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Coach firms in Wales say the air travel chaos has boosted their trade, as airlines at Cardiff Airport begin returning schedules to normal.People stuck in Denmark, Italy and Spain are turning to coaches to bring them home, say operators, while coach holiday bookings are on the rise.
But five days of the six-day flights ban could have been avoided, says an airline which operates from Cardiff.
Flybe said the volcanic ash cloud alert "should have been handled differently".
The chaos from volcanic ash has been a boon for coach firms in Wales.
Jason Edwards, commercial director of Edwards Coaches in Llantwit Fardre, Rhondda Cynon Taf, said: "I have got coaches all over the place - it's mayhem.
"It's affected two sides of the business. We have sent coaches to Copenhagen, France, Italy and Austria as there is still a massive backlog of people trying to get home.
"People are also stuck in the UK so we have been taking them out and picking up stranded passengers for the return journey. Our drivers have taken up the cause.
"But the biggest thing for us is that our coach holiday calls have gone through the roof.
"People are fed up of traffic bans and airport searches. People who were 50/50 about flying are turning to us.
"It's great that people are coming back to the coaches again. The mindset has changed."
Llanwrst-based firm Llew Jones cancelled staff leave to send buses out to pick up passengers stranded abroad.
Stephen Jones, said: "There was a real "Dunkirk" camaraderie involved and everybody got together and got the job organised."
Jason Ferris, director of Nantgarw-based Ferris Holidays, in Rhondda Cynon Taf, said: "We sent four vehicles to Spain on Monday, three yesterday and are sending more on Friday. We have sold nigh-on 700 seats."
'Repatriating'
Silcox Coaches in Pembrokeshire said drivers were working on a voluntary basis to return passengers home.
"I've been asked to send vehicles to Europe and we have a coach in Calais at the moment bringing passengers back," said coach hire manager Peter Daley.
"We are repatriating people to Gatwick and London, which is going to be a few days' work. It could also have an effect on our holidays, particularly if people are thinking of not flying."
Cardiff Airport said up to 20,000 passengers had been affected by 300 cancelled flights during the disruption caused by a cloud of volcanic ash from Iceland.
Flights resumed on Wednesday afternoon, but managers warned of a "dynamic" situation in "difficult circumstances".
Airline bmibaby put on three flights on Wednesday night to bring back holidaymakers stranded in Malaga, Alicante and Palma.
Flybe expects 50 people stranded in Paris to be on its scheduled flight from Charles de Gaulle airport on Thursday evening.
Mike Rutter, of Flybe, said the airline expected to be back at full capacity by the weekend although normal service was not likely until Monday or Tuesday of next week.
He predicted the wider aviation industry in Europe would need 10-12 days to return to normal.
But long-haul carriers dealing with people stranded around the globe would take "four to six weeks", he estimated.
He criticised the handling of the crisis by regulators.
He said: "We could have avoided five of the six days we have just enjoyed if the system that is now in place had been in place on day two.
"This is standard operating procedure for everywhere else in world."
Restrictions were lifted after the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said safety tests showed plane engines had "increased tolerance levels in low ash density areas".
It has set down new requirements for airlines such as conducting risk assessments and inspecting aircraft for ash damage before and after each flight.
CAA chief executive Andrew Haines said he would not apologise for the delay in opening UK airspace as safety was the first priority.This article is from the BBC News website. ? British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.