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Recriminations are growing over the costs of the six-day UK airspace shutdown as thousands of Britons continue to make their way home.The Civil Aviation Authority has strongly rejected accusations it was too slow in lifting the flight ban.
But many airlines are demanding government compensation, while Ryanair said it will not reimburse passengers costs beyond refunding initial fares.
EU regulations require carriers to cover passengers' reasonable expenses.
Traffic volume
Mike Carrivick, chief executive of the Board of Airline Representatives, which represents more than 90 airlines, said the EU rules were never meant to apply to situations such as the volcanic ash cloud.
UK air traffic control body Nats said a volume of airline traffic "approaching 90%" was expected from 0700 BST.
The efforts to get tens of thousands of stranded Britons home have stepped up a pace, with Heathrow Airport being granted permission for more night landings.
There were 16 extra flights at the airport overnight, and trains ran from Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted through the night to help people get home.
There was also additional overnight services from London Paddington, which serves Heathrow, with one train each to Cardiff, Bristol and Oxford.
And some 2,200 British tourists in Bilbao, Spain, will return on board the 122,000-tonne Celebrity Eclipse in what is thought to be one of the largest peacetime repatriations to the UK.
'Too cautious'
Airlines and travel operators have objected to footing a bill that has climbed to more than £1bn.
Transport Secretary Lord Adonis told the BBC the flight ban had perhaps been "too cautious" but that regulators had needed time to test the impact of the ash on aircraft safety.
He said: "In the face of the eruption that took place in the middle of last week, the safety regulators had to deal with the issue of tolerable levels of ash which were compatible with safe operation.
"Why did it take six days for the regulators to reach their conclusions? The answer is they needed a good deal of experience and testing to see what was in fact the impact of the ash."
Civil Aviation Authority chief executive chief executive Andrew Haines said he "made no apologies" for the length of the airspace ban, and that any independent inquiry would back his position.
Under EU regulations, if a flight is cancelled then those passenger flying on European carriers in or out of the EU have the right to a refund or to be rerouted.
If passengers choose the latter, they have the right to suitable "care" - such as accommodation and meals - while they wait.
'Absurd' rules
Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary described the care rules as ludicrous.
He said the airline would consider all passenger requests for "reasonable receipted expenses" but the reimbursement would be limited to the original air fare paid by each passenger.
"There is no legislation designed that says any airline getting a fare of 30 euros (£26) should be reimbursing passengers many thousands of euro for hotel accommodation. It is absurd," he said.
Ryanair's stance was criticised by Rochelle Turner of consumer publication Which? Holiday.
"The regulations are very clear in what they are allowing consumers to claim for," she told the BBC.
"You can't just turn around and say we can only pay the amount that your ticket was bought for. You just can't do that. It's not in the regulations. It's against the law."
Travel arrangements
The disruption has led to differing interpretations in the law on new flights.
Some flight-only travellers with Tui - which owns Thomson - whose original flights were cancelled are being told that they would have to pay the difference if an alternative flight the passenger chooses is more expensive.
The company told the BBC: "Tui UK and Ireland can confirm that customers who rebook to a different flight of their choice which is more expensive than their original must cover the difference themselves. Similarly, if the flight is cheaper Thomson Airways will refund the difference."
But the official airline watchdog in the UK, the Air Transport Users Council, disagrees.
"If the airline tells you that your flight is cancelled and you want a new flight rather than a refund, the date of the new flight should be at your convenience - not subject to any time limit - and you should not have to pay any more money," it said.
Jacqueline Beadle, a solicitor at Gullands in Kent, said there was nothing in the EU regulations that said people had to make up the extra cost.
However, those who have chosen a refund and rebooked themselves would have to pay the current price quoted.
Those who did not wait to be re-routed and instead made their own travel arrangements to get home have to make a claim for that cost to their airline.
If the cost is deemed unreasonable, they might not get all their money back. Equally, they might not get refunded for accommodation and food costs.This article is from the BBC News website. ? British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.