Airports throughout the world today are reopening on a spotty basis, but are filled with passengers hoping to get to points in Northern Europe. Here's the latest on the aftermath of the eruption of Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull volcano:

The Big Picture

In Germany, France, the Netherlands and Britain, airports reopened on a sporadic basis as some flights began to take off and land. But another eruption of the volcano in Iceland sent a fresh cloud of ash into the air, and English officials were warning conditions could worsen.

Only Lufthansa, the German carrier, said it would operate all scheduled international flights today.

In Britain, only some Scottish airports were open, though some airports further south said they hoped to reopen later in the day. The major London airports remained closed.

And in France, some corridors were opened between Paris and airports in Bordeaux, Toulouse, Marseille and Nice. International flights were to be allowed within designated safe corridors.

Deutsche Lufthansa, the German carrier, has received permission to bring about 50 flights home to Germany from Asia, Africa, and North and South America. They will be landing at Frankfurt, Munich, and Duesseldorf. Among the U.S. cities the carrier will be flying from are Denver, Dallas, Philadelphia, Washington, Boston, Atlanta, San Francisco, Orlando, Miami, and Seattle.

Criticism drove lifting of ban

European authorities late Monday eased flight restrictions that brought air traffic in Northern Europe to a standstill for nearly a week.

The ruling raised hopes that the worst of the crisis might be passing. But there were still reasons for concern.

"The volcano eruption in Iceland has strengthened and a new ash cloud is spreading south and east towards the U.K.," the U.K.'s National Air Traffic Services reported.

The agreement by European Union regulators divides European airspace into three zones, and allows progressively more flights in those zones, depending on the behavior of the ash cloud.

The decision followed an extraordinary meeting of European lawmakers in the wake of thousands of flight cancellations.

With most airports in Northern Europe still shut down and flights throughout the region drastically curtailed, European Union lawmakers gathered Monday in a special session aimed at curtailing losses to the continent's economy. They met as criticism of the airspace closures grew from the airline industry.

Tallying the Losses

Meanwhile, U.S. airlines are also taking hits from the European disaster. Here's a look at the revenue U.S. airlines are losing every day in the disaster:

• Delta—$10.4 million loss in revenue with an operating loss of $6.5 million
• United—$8.4 million loss in revenue with an operating loss of $5.2 million
• American—$7.6 million loss in revenue with an operating loss of $4.6 million
• Continental—$5.6 million loss in revenue with an operating loss of $3.4 million
• US Airways—$3.7 million loss in revenue with an operating loss of $2.2 million

Read more: Analyst: Volcano delays could cost American millions—Dallas Business Journal:

Air Force Detours

Planners with U.S. Transportation Command at Scott Air Force Base worked overtime last week and over the weekend to coordinate alternative routes to fly wounded military members out of Iraq and Afghanistan while dodging the volcanic ash over Europe, the St. Louis Business Journal reports.

Instead of taking injured soldiers to Ramstein Air Base in Germany, flights transporting injured service members were rerouted starting Friday through Balad, Iraq, or Italy and then on to Andrews Air Force Base and Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, or the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, said Major James Lowe, deputy chief of public affairs for U.S. Transportation Command.

The detours tack on about 10 hours, turning six- or seven-hour trips into 16- or 17-hour flights, he said.

“Our medical planners worked some extra hours and reserve support that helps use additional man hours over the weekend,” Lowe said.

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