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Original poster

Flying to Europe - is it safe?

197 replies

StressyMcStressFace · 25/02/2022 10:31

This may be the stupidest question but I'm going to ask it anyway because I would really welcome opinions (not on how stupid I am thanks!).

Do you think it is wise to fly to Europe on holiday in light if the current situation in Ukraine? Genuine question as I am not very clued up on the ins and outs of the invasion (apart from the big headlines) and was just wondering how safe it is likely to be albeit at the end of June. I started thinking about it due to a comment made on another thread about the fact that a passenger flight could be shot down even if accidentally.

Do we need to reconsider flying to Europe or are we safe enough?

Obviously nobody can see into the future and maybe this is a non-question but I thought it might be a question worth asking. Thanks

OP posts:
greatwave · 25/02/2022 19:00

@Juno22

Greatwave the OP said she was going to Spain which is why it's been mentioned so often on this thread.
Not in the original OP - she just said Europe. Some of those comments came before she'd mentioned her destination.
greatwave · 25/02/2022 19:02

@shinynewapple22

I would imagine if there becomes a real danger then there will be foreign office advice not to travel and people will get refunds as they did at the beginning of the Covid situation .
NB be careful not to make assumptions about this. I've just taken out travel insurance, and the cover for cancellation due to a change to FCO advice was a (very expensive) extra.
youhadmeatjello · 25/02/2022 19:10

There are a lot of “user” posters popping up suddenly declaring the UK is more of a target than anywhere else etc and insisting things are going to to turn into World War III isn’t there?!
Curious.

@User134356356 the UK is not more of a target than neighbouring countries to the Ukraine who previously made up the USSR. they are in far more danger of an invasion. Hopefully it won’t come to that. But making posts making out the UK is an imminent target is irresponsible. Yes, we aren’t popular with Putin at the moment but neither is any of the EU.

Pedallleur · 25/02/2022 19:32

Just go on google maps. Ukraine is nowhere near Western Europe or the Baltic states or Cyprus. There are no flights over Ukraine and v.few to Russia.

liveforsummer · 25/02/2022 19:34

@Gardengate45

Definitely unsafe.

Not to forget Covid and the risk of a potential new variant come the spring, flying to one of the Costas or Canaries just feels like a suicide mission at this point.

Hope this is a joke - can't actually tell anymore Confused
countrygirl99 · 25/02/2022 19:36

@Jenasaurus

My friend at work is going to Finland in 2 weeks, she thinks it will be safe but I would be worried.
My son lives in Finland. His inlaws are less than an hour from the Russian border. They have no immediate concerns.
liveforsummer · 25/02/2022 19:38

@greatwave

I'm slightly depressed by all the 'well you're hardly going to be going on holiday anyway near Ukraine' comments. What a very narrow outlook. Not everyone from the UK just jets off to Spain every year - there's lots of tourism to the Baltic States, Poland, and indeed Russia (esp St Petersburg) - in fact, that's a very popular cruise route. If I had a Baltic cruise booked I would be thinking quite hard about cancelling (it's particularly unlikely they'll be landing in St Petersburg!). We had been considering booking a holiday in Eastern Poland and have decided to save it for another year. Mainly because of the likely refugee situation, and possible FCO advice, but also because I don't think it's totally impossible that Putin will start harassing the former Soviet Union states, even if he doesn't actually invade them due to NATO membership. But no, I wouldn't be cancelling a trip to Majorca.
Tbf I guessed from the initial post that OP wasn't planning a trip to Belarus, and was proved right.
liveforsummer · 25/02/2022 19:46

@thunderonlyhappenswhenits

What do people think about Cyprus ? Meant to be going in may
Cyprus is basically owned by Russia - you'll be safer there than anywhere
Plumspears · 25/02/2022 20:58

You do know that the UK is in Europe, OP? Why on earth would Spain, which I far west, be any more unsafe than the UK?

FatFredsFriedEgg · 25/02/2022 21:30

@youhadmeatjello

There are a lot of “user” posters popping up suddenly declaring the UK is more of a target than anywhere else etc and insisting things are going to to turn into World War III isn’t there?! Curious.

@User134356356 the UK is not more of a target than neighbouring countries to the Ukraine who previously made up the USSR. they are in far more danger of an invasion. Hopefully it won’t come to that. But making posts making out the UK is an imminent target is irresponsible. Yes, we aren’t popular with Putin at the moment but neither is any of the EU.

the UK is not more of a target than neighbouring countries to the Ukraine who previously made up the USSR

Apart from Russia Ukraine only has two neighbours which were part of the former USSR. Belarus is a bit of a 'mini-me' to Russia so I don't think they're at risk. Moldova is geopolitically insignificant and not really worth expending much effort on.

I rather think that if the UK starts flying RAF missions over Belarus (as Johnson stated last week that we were about to do) that we would be more of a target than Belarus or Moldova.

FatFredsFriedEgg · 25/02/2022 21:36

Cyprus is basically owned by Russia - you'll be safer there than anywhere

Yeah, it's not like an RAF base in the middle of the Med, covering Israel and the end of the Suez Canal, is likely to be on a list of Russian military targets.

liveforsummer · 26/02/2022 04:29

@FatFredsFriedEgg

Cyprus is basically owned by Russia - you'll be safer there than anywhere

Yeah, it's not like an RAF base in the middle of the Med, covering Israel and the end of the Suez Canal, is likely to be on a list of Russian military targets.

Yet in all the years of conflict in the Middle East, some with much more UK involvement than currently, these bases are still standing and have never been subject to any attack
Meatshake · 26/02/2022 05:34

@MintyFreshBreath

We booked a holiday in the Canaries for June only today. I did consider not doing it but then thought I can’t live my whole life never doing anything. It’s just one thing after another right now. Spain is far enough away and I’m just going to keep my fingers crossed that it’s all ok 👍
You do know that even though they are Spanish Islands the canaries are waaaay out of the med and down the Atlantic off the coast of Africa? Like, you fly through Spain and then nearly the same distance again practically in the opposite direction to Russia? You fly over France, Spain and Portugal. If a war with Russia is fucking those flights, chances are you'll be in more danger in the UK than you are in the Canaries.
liveforsummer · 26/02/2022 05:49

@Meatshake you'd be surprised how many people visit the canaries and think they are geographically in Spain. I also worked with someone in Cyprus who thought we were actually in Greece. Its mind boggling. Does no one look at a map? They usually even show one on the plane.

Original poster
StressyMcStressFace · 26/02/2022 07:49

Well that turned out to be a lively discussion 🤓

OP posts:
WellThatsMeScrewed · 26/02/2022 08:01

@BarbaraofSeville not read whole thread but your reply was priceless.

Pedallleur · 26/02/2022 08:09

Should also remind people that when that airliner was shot down over E.Europe a few yrs ago were you all worried then? It was an act of aggression and nobody brought to justice.

GallopingHighRoad · 26/02/2022 08:56

@Pedallleur

Should also remind people that when that airliner was shot down over E.Europe a few yrs ago were you all worried then? It was an act of aggression and nobody brought to justice.
It was shot down over Donetsk in eastern Ukraine and was flying over a war zone. Many airlines had long since stopped flying over Ukraine and instead were flying over the Black Sea just north of Turkey. Four individuals have been charged and the case is ongoing in the ECHR. Covid and Russian intransigence is dragging it.
FatFredsFriedEgg · 26/02/2022 09:26

@liveforsummer Yet in all the years of conflict in the Middle East, some with much more UK involvement than currently, these bases are still standing and have never been subject to any attack

Surely the discussion is about the dangers of a more widespread war involving Russia? In which conflicts in the region were we fighting against an opponent with the capabilities of Russia and whose only naval and air bases in the region are less than 150 miles from Cyprus?

We're actually deploying extra fighters to Cyprus specifically to 'deter Russia'. ukdefencejournal.org.uk/britain-deploying-more-fighters-to-cyprus-amid-russia-tensions/

liveforsummer · 26/02/2022 10:00

Yes extra aircraft are deployed to Cyprus during other conflicts too. That's also normal. I guess if you're actually going to stay on RAF akrotiti then there might be a heightened risk but for the majority going to stay in a (largely Russian owned) resort, I think they'll be just fine.

Gregsprinkles · 26/02/2022 10:26

My son lives in Finland. His inlaws are less than an hour from the Russian border. They have no immediate concerns.

I agree no immediate concerns, but did you watch Newsnight last night?

countrygirl99 · 26/02/2022 10:45

@Gregsprinkles

My son lives in Finland. His inlaws are less than an hour from the Russian border. They have no immediate concerns.

I agree no immediate concerns, but did you watch Newsnight last night?

I didn't. Do I need to catch up with it?
thanktor · 26/02/2022 10:54

@countrygirl99

Situation evolving quickly
So whatever was on newsnight last night
Your better off just watching or listening to the news now

ImInStealthMode · 26/02/2022 10:58

I work for a holiday company and we've had precisely zero cancellations for this reason, so far. Nobody has any idea what's going to happen next week never mind in 3 months so it's utterly pointless stressing about it.

(When it comes to securing a refund fair then enough I guess, but if all of Europe is at war by mid-summer then the £600 I've spend on a trip to Italy will likely be the very last of my worries).

ImInStealthMode · 26/02/2022 11:03

@Juno22

If you want travel companies to go bust then pulling your money out now when there are no warnings about travel from FCDO is a sure fire way to make it happen.
Also this ⬆️