mount Sundhnukur, the Icelandic Meteorological Office said. This is the third eruption since December of a volcanic system on the Reykjanes Peninsula, which is home to Keflavik, Iceland’s main airport. The volcano eventually erupted on Dec. 18, sending lava flowing away from Grindavik. A second eruption that began on Jan. 14 sent lava towards the town.

Persons: Mount Sundhnukur, RUV Organizations: Icelandic Meteorological, Coast Guard, Met, Keflavik Locations: GRINDAVIK, Iceland, Grindavik, Mount, Iceland’s, Europe, Iceland's, Reykjavik, Sýlingarfell

☆ 5 expats who relocated to Iceland break down the biggest challenges they faced after moving
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-04 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Five expats to Iceland told Business Insider about the biggest challenges they faced. "I used to be afraid of winter coming," Jewells Chambers, who relocated from Brooklyn seven years ago and makes the podcast All Things Iceland, said. Public transport is 'terrible'"Driving is the standard in Iceland," Chambers said. "I think tourism has been wonderful for Iceland," Basappa said. And the main street in Reykjavik used to be Icelandic boutiques, but "everything got swept up and turned into puffin shops," she said.

Persons: You've, Shruthi Basappa, Jewells Chambers, Grace Dean, Chambers, Sonia Nicolson, Jeannie Riley, Nicolson, Riley, you've, Basappa, Alice Olivia Clarke, She'd, expats, Chambers doesn't, They're, they'd, It's, Soeren, Clarke, Airbnb, Brooklyn . Nicolson Organizations: Statistics, Business, SEI, Hallmark, Toyota, Facebook, Tourism, Getty Locations: Iceland, Statistics Iceland, India, Barcelona, Brooklyn, Texas, Canada, Reykjavik, puffin, expats, Brooklyn .

☆ A British expat moved to Iceland and struggled to adjust to the seasonal darkness and lack of choice for groceries
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-20 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Sonia Nicolson moved to Iceland "for love" in February 2016 after meeting her husband in a bar in Scotland while working at a university in southern England. Deciding whether to live as a couple was a case of "either him coming to the UK or me coming to Iceland," Nicolson said. "I was absolutely exhausted in my career, had worked, worked, worked, worked, worked, traveled a huge amount, and jet lag had never really caught up with me," Nicolson said. She first visited Iceland on a work trip and later spent a month exploring the island in 2015. Though you have to pay for healthcare in Iceland, it's affordable and easy to get same-day doctors' appointments, Nicolson said.

Persons: —, Sonia Nicolson, Nicolson, you've, Grace Dean, They're, I've Organizations: Service, Business, Airbnb, Iceland, OECD, Tourism, Lights, Hallmark Locations: Iceland, Scotland, England, Edinburgh, India, Japan, Reykjavik, COVID, playgroups

REYKJAVIK, Iceland (AP) — Iceland’s president said the country is battling “tremendous forces of nature,” after molten lava from a volcano in the island’s southwest consumed several houses in the evacuated town of Grindavik. Johannesson said in a televised address late Sunday that “a daunting period of upheaval has begun on the Reykjanes peninsula,” where a long-dormant volcanic system has awakened. A volcano on the peninsula erupted for the second time in less than a month on Sunday morning. Authorities had ordered residents to leave the fishing town of Grindavik hours earlier as a swarm of small earthquakes indicated an imminent eruption. Political Cartoons View All 253 ImagesThe volcano eventually erupted on Dec. 18, sending lava flowing away from Grindavik.

Persons: —, “, Gudni Th, Johannesson, Magnus Tumi Gudmundsson, Gudjon Helgason Organizations: Authorities, Keflavík Locations: REYKJAVIK, Iceland, Grindavik, ”, Reykjavik

LONDON (AP) — A volcano erupted in southwestern Iceland Sunday for the second time in less than a month, sending semi-molten rock toward a nearby settlement. The eruption just before 8 a.m. came after a swarm of earthquakes near the town of Grindavik, the Icelandic Meteorological Office said. “Right now, a new fissure opened south of the first fissure from this morning,'' Iceland's Met office said in a statement. But the walls of the barriers built north of Grindavik have been breached and lava is on the move toward the community, the meteorological office said. “This continues to surprise us,” Benedikt Ófeigsson at the Icelandic Meteorological Office told Iceland’s RUV television.

Persons: ” Benedikt Ófeigsson, Iceland’s, isn't, Gudjon Organizations: Icelandic Meteorological, Keflavík Locations: Iceland, Grindavik, community's, “, Sýlingarfell, ” Iceland, Europe, Reykjavik

CNN —Iceland’s National Commissioner of Police has ordered residents in the fishing town of Grindavík, first evacuated in November, to evacuate again by Monday night after volcanic fissures opened on roads in the area. The town is also home to Iceland’s famed Blue Lagoon, which draws tourists to its steaming geothermal water and is one of the country’s most visited attractions. The amount of magma had reached a level similar to when a previous eruption occurred in December, the agency said. But in the case of the latest eruption, magma could “migrate further south” – as compared to the previous eruption – and possibly reach Grindavík town. As such, the country is accustomed to volcanic eruptions, though they often occur in the wilderness, away from populated areas.

Persons: CNN — Organizations: CNN, CNN — Iceland’s, Police, Civil Protection Agency, “, Icelandic Meteorological, North Locations: Grindavík, Iceland’s, Reykjavík, Blue, –, Iceland, North America, Eurasia

☆ Opinion: The big question about the Israel-Hamas truce
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-26 | by ( Richard Galant | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +16 min

We’re looking back at the strongest, smartest opinion takes of the week from CNN and other outlets. And then it was back to war — a conflict in which some 8.5 million soldiers from all sides would ultimately die. The timing of the Israel-Hamas truce that took effect Friday had nothing to do with a holiday. But there is also the possibility that this truce won’t last much longer than the one in 1914. “The deal arguably strengthens Hamas, allowing it to claim credit, catch its breath and regroup,” wrote Frida Ghitis.

Persons: Israel joyously, “, ”, Frida Ghitis, —, Aaron David Miller, Israel —, Joe, Biden, Christopher McCallion, ” Sheryl Sandberg, ” “, Amy Klein, I’d, Sam Altman, Clay Jones, OpenAI, Jill Filipovic, ” Rosalynn Carter, Jimmy Carter, Rosalynn Carter, Charles Tasnadi, Kate Andersen Brower, “ Jimmy Carter, Rosalynn, Brower, it’s, Bill Perkins, Sara Stewart, Maria Bamford, ’, “ Bamford, It’s heartening, ” Nick Anderson, Donald Trump, Trump, Julian Zelizer, “ Trump, …, It’s, Dean Obeidallah, Dana Summers, Martin Zwick, Catharine Fulton, Don’t, Scott Stantis, Agency Nima Elbagir, Joseph, Danielle Campoamor, Uvalde, ‘, Joaquin Phoenix, Napoleon, Ridley Scott, “ Napoleon, Noah Berlatsky, Scott deplores, he’s, ’ ”, ” Berlatsky Organizations: CNN, Front, Museum, “, Democratic, Republican, Democratic Party …, Department of State, Defense, Israel, Mental Health, White, Peanut Brigade, Federal, Twitter, Tribune Content Agency, Heritage Foundation, Agency, Apple, Hollywood Locations: Israel, Egypt, Qatar, Gaza, Iran, Iranian, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Eastern Europe, Russia, Ukraine, East Asia, China, Taiwan, today’s America, Georgia, Washington, Reykjanes, Europe, Northern Europe, Iceland, Grindavik, Canadian, Reykjavik, Fimmvörðuháls, balaclava, Sudan

☆ Opinion: Iceland’s magnificent nature comes with a monster
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( Opinion Catharine Fulton | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Hikers are silhouetted against rivers of lava flowing from a volcanic eruption between Iceland's Myrdalsjokull and Eyjafjallajokull glaciers in March, 2010. Residents have been evacuated amid an imminent volcanic eruption. • Join us on Twitter and FacebookThe monster had burrowed a 15-kilometre lava tunnel that stretched beneath the town. Not since the Westman Islands awoke to an eruption in their backyard in 1973 has an entire town been evacuated. Now everyone waits and watches and wonders if residents of Grindavík will ever go back home.

Persons: Catharine Fulton, Read, Reykjavík, Reykjavík CNN —, NordicPhotos, there’s, Micah Garen Organizations: Reykjavík CNN, Geographic, Red, Icelandic Meteorological, CNN, Twitter Locations: Canadian, Reykjavik, Reykjavík, Iceland, Fimmvörðuháls, balaclava, Toronto, Grindavík, Grindavik

☆ I live next to an Icelandic volcano that's about to blow. I wanted to be closer to nature, but not that close.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The eruption site is likely to be near the town of Grindavik, which has been evacuated. AdvertisementThis as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Sigurdur Leosson, a resident of the fishing town Grindavik in Iceland which is under threat from a volcano. We wanted to be closer to nature, but not that close. Magma is running under the town of Grindavik, Iceland, causing fissures and cracks in streets and sidewalks. Side by side images show the Westman Island eruption in 1973 (left) and the Eyjafjallajökull eruption in 2010 (right).

Persons: Sigurdur Leosson, —, Fagradalsfjall, Emin Yogurtcuoglu, Sigurdur, I'm, Brynjar Gunnarsson, it's, Grindavik, Terry Disney, Etienne De Malglaive Organizations: Service, Earthquakes, Anadolu Agency, Getty, AP Locations: Iceland, Grindavik, Reykjavik, We're

☆ Icelandic Villagers Return to Save Their Pets as Volcanic Eruption Looms
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( James Hookway | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

Earthquakes have caused large cracks to appear in roads in the area around Grindavik in Iceland. Photo: road administration of iceland/ReutersResidents of an Icelandic fishing town under threat from a volcanic eruption were allowed back to their homes for five minutes to collect pets and valuables as tremors continued to rock a peninsula jutting out into the North Atlantic, reviving memories of the 2010 eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano and the disruption it caused the global aviation industry. Grindavik’s 3,400 people were evacuated on Saturday after seismologists detected a 9-mile-long underground corridor of semi-molten rock moving beneath the town toward the nearby Fagradaslfjall volcano, around 30 miles southeast of the capital, Reykjavik. By Monday, 30,000 earthquakes had been recorded over the past three weeks and the aviation alert was raised to orange to indicate a heightened risk of a volcanic eruption.

Persons: seismologists Organizations: Reuters Residents Locations: Grindavik, Iceland, iceland, Icelandic, Reykjavik

☆ Iceland Braces for Possible Volcanic Eruption After Quakes Rattle Grindavik
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( James Hookway | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

Earthquakes have caused large cracks to appear in roads in the area around Grindavik in Iceland. Photo: road administration of iceland/ReutersResidents of an Icelandic fishing town under threat from a volcanic eruption were allowed back to their homes for five minutes to collect pets and valuables as tremors continued to rock a peninsula jutting out into the North Atlantic, reviving memories of the 2010 eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano and the disruption it caused the global aviation industry. Grindavik’s 3,400 people were evacuated on Saturday after seismologists detected a 9-mile-long underground corridor of semi-molten rock moving beneath the town toward the nearby Fagradaslfjall volcano, around 30 miles southwest of the capital, Reykjavik. By midday Monday, 30,000 earthquakes had been recorded over the past three weeks and the aviation alert was raised to orange to indicate a heightened risk of a volcanic eruption.

Persons: seismologists Organizations: Reuters Residents Locations: Grindavik, Iceland, iceland, Icelandic, Reykjavik

☆ A volcano could erupt in Iceland within hours. Experts say you shouldn't cancel your flights — yet
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

AdvertisementAdvertisementThere's no reason to cancel your travel plans to Iceland, despite the country warning of potentially dangerous volcanic activity happening within the next few hours or days, experts told Insider. Iceland declared a state of emergency after an unexpected acceleration of activity at Iceland's Fagradalsfjall volcano near the town of Grindavik. It is always difficult to know exactly how a volcanic eruption will develop, but the latest developments in the peninsula took volcanologists by surprise, McGarvie said. While the Reykjanes peninsula was known to have volcanic activity, and its volcano had had fairly mild eruptions over the past decade, this activity accelerated drastically since mid-October. "It is not something that's ever been observed in Iceland, certainly monitored in Iceland, in the last few decades," he said.

Persons: —, Dave McGarvie, Raul Moreno, Andrew Hooper, Lionel Wilson, Hooper, McGarvie Organizations: Service, University of Lancaster, Emergency Management, —, Getty, Geophysics, Leeds, University of Leeds, Planetary Sciences, Lancaster University, UK's Science Media, Icelandic, Iceland Google Locations: Grindavik, Iceland, Eyjafjallajökull, Reykjavik, tktktk

☆ A volcano could erupt in Iceland within hours, but maybe don't cancel your international flights yet
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

But that shouldn't affect your travel plans, though the Blue Lagoon may be off-limits, experts said. AdvertisementAdvertisementThere's no reason to cancel your travel plans to Iceland, despite the country warning of potentially dangerous volcanic activity happening within the next few hours or days, experts told Insider. Iceland declared a state of emergency after an unexpected acceleration of activity at Iceland's Fagradalsfjall volcano near the town of Grindavik. It is always difficult to know exactly how a volcanic eruption will develop, but the latest developments in the peninsula took volcanologists by surprise, McGarvie said. "It is not something that's ever been observed in Iceland, certainly monitored in Iceland, in the last few decades," he said.

☆ Iceland volcano: What’s going on and what are the risks?
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( Issy Ronald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

So, what do we know about this potential eruption, what are its risks, how could it affect travel and why is Iceland, an island of just 103,000 square kilometers (40,000 square miles), home to so much seismic activity? “If it erupts undersea, it could cause a Surtseyan eruption similar to the one that happened in 1963, also in Iceland, and created the island of Surtsey. Iceland is accustomed to volcanic eruptions, though they often occur in the wilderness, away from populated areas. The Bárðarbunga volcanic system situated in the center of the country erupted in 2014, producing lava that covered 84 square kilometers (32 square miles) of highland that didn’t damage any communities. It also didn’t threaten populated areas and even become a tourist attraction as people flocked to witness a volcanic eruption.

Persons: Ragnar Visage, ” Michele Paulatto, Bill McGuire, “, ”, Dave McGarvie, –, ” Paulatto, “ Eyjafjallajökull, Lionel Wilson, Micah Garen Organizations: CNN, Iceland, Iceland’s Met, Civil Protection Agency, Imperial College London, Geophysical, University College London, University of Lancaster, Authorities, Planetary Sciences, Lancaster University, Police, North Locations: Grindavík, Iceland, Vestmannaeyjar, Surtsey, ”, Iceland’s, Reykjavík, Reykjavik, Keflavík, North America, Eurasia

☆ Iceland issues state of emergency and closes world-famous Blue Lagoon over fears of a volcanic eruption
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-11 | by ( Marta Biino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Iceland has declared a state of emergency due to a high risk of a volcanic eruption. Iceland has seen increased eruptions since 2021, a possible sign of a new era of volcanic activity. Sign up for our newsletter to get the latest on the culture & business of sustainability — delivered weekly to your inbox. "The likelihood of a volcanic eruption occurring in the near future is deemed considerable," it adds. As a result of the emergency, the Blue Lagoon, one of Iceland's most popular tourist attractions, which is close to Grindavík, was closed as a precaution.

Persons: Ingibjorg Lilja Omarsdottir Organizations: Service, Icelandic Met, Civil Protection Agency, Geographic, Icelandic Civil Protection Agency, BBC Locations: Iceland, Grindavík, Sundhnjúkagígum, Europe

HUSAVIK, Iceland (AP) — The Blue Lagoon geothermal spa — one of Iceland’s biggest tourist attractions — closed temporarily as a swarm of earthquakes put the island nation’s most populated region on alert for a possible volcanic eruption. “People thought a volcanic eruption was about to happen.”The area around Mount Thorbjorn on the Reykjanes Peninsula has been shaken by hundreds of small earthquakes every day for more than two weeks due to a buildup of volcanic magma some 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) underground. The Reykjanes Peninsula on Iceland’s southwestern coast is includes a volcanic system that has erupted three times since 2021, after being dormant for 800 years. At Grindavík, a fishing town of 3,400 people, residents have experienced a series of seismic episodes since the Reykjanes Peninsula began to rumble three years ago. Retired beautician Hildur Gunnarsdóttir, 68, said she spent the night cruising around in her Volkswagen Passat to “get a break from feeling the earthquakes.”Gunnarsdottir tracks seismic activity on a phone app called My Earthquake Alerts.

Persons: Bjarni Stefansson, ” Stefansson, “, Thorvaldur Thordarson, Helga Arnadottir, Hildur, ” Organizations: —, Associated Press, “, Icelandic Met, Met Office, AP, Volkswagen Passat Locations: HUSAVIK, Iceland, Mount Thorbjorn, Thorbjorn, ” Iceland, Europe, Grindavík

☆ Icelandic volcano erupts near capital
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Nora Buli | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Smoke billows and lava spurts after the eruption of a volcano, on the Reykjanes peninsula, near the capital Reykjavik, in southwest Iceland, July 10, 2023, in this picture obtained from social media. Juergen Merz - Glacier Photo Artist/via REUTERSOSLO, July 10 (Reuters) - A volcano has erupted on the Reykjanes peninsula in southwest Iceland, near the capital Reykjavik, following intense earthquake activity in the area, the country's Meteorological Office (IMO) said on Monday. "At the moment, it's a very small eruption," said Matthew Roberts of the service and research division at the IMO. Reykjanes Peninsula is a volcanic and seismic hot-spot southwest of the capital Reykjavik. "This is not a volcanic eruption with any ash.

Persons: Juergen Merz, Matthew Roberts, IMO's Roberts, Nora Buli, Barbara Lewis Organizations: REUTERS, country's Meteorological, Reykjavik's, Keflavik, Thomson Locations: Reykjavik, Iceland, REUTERS OSLO, Reykjanes, Oslo

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