Angry British tourists have accused British Airways of leaving them “stranded” in Italy after it suspended flights to and from the country because of coronavirus with Ryanair due to follow suit on Saturday.
One called the abrupt decision to axe all 60 BA routes as “disgraceful”. It left tourists and business travellers scrambling for alternative flights and road transport after Italy imposed a nationwide lockdown to stem the spread of the virus.
“I feel absolutely betrayed. Our UK government has not helped playing the virus down, saying don’t panic but it’s clearly out of control here in Italy and we have no idea how to get out now.
“We just want to get home,” said Samantha Thomas who had booked a taxi to Austria after her BA flight was cancelled.
Another said “Ryanair has gone up in my estimation” after the airline said it would continue with flights up to and including Friday and may also put on more flights to repatriate the marooned.
As the UK Foreign Office activated plans to repatriate the 140 British nationals from the virus-hit Grand Princess cruise ship which docked in California on Tuesday, anger flared in Italy over BA’s handling of the crisis.
A UK passenger told reporters she felt “dumped” by the airline, while another said they had now ordered a taxi to Austria tomorrow morning to escape but were worried they might get stopped on the border without health certificates, something Slovenia is already demanding.
“Their website was down, their call centres are overloaded and we got an email after midnight saying our flight was cancelled. It’s putting more passengers in danger,” said one woman who asked not to be named.
Another Briton, who was due to return to Gatwick from Verona on a flight just after 5pm on Tuesday said he too got a “stock email” at 1.42am cancelling his flight.
He booked another but it was cancelled shortly after by which time he had heard the news that BA had cancelled all flights.
“I found a Ryanair flight for Thursday. I feel BA could have handled it better. We’ve had a very stressful day and to get a stock email 1.42am on the day of your flight is not great. Ryanair has gone up in my estimation now,” said Charles Eager.
Others complained that the airline was not answering calls.
@British_Airways - #coronavirus we are now stranded in Italy since lockdown last night - BA not taking our calls now - No online advice no assistance .... thanks BA
— samantha thomas (@samanth97272852) March 10, 2020
Austria joined Slovenia on Tuesday with plans to close their borders to Italy leaving Samantha Thomas and her party potentially in limbo.
“We are not sure how we stand as his passengers but will know more tomorrow. Our flight home is on Thursday from Salzburg but we are not risking another day in Italy, we are leaving early tomorrow morning in case it gets impossible for any of us to leave,” she said.
Another passenger described the British Airways move as “disgraceful”.
@British_Airways what am I supposed to do regarding my return flight from Turin to LGW with BA on Thursday? Been on hold for over an hour now. Leaving 30k british citizens stranded in Italy is disgraceful 👍
— oliver golding (@oli_golding) March 10, 2020
The country is not completely cut off. On Tuesday Alitalia said it was carrying on with its twice daily services between Rome and Heathrow “today, tomorrow, the day after tomorrow and in the following days”.
The Italian airline said it was also offering change fee waiver for customers holding Alitalia tickets who needed to reschedule future plans because of the Coronavirus lock down.
British Airways said: “This is a fast moving situation, and we recommend all customers check for the latest on their flight on ba.com.”
The Association of British Insurers said those that are currently in Italy should be able to invoke a “disruption” contract in their insurance policy because the Foreign and Commonwealth Office had updated its official guidance on Italy warning that “all but essential travel” was advisable.
The World Health Organization is recommending that people take simple precautions to reduce exposure to and transmission of the coronavirus, for which there is no specific cure or vaccine.
The UN agency advises people to:
- Frequently wash their hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or warm water and soap
- Cover their mouth and nose with a flexed elbow or tissue when sneezing or coughing
- Avoid close contact with anyone who has a fever or cough
- Seek early medical help if they have a fever, cough and difficulty breathing, and share their travel history with healthcare providers
- Avoid direct, unprotected contact with live animals and surfaces in contact with animals when visiting live markets in affected areas
- Avoid eating raw or undercooked animal products and exercise care when handling raw meat, milk or animal organs to avoid cross-contamination with uncooked foods.
Despite a surge in sales of face masks in the aftermath of the coronavirus outbreak, experts are divided over whether they can prevent transmission and infection. There is some evidence to suggest that masks can help prevent hand-to-mouth transmissions, given the large number of times people touch their faces. The consensus appears to be that wearing a mask can limit – but not eliminate – the risks, provided it is used correctly.
“People who are there already or have cancelled after the FCO issued their advice need to check their insurance policy and if it has a disruption to travel clause they should be able to make a claim.
“If you have a really cheap policy, it is unlikely that you will have cover for disruption. Some insurers offer it as standard but others offer it as additional,” said a spokeswoman for ABI.
Those who had planned weddings in Italy will be particularly hit but could be able to claim on insurance if the venue forced to cancel or they had wedding insurance, she added.
City worker Ali McVan who has spent two years planning his wedding to Matthew on Ischia, an island off Naples, at the end of May said he was on tenterhooks.
“I would be devastated,” he said if he had to cancel the event which is costing the couple around £30,000.
He emailed his 80 guests this morning to outline the two scenarios – holding tight and cancelling and was surprised by the determination of the guests to beat the ban.
“We had people saying we didn’t care, they would hire boats, or a hovercraft, they were so determined to make sure it happened,” said Ali.
Like many he is concerned that the insurance will only be covered if the FCO advice remains in place on the date of the wedding and may not offer cover if the lockdown is lifted but some guests have already chosen not to travel.
Chiara Dall’aglio, coordinator for the Tourist Board in Umbria, said it was difficult to quantify how many British were in the area but that the region was very popular with those with second homes.
Despite the lockdown and an effective curfew on socialising there were no road blocks preventing people leaving the area for the airports to return to the UK, she said.
“What we cannot do is assemble, we have to keep a distance from others. So the shops stay open, you can go for a walk in the park and you can go to work, but all bars, cafes and restaurants must be shut by 6pm,” she said.
