NEWS FLASH
British passengers have been describing their chaotic and dramatic journey home from Montenegro, which culminated in a touchdown at London Gatwick Airport just two minutes before the 4.00 AM Monday “red list” deadline. Montenegro was placed onto the UK government’s highest risk category because of concerns over coronavirus rates. Any arrivals after the deadline are obliged to pay around 2.300 euros to stay for eleven nights at an airport quarantine hotel. To enable travellers to beat the deadline, easyJet moved forward its planned Monday departure from Tivat to London Gatwick a day earlier. Tickets for the one-way flight were selling at over 300 euros. However, the aircraft suffered a technical failure and was unable to depart from Tivat back to the UK. Because Tivat Airport is forced to close after sundown, another jet was despatched from Manchester to Dubrovnik. The airline organised coaches to take passengers across the Croatian border to the airport. However, travellers who have the right to enter the UK but not the European Union protested that they would be unable to enter the EU. They urged the airline to operate the flight from Podgorica, instead. According to one of the passengers, their protests were ignored. “The solution which easyJet found was only for British citizens. Even though we told them that we don’t have a Schengen visa they took us to Croatia and then took us back to Tivat. After leaving us behind, border police additionally stamped 'denied' onto our passports. easyJet sent a bus at 2.00 AM and took us into a very bad hotel in Tivat”, an affected passenger said. The Dubrovnik flight finally landed yesterday at Gatwick just two minutes ahead of the 4.00 AM deadline, with 155 passengers on board. Those left behind can either hotel quarantine in the United Kingdom or spend ten days in a different country that has not been red-listed by the UK.
Just come to Serbia, stay 10 days and return to the UK.
ReplyDeleteIt costs money.
DeleteAnd time
DeleteWell, it is cheaper to stay in Serbia for 10 days than in UK quaranteene hotel for 2300 EUR, not to mention that in Serbia you are free to go around, while in the UK you are locked in the hotel.
DeleteYou need time anyway: in Serbia and UK. In Serbia is cheaper and you are not caged.
DeleteAbsurd
ReplyDeleteWhat a nightmare. At first, I was very sad for canceling my trip this summer. However, after reading such news, I am glad I did so. Things just keep changing so quickly and traveling anywhere has become anything but enjoyable.
ReplyDeletePeople comply wirh moronic rules, instead to boycott travel 2 years...
ReplyDelete...or instead of staging a revolution.
DeleteWhy didn't they dispatch the jet to Podgorica?
ReplyDeleteA good question, as the airline is obligated to provide alternate from same country as the first option. Podgorica is according to AIP 24h open, but maybe anyway too short notice. Or as I more think, too expensive for easyJet, who doesn't operate flights and have handling there. Another thing could be, that their crew isn't familiar, though this shouldn't be the reason. But if I was able to see easyJet going around 3 times at Split due to not seeing the at that time non existing PAPI lights, nothing will surprise me. All in all, I feel for the passengers, as I have been stranded/left behind myself. Good luck!
DeleteIt shows the world how bad the current UK government is.
ReplyDeleteWhy does this show how bad the UK government is? This was an EasyJet problem - they totally disregarded their non-UK passengers and dumped them at the border.
Delete