UK European & World Travel News Advice And Information For Business Travellers Tourists Visitors
Travel and travel related news items for visitors on or planning a trip abroad wwhether on a business trip or as a tourist
Urgent information is frequently posted on this page.
Advice For Those Stranded Aboard Due To The Closure Of Airports in The United Kingdom And Europe
Your first port of call for assistance should be the embassy or consulate for the country you are from. These are generally found in the Capital city of the country you are visiting. Some countries particulary the UK & USA also have additional consulates outside the Capital
See here for a list of American Embassies in Europe
See here for a list of UK Embassies in Europe
Finding Out The Latest Situation At The Airport You Are Flying From
Since this situation arose the ban on flights has not been universal across europe. The situation has been complicated further by 'exceptions' being made at individual airports to an otherwise blanket closure of a country's airspace when the authority controlling that airspace has deemed it safe for a limited number of flights to take place.
Where an individual airport is allowed to facilitate incoming or outgoing flights whether or not a particular flight takes place is dependent on factors as whether its route and destination is through open or closed air space. Reports that an airport is open should not lead you to conclude that your intended flight will be operating. The other difficulty is thatf the plane you should be flying on may not actually be at the airpor as it could be grounded elsewhere and unable to the make necesscary incoming fllight to pick you up.
Over the weekend some airline websites have failed miserably to provide accurate information as to whether individual flights will occur. Euromost has found that the best wasy to establish the 'status' of your flight is to check the departures board for the airport in addition to the airlines website.
See here for links to the departure and arrival * boards of European Airports
See here for links to the departure and arrival * boards of Uk Airports
t* lf you know where the incoming flight is coming from you can check the airport departures board at the airport which it is is due to depart as to its status. In general if it is hourney to your airport is cancelled you flight is likely to be as well - though this is not written in stone
Airlines Responsibilites For Stranded Passengers
This is a legal minefield as theoretically any European airline or foreign airline flying out of europe is responsible for the cost of food and accommodation for stranded passengers. However thereare indications that the airlines may as, informally and through a legal challenge for these responsibilties in the current situation to be waived by the EU as thie legislation was not designed with this eventuality in mind - after all it is not an industrial dispute or a technical fault on plane and it is not a situation they have any control over.
Bearing this in mind some airlines may and are refusing to fund hotlel accommodation or pay meal subsistence. Further more any monies you spend on accommodation and food you may not be re-imbursed for so such expediture may be at your own cost.
If You Are Stranded Without Funds
Contact the embassies as given in section 1 above
Info For Relatives And Friends Of Stranded UK Nationals Without Funds
You initially should tell the person to contact the embassy concerned above - they are responsible for deciding wht assistance is appropiate and how it should be given. They may decide to issue vouchers for food accommodation or travel warrants which you may have to finance. They can advise you on methods of transferring the money quickly and in extreme cases how to deposit money for this purpose out of office hours and on Sunday Bank holidays etc. You can discuss this with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on their Emergency helpline 0207 008 000 or from outside the United Kingdom 44 207 008 000 See also the FCO Website
Latest UK Government Advice For Visitors To Moscow & Russia
Following the two sucide bombing on the Moscow Metro on March 29th ( see euromost report) the British Government has issued the following advice:
- We advise against all travel to Chechnya, Ingushetia and Dagestan because of the security situation in the North Caucasus.
- We advise against all travel to the regions which border Dagestan and Chechnya, namely Budyonnovsky, Levokumsy, Neftekumsky, Stepnovsky and Kurskoy in east and south Stavropol Krai.
- We advise against all but essential travel to North Ossetia, Karachai-Cherkessia and Kabardino-Balkaria (including the Elbrus area) where terrorism and kidnapping remain a serious problem.
- There is a general threat from terrorism. Attacks cannot be ruled out and could be indiscriminate, including in places frequented by expatriates and foreign travellers. Attacks have occurred most frequently in Moscow and in the North Caucasus.
Other advice on travel risks and personal safety is given in the euromost ''dangers index'
New Airport Scanners Raise Human Rights & Child Pornography Issues
The British Equality and Human Rights Comission (EHRC)has said that the new full body airport scanners being introduced at United Kingdom Airports are an invasion of peoples right to privacy and are a breach of British law. The scanners reveal naked images of passengers scanned which show their genitalia and breast enlargements.
The scanners are gradually being increased at airports across the United Kingdom following an attempted bomb attack on a US-bound plane from Europe before Christmas 2009. The would be bomber had concealed the components of the bomb in his underwear..The use of the scanners may also be illegal under child protection laws which do not allow the creation of indecent images of children under tha age of 18.
Though the .authorities have stated that the individual monitoring the scanner is in an enclosed area away from individual being scanned and unaware of the individuals pesonal identity the use of the scanner is raising concerns are they can store and transfer the images taken and are open to abuse. . This was highlighted at the beginning of Febuary when Bollywood star Shahrukh Khan alleged that female staff at Heathrow airport had printed naked images of him walking through the scanner and then circulated then after he had sined his name on them circulated them to other staff.
Alan Johnsonthe Home secretary has said that passengers asked to undergo a full body scan are to be selected on a random basis but the EHRC challenge this statement as the e airports are not monitoring who is scanned. In a letter to transport secretary Lord Adonis the EHRC has acknowledged that the government has to actively take steps to protect the travelling public from terrorist attacks, but argued that more safeguards must be introduced if the body scannes are to be operated in a lawful, fair and non-discriminatory manner.
The letter written by EHRC Chairman Trevor Phillips states that "Without careful and formal consideration of the equality implications of this decision, for example through a full equality impact assessment, there is a serious risk that a measure introduced to protect the travelling public will have unintended discriminatory consequences."
The approval by the British Primeminster for the gradual ntrodution of the scanners at all UK airports follows a twelve month trial of their operation at Manchester Airport. However following a warning from 'Action for Rights of Children, that the scanners could breach the Protection of Children Act 1978, under which it is illegal to create an indecent image or a "pseudo-image" of a child - .anyone under 18 is exemped from being scanned.
The Department for Transport has confirmed that the "child porn" issue was amongst several the "legal and operational issues" currently being reviewed.
ABTA & London Police To Fight Fraudsters The Association of British Travel Agents and and other travel bodies are to work together on a project called Profilt (the Prevention of Fraud in Travel) which aims to reduce the £10m income stolen off tourists in the UK who are victims of travel scams.