American Airlines had said Tuesday that it would restore all service to the UK and Europe today. It didn't work out that way.

Lots of American jets are back in the trans-Atlantic sky as we speak. But RDU's round-trip to London Heathrow will not join them until Thursday.

"The RDU flights to London are not operating today, but they should be tomorrow," an American spokeswoman said by phone from Fort Worth this morning. "It's due to aircraft being out of place. It's positioning."

If you check American's flight status page (www.aa.com/gates/) you'll find Wednesday's RDU-LHR flights marked canceled, and Thursday's marked "on time." AA 173 is scheduled to arrive Thursday at 4:05 p.m., and AA 174 is scheduled to depart at 6:15 p.m.

Today is the seventh day American canceled its RDU-Heathrow flights because of hazards posed to jet engines by volcanic dust drifting across Europe from Iceland.
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Some European airports reopened for business, but London's airports were still offline today because of the hazards to jet engines posed by that pesky volcanic ash from Iceland.

So, for the sixth day, American Airlines canceled its daily round-trip flights between RDU and London Heathrow.

The shutdown grounded Flight AA173 from Heathrow to RDU, which would have arrived at RDU at 4:05 p.m. Likewise, Flight AA174, scheduled to leave RDU at 6:15 p.m., also was canceled. They're RDU's only trans-Atlantic flights.

Authorities said they didn't know how soon it would be safe to resume flights to London.

Because volcanic ash can make jet planes crash, American Airlines today canceled its round-trip pair of flights between London Heathrow and RDU International Airport.

Airports across the United Kingdom and much of Europe were shut down today to avoid the hazards of a giant ash plume blowing south and east from an Icelandic volcano. 

The shutdown grounded Flight AA173 from Heathrow to RDU, which would have arrived at RDU at 4:05 p.m. Likewise, Flight AA174, scheduled to leave RDU at 6:15 p.m., also was canceled. They're RDU's only trans-Atlantic flights.

Authorities said they didn't know how soon it would be safe to resume flights.