Long queues formed in the wrong direction at Luqa airport yesterday, with passengers snaking towards the airline sales offices and not the check-in desks as European airspace reopened after almost a week of grounded aircraft.

But the situation was not chaotic and several travellers seemed resigned to being in limbo, waiting to figure out their flight status since the Icelandic volcanic ash cloud from last Thursday had marred their plans, generally broadening their horizons as regards their destination.

Everyone had a tale to tell, some in frustration and others feeling fortunate they had accidentally extended their holiday and were on the first flights out.

Those heading to check in considered themselves lucky to be on the 22 scheduled and eight relief flights Air Malta operated yesterday.

A busy Prof. Uta Feser was meant to return to Munich on Monday but re-routed to Zurich to get home and catch up on her e-mails and meetings.

"I have been following the news but the information is not so clear," she said, adding safety was not a concern to her, despite the fact that she was about to board one of the first flights out since the clouded airspace was opened.

"The hotel I was in was so helpful; I could prolong my stay easily and not at an exorbitant rate. I could even use the manager's computer as those in the lobby were all taken up."

Another French couple had booked their flight back to Paris about two weeks ago and it happened to be the first flight out after the airport disruptions. They considered it "good timing".

A woman and her elderly father queued up to fly to Frankfurt en route to Edinburgh, as was their original plan - only five days later.

Throughout their prolonged stay, they just sat back and relaxed. "What else can you do? It is nobody's fault. It is the uncertainty that gets to you," she said.

That was the predominant feeling among the travellers moving in the opposite direction, and not everyone was taking it in their stride, or trying to make the best of the extended holiday.

A Scottish family was meant to leave for Manchester on Saturday and had visited the airport every single day since because "no one was picking up the phone".

The born-again Christians refused to consider the volcanic eruption that caused the flight disruption an act of God and pointed fingers at the local carrier, which, they claimed, told them: "We are on our own."

Mary Clynch, the mother, said she had visited Malta 10 times but this could be her last due to the "lack of communication" on the part of the airline.

Unlike other tourists, who took the opportunity to top up their tans, they said they were miserable, waiting around, feeling stranded and wanting to be home.

"We had to go to a cheap hotel because ours was too expensive; we ended up washing our clothes," Ms Clynch said, adding it was not much of a holiday.

Dr Nick Peim had a more nonchalant approach, despite the fact that he was meant to fly back to the UK last Saturday.

"I switched from Ryanair to Air Malta for the option of more flights and not being bothered where I end up.

"I am not quite sure what I am queuing up for - hopefully for a definite return anywhere in the UK sometime soon. I have my suitcases with me."

Air Malta was working on getting back on track, but estimated it would take until the weekend to sort out the backlog, with repercussions spilling into next week, a spokesman said.

Yesterday saw a substantial increase in activity, without many delays, he continued.

The airline, which has lost hundreds of thousands of euro each day, is adding two extra flights to Gatwick today and tomorrow and increased its capacity with several relief flights since the weekend.

It was still early to say whether tourists would rebook cancelled flights. Meanwhile, they would be reimbursed if they asked for a refund, he said.

The offices of the low-cost airlines had a growing queue to which one couple returned in anger after they were informed on Tuesday that the next available flight home was on May 2 but met someone who had a flight back today.

Meanwhile, they were running out of money, plus they had left a hired car at the airport in Leeds and were also paying for the parking.

Not much activity was underway at Arrivals, but one wife had been through quite an ordeal, re-routing her husband home from Manchester.

When his Sunday flight was cancelled, his wife booked another for the following Saturday but kept calling every day until she found another for yesterday.

Afraid of a "second cloud" on Monday, she rebooked him for today. But on Tuesday, he gave up and decided to come back, embarking on a major trek that saw him catching a train from Manchester to London to Paris to Geneva and finally Zurich to arrive last night.