Holidays up in the air

Tuesday 19 May 2020

While islanders' holiday hopes may have been given a boost with talk of 'travel bubbles' and now ‘air bridges’, Jersey’s consumer watchdog is warning islanders to hit pause before booking anything.

While BA, EasyJet and local company FlyDirect have all been taking bookings for summer trips off-island, Jersey’s government still hasn’t given any official confirmation that leisure trips will be allowed this summer.

Meanwhile, the Foreign Commonwealth Office is still advising against all but essential travel.

The government had indicated that leisure trips may return during Level Two lockdown – the next step down – but gave no official indication of what that date might be when asked by Express.

Pictured: Level Two lockdown may involve travel opening up.

“Government is working closely with airlines to ensure that when medical advice to Ministers allows, travel restrictions can begin to be lifted. Ministers are aiming to make an announcement in a few weeks’ time,” a spokesperson said.

But that’s not the only cloud of uncertainty over islanders’ holidays.

The UK Government’s suggestion that it will enforce a compulsory 14-day quarantine on all arrivals from outside the Common Travel Area has led to warnings from airlines that international travel won’t be possible if the rule is maintained.

Last night, the boss of Ryanair, which has introduced a face mask policy, described the move as “nonsense”.

Pictured: BA and EasyJet are offering flights to LGW from Jersey.

Despite the uncertainty, airlines are offering discount rates to islanders wishing to hop off the rock in June and July – even though it’s not yet been confirmed if these flights will be permitted to take off.

BA are selling flights to London Gatwick from 1 July starting at just £20.

Meanwhile, EasyJet are offering flights from mid-June. While the June flights are closer to usual prices, this drops to just £15.99 from 1 July.

And CI Travel Group’s FlyDirect – which offers a direct service to Spain from Jersey – are letting islanders book flights to Palma from early July.

Pictured: EasyJet is offering flights from Jersey as early as June.

FlyDirect’s Managing Director Robert Mackenzie did not state that the dates being offered were based on any specific assurances from government when asked by Express, but said: “As has always been the case, we follow the advice issued by both the Jersey Government and the UK FCO and cognisant of the rules of the destination country.” 

While it continues to take bookings, he said the operator is in the process of “reviewing” its summer holiday programmes, and that “a decision will be made soon on flights and holidays due to operate in July and we will be in contact with those clients as and when necessary”.

He added that anyone who does have their flight cancelled will get a full cash refund. 

With so much up in the air, Jersey’s Consumer Council is warning islanders to hit pause before jumping on any tempting deals offered by airlines and travel operators to ensure they're not left significantly out of pocket if their flights get cancelled or airlines go bust.

Flybe already succumbed to the impact of covid-19 on bookings earlier this year, and there are fears other international airlines and holiday operators could follow.

Pictured: FlyDirect said it would offer islanders a full refund if its planned direct flights in July don't go ahead.

While the group's Chair, Carl Walker, said he sympathised with islanders' urges to escape the island, he warned that lockdown measures easing shouldn't be taken as a green light for summer holidays being able to go ahead.

"Just hold off a little bit longer. I know people want to make bookings, and I’m sure... there will be an absolute rush of people trying to book holidays and breaks to have a change of scenery, but whether that’s going to happen this summer or not, I don’t know," he commented.

However, those not dissuaded from attempting to bag a bargain flight due to pandemic price-drops across numerous operators, can do a number of things to ensure their money is protected - even if covid-19 sends the company into administration.

"If there’s a fear that the holiday company could go into administration or financial difficulty, as long as that operator is either registered with ABTA or ATOL and has one of those logos on their website, then they are guaranteed protection should their travel company go into administration and that’s whether that happens before the holiday or even whilst on holiday."

Pictured: Consumer Council Chair Carl Walker said islanders should be wary of parting with cash if it will leave them vulnerable if their holiday cannot go ahead. (Carl Walker/Twitter)

Such protection should allow travellers to claim their money back within the month, but Mr Walker warned that some airlines are instead offering credit notes or vouchers as an alternative while they experience cash flow problems due to the pandemic.

The latter, he said, have a "huge question mark" over them, as they do not always come with EU and consumer rights as tickets do, and may be harder - or even impossible - to exchange for cash.

"The risk then becomes, 'If covid continues and I cant travel, can I afford to not have this money back into my account, perhaps up to 18 months?"

Mr Walker added that islanders may also be able to protect themselves by booking with a credit card, rather than a debit card.

If anyone doesn't have one, he says they should ask to use that of a family member or friend and offer to pay them the money.

Pictured: Credits cards offer holiday bookers a layer of protection, the consumer watchdog said. 

Getting travel insurance is also an important measure, the consumer watchdog representative said, though islanders should be aware that some companies are now excluding pandemics or covid-19 from their coverage. 

Finally, he noted that islanders should remember there is no guarantee that travel will resume in Jersey and the UK at the same time, and in the same way. This could leave some unable to reach the UK to take off on their travels.

The warnings come after it was reported this week that more than 47,000 passengers are waiting for refunds from BA for flights cancelled as a result of the health crisis.

Although it is their policy to offer refunds, the airline was accused of intentionally making the process difficult, with media reports sharing how some customers had been forced to wait for hours to get through to a call centre.