Thousands of stranded Brits scrambling to get home after airlines including Ryanair and Jet2 cancel flights for 6 weeks

Thousands of stranded Brits scrambling to get home after airlines including Ryanair and Jet2 cancel flights for 6 weeks
NewsColony

ALMOST a million British travellers have been left stranded all over the world as airlines and borders shut down for the next 6 weeks to stop coronavirus.

Thousands of Brits that have been left abroad are being charged up to ten times the standard return fare for a one-way ticket home.

Thousands of brits have been stranded in airports after border closuresCredit: AFP or licensors

Travellers in Marrakesh Airport after flights to Europe were suspendedCredit: Reuters

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said yesterday that the government is doing its best to repatriate those left abandoned by their airlines in airports.

Jet2 has cancelled all flights until April 31, other than running a ‘limited number of routes’ before tomorrow.

Ryanair is also running an 80 per cent reduced service and is advising all customers to book a flight home before March 25.

Easyjet is running repatriation flights for all its customers, saying “no easyJet passenger will be left stranded”, a source told MailOnline.

Britons have told of their exasperation in trying to contact airlines and the Foreign Office to find out how to get home.

Ryanair offered their customers 'thoughts and prayers' — Ryanair offered their customers ‘thoughts and prayers’

A spokesman for Columbian airline Avianca called it “the greatest crisis in [the aviation industry’s] history”.

There have been thousands of complaints from people trying to get back and airlines taking days to respond.

Anne-Marie, is stranded in the Egyptian resort of Hurghada, with no idea how to get back after “four days of hell” trying to contact easyJet.

She told Radio 4’s Today programme: “We’ve basically had four days of hell trying to get through to the Foreign Office, to easyJet, to find out how can we possibly get home.”

“We started to think last Friday, we need to get out of here soon, we need to get thinking about flights. Then they were all cancelled.”

Easyjet is running three rescue flights from Hurghada today, and it is understood these flights from Egypt, and other locations with travel bans, will continue to meet the demand from Britons to come home.

Hundreds of passengers are stuck in ColumbiaCredit: AFP or licensors

People queuing in MoroccoCredit: AFP or licensors

However, the airline only has the contact details of those who booked directly through easyJet and is unable to contact those who booked via tour operators.

Both Jet 2 and Ryanair have cancelled most flights for roughly six weeks, but this could be extended if countries elongate travel bans.

All were contacted for comment by The Sun however Ryanair has closed its press office to meet customer demand.

Jet2 is “continuing to operate our scheduled programme, with aircraft flying empty from the UK so that we can fill them and bring customers home.”

Adding that they have been putting on extra flights to bring even more customers home, according to the Independent.

Stranded Britons said flights being offered by many commercial airlines were “unaffordable”.

Passengers have been stranded for days in South AmericaCredit: AFP or licensors

Elsewhere, stranded Britons fear being stuck in countries which have significantly worse medical systems to treat the deadly virus which has not killed over 10,000 globally.

London cardiac surgeon, Dr Moby Rehman, is one of 400 people that are stuck in Peru, where they were told that there is “no obvious way out” of the “crisis situation”.

He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “There are vulnerable people trapped in Peru, including the elderly and the pregnant and people with chronic diseases like diabetes and asthma and heart disease, with limited supplies of medicine.”

Colombian airline Avianca is considering operating a charter flight from Lima to London this weekend, but tickets for the one-way trip are “likely” to cost up to £3,000.

Avianca has been approached for comment on the price gouge.

In a statement the airline said: “The support of the authorities and passengers is necessary, since being a special situation, several resources must be exclusively dedicated to the operation of these extraordinary flights that are not usually part of the airline’s itineraries and which will only make the outward journey with passengers.

“Operation permits are not yet confirmed, but in case they are issued, interested travelers should note that fare difference fee may apply depending on the travel date.” and that travellers would be required to fill out an application.

RAAB TO THE RESCUE

Mr Raab yesterday revealed he was in talks with commercial airlines about operating new routes and also with allies on creating a “window of opportunity” to take Britons back on their flights.

Giving evidence to the foreign affairs select committee, Mr Raab said the government was “rising to” the “massive, epic challenge” of getting everyone home.

Mr Raab encouraged those stranded or travelling now to “be realistic” and consider “if they can stay safely in the countries where they are for a period”.

He said 28,000 Britons had phoned the helpline in Malaga, Spain, on one day alone.

He also said he was hoping that allied countries would provide the oportunity for the UK to repatriate people.

Raab has said that he is working with allies and airlines to get up to a million Brits homeCredit: Getty Images – Getty

The flight schedule board shows a few cancelled flights at Heathrow Airport in London on WednesdayCredit: AP:Associated Press

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Source : The Sun | NewsColony: World News

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