Raging wildfires on the Greek island of Rhodes have sparked the evacuation of around 2,000 tourists from its resorts.
The Greek government said it had evacuated 19,000 people in the “largest ever” wildfire evacuation in the country’s history.
Local media said the fires had reached three hotels, which had already been evacuated, with three coastguard vessels plus one from the army evacuating people from two beaches.
But what should holidaymakers do if they have booked to travel to the island?
Are airlines still flying to Rhodes?
Jet2 cancelled all flights and holidays to Rhodes until next Monday, saying “we will be contacting affected customers with regards to their refund and rebooking options”.
TUI also cancelled all flights to the island until Tuesday, with customers looking to fly out on Wednesday given the opportunity to rebook or cancel free of charge.
EasyJet cancelled package holidays until Tuesday, and though it said it is currently “operating flights as normal” it was offering those who had booked to travel to or from Rhodes the chance to transfer to another date or request a flight voucher up to next Saturday.
Meanwhile British Airways said it is offering customers on the island who need to return home early the opportunity to change flights free of charge and Ryanair said flights were “currently operating as normal and unaffected by the forest fires”.
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Wildfires force thousands of holidaymakers to flee their hotels
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Tourists flee hotels as Greek wildfires rage
If I’m with another operator can I cancel my holiday and get a refund?
For the moment, probably not. It all depends on the advice from the foreign office.
They have urged British travellers affected by the wildfires to follow guidance from Greek emergency services.
“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,” they said.
However, they have stopped short of advising against travelling to Rhodes – only that would allow most people to cancel or change any plans and expect a refund.
The fine print of holiday conditions will differ with each operator.
A burnt hotel during a wildfire on Rhodes
Am I covered by my travel insurance?
Whether holidaymakers are guaranteed compensation under their travel insurance policies hinges on if the UK government advises against travel to the area.
“The primary purpose of travel insurance is to cover the costs of emergency medical treatments or repatriation should the worst happen, which can run into the tens or even hundreds of thousands of pounds,” a spokesperson for the Association of British Insurers (ABI) said.
“It can cover you if you need to cancel or cut short your holiday, but it’s likely this will only be under limited circumstances, for example if you or a close family member fall ill, not because of a disinclination to travel.
“Insurance can cover you if advice from the government changes since you’ve booked your trip, and it’s no longer considered safe to travel to the destination.”
A beach covered in smoke during the wildfires
Instead, anyone concerned about travelling to the area should check with their travel provider and air carrier, the spokesperson added.
Some travel insurance policies may cover affected holidays under circumstances, so people are advised to check the scope of cover provided by their travel insurance.
Those seeking refunds will likely face different situations depending on whether they booked their holiday as part of a package or independently, a spokesperson for the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) told Sky News.
“If you booked a package holiday, for example a package could be you’ve got flights and accommodation all paid for at the same time, then you have different rights to if you booked things independently,” said Emma Brennan.
“If you have been notified that your holiday which is due to depart in the next few days has been cancelled, then your travel company will be able to discuss your options with you, that could be offering a full refund or they might be able to discuss an alternative holiday.
“If you booked everything independently, if you booked a flight and that flight has now been cancelled, then they will need to provide a refund for that, then you would need to go through and speak to every element of your travel provider to understand what the terms and conditions are – what’s the arrangement with the hotel or accommodation that you have booked, what’s the refund policy, the same for any transfer or car hire.”
The Package Travel Regulations state holidaymakers can cancel and receive a full refund “if unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances occur at the place of destination or its immediate vicinity which significantly affect the performance of the package or the carriage of passengers to the destination”.
However, it may be possible to cancel and get some money back, or rearrange bookings for a fee, if you contact the airline or travel company with enough notice, according to Citizens’ Advice.
