EasyJet passengers 'stranded' at Rhodes airport
Worried Brits stranded on the Greek island of Rhodes are desperate to return home and are demanding better communication from airlines as wildfires tear through the Greek holiday destination for a sixth consecutive day.
Helen, whose last name has been withheld, is among a number of British tourists patiently waiting at Rhodes Airport for any sign of returning home on an easyJet flight back to Gatwick.
Helen from Kent said: “Our easyJet flight to Gatwick should have been at 21.10pm last night (July 22). We had just finished our holiday and we were returning home and now we are stranded at Rhodes airport.”
Disappointed in the lack of visible airline representatives to assist with scheduling, she added: “We have not seen a single easyJet colleague. The only communication has been through the app, but that has just been the flight moving later and later.”
The holidaymaker shared her app correspondence with Express.co.uk, which shows a series of repeated messages from easyJet stating: “We’re sorry for the delay to your flight. We are working to minimise the delay where possible. Please continue to check Flight Tracker for further updates.”
READ MORE: TUI slammed as Brit flights continue to land on island of Rhodes despite fires
The messages from the airline also read: “If you’re not at the airport yet, please still arrive on time for your flight as Bag Drop and boarding times may not be affected.”
Helen also described the situation in the crowded airports as people grew increasingly tired and hungry, some waiting hours for updates from airlines about whether they can safely be transported home.
In a series of pictures provided by the upset holidaymaker, some passengers are sleeping on the floor in cramped conditions.
Helen added: “We were given a €4.5 (£3.90) voucher which does not cover the price of a coffee.”
During conversations with Helen, she was handed another voucher from the staff at the airport, with another €4.5 credit.
Helen claims from the airport windows she can see planes arriving with passengers into Rhodes, despite raging fires continuing on the island.
Helen added: “We still have not seen any representatives from easyJet. There is no plan, no communication. At the moment, we have no clue how we will be getting home.”
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Another passenger, Ben Wright, at the airport waiting to board an easyJet flight said: “Some passengers were put onto a plane and sat there in 40C for 30 minutes only to be told the diverted flight to Athens was cancelled… the most appalling conditions from @easyJet”.
This comes as easyJet passengers at the Greek airport have been told their captain is “refusing to speak” to them.
Express.co.uk has approached easyJet for comment.
EasyJet is not the only airline responsible for the travel chaos as passengers from other airlines report similar issues.
TUI passengers were baffled branding the travel company “totally irresponsible” as they continued to fly Britons to the Rhodes. It has since announced it will cancel all flights and booked holiday departures up to July 25.
Jet2, however, announced it was flying five aircraft to Rhodes with no customers on board to bring people back to the UK on scheduled flights.
Greek authorities say around 19,000 people, including many tourists, have been evacuated from Rhodes as wildfires continue burning for a sixth day, labelling it as “the largest evacuation from a wildfire in the country.”
Many parts of central and southern Europe have been seeing temperatures of 40C+ in the past two weeks and forecasters say these conditions could persist for at least two more weeks to come.
The Foreign Office has updated advice for Brits, advising them to follow guidance from emergency services.
It states: “The Greek government has established a crisis management Unit to facilitate the evacuation of foreign citizens from Rhodes. They can be contacted on +30 210 368 1730. For 24/7 British consular assistance, call +4420 7008 5000.”
“If you are planning to travel to Rhodes, please check with your travel operator or hotel prior to travel that the area you plan to visit is not impacted by the current wildfires.”
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