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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to be fed up by all the comments that its "just holiday makers" stranded!

41 replies

macdoodle · 21/04/2010 07:02

Is it envy that these people had a nice holiday? What is the problem with a bit of sympathy??

These poor people have been stuck through no fault of their own, most are having to spend ridiculous amounts of money for a place to stay, some have small children, some have children missing school, some have jobs to get back to (I personally know a good few doctors stranded unable to get back to work), some were on business, I should think all are losing/spending money!

I cant imagine its very much fun at all, especially if you have little children, I know I am usually pleased to get home after a holiday!

COI I am not stranded nor do is anyone near/dear to me stranded, I just feel incredibly symapathetic for these folk,and really peed off when people make saracastic comments about "poor holiday makers"!!

OP posts:
JustMyTwoPenceWorth · 21/04/2010 07:09

I know what you mean.

And because they had the nerve to be able to go away during school holidays, clearly they have a bottomless pit of money and can afford massive hotel bills for however long it takes.

Rocinante · 21/04/2010 07:10

YANBU. I feel sorry for them too. I should imagine it's quite a stressful situation to be in.

Original poster
macdoodle · 21/04/2010 07:12

You know I havent had a decent holiday since 2006 (unless you count a horrendous short break to Butlins)...and I really do not envy them, I'd rather not have a holiday than be stuck!

OP posts:
Whippoorwhill · 21/04/2010 07:49

and of course it's NOT just 'holiday makers'. My husband is stuck abroad after travelling for a job, he has already missed another job here and is just about to miss a second one. Adding to this two other jobs abroad that he was due to do next month have been cancelled.

We were struggling financially as is was and this will be the last straw. Those jobs would have really made a difference and now we are very likely to have to sell the house and take bankrupcy.

Rocinante · 21/04/2010 07:53

Really sorry to hear that Whippoorwhill.

It's minor in comparision but my DH's return from Afghanistan looks like being delayed and I know it's only going to be a few days/weeks extra after several months of waiting, but the thought of each extra day is unbearable.

kitkat9 · 21/04/2010 07:56

the military are affected too, obv

dh has been waiting to be deployed for 6 months but his flight shows no signs of leaving really

he could've been home with us but has to hang about at a RAF base waiting instead

another friend's dh due to come home from Afghanistan last week after 6 months away, he's been stuck too

it's all pretty dire really.

kitkat9 · 21/04/2010 07:56

sorry, cross posts wth Roc

piscesmoon · 21/04/2010 08:06

My DH was stuck with his job, a 2 day business trip turned into 6 days and 4 different train journeys and a taxi.Not everyone is on holiday.

londonartemis · 21/04/2010 08:47

40 neurologists are/were stuck in Canada at a conference. A woman from Glasgow who does bone marrow transplants is/was stuck in Norway. It's definitely not all holiday makers, but even so, holiday makers have jobs and families to come home to.

Ffrecklefface · 21/04/2010 08:55

Rocinante and kitkat, I really feel for you. Knowing he could be with you instead of delayed must be horrendous, and those last few days always seem like months.

piscesmoon · 21/04/2010 08:58

Holiday makers are also spending more than they can afford. Some were interviewed this morning and they were stuck in Florida until 4th May, with no accomodation and their health insurance runs out tomorrow. I feel very sorry for people who have saved up for the 'holiday of a lifetime' and then find it costs double. Even if it isn't a special holiday they overspend and have got jobs and things they need to be home for. It must be especially dreadful for those with babies or small children.

fernie3 · 21/04/2010 09:00

My dad is stuck in India he went there on business and was supposed to come back on friday. He is lucky though that the company are footing the bill - alot of holiday makers wouldnt have that luxury! YANBU
He is in Mumbai and I think he is starting to get sick of it!

Ladyanonymous · 21/04/2010 09:05

I feel sorry for all of them, it must be horrible esp if you can't get/afford a hotel...spending 6 days camping on a tiled airport floor with kids, and having to buy airport food? No thanks.

I hope they all get home safely ASAP.

QuintessentialShadow · 21/04/2010 09:27

Our holiday guests left yesterday, after their fligth was cancelled on Saturday. We are in the north of Norway, they needed to get to London. A dad and his kids.

As we are so far north, and without a rail connection, and the only boat connection is a cruise liner, they opted for:
4 hours by bus, 18 hours on a train through Sweden, overnight stay in hotel in Stockholm, Further train to Copenhagen in Denmark. The plan is to either catch a flight from copenhagen to London if british airspace is open, or train to Brussels for the Eurostar.

Their original holiday cost £109 return on a low cost airline per person. They are spending a fortune on getting home, to work and school.

It is not disastrous, or life threatening, but inconvenient and expensive.

AbsOfCroissant · 21/04/2010 10:10

YANBU
As much as I have been saying "damn, I wish I had been stranded somewhere sunny", I am kind of glad that I'm not (I would naturally like to be stranded somewhere near friends and family ... but anyway).

There's quite a few people stranded from my work in various locations. One woman was over in France for work, coming from Dubai, and she made it to London. She said she's fed up, she misses her family as she's been away for nearly two weeks (her DD's about 8) and she just wants to get back. I would hate to be stranded in some of the places I get sent for work. I don't know anyone there (apart from work colleagues), and I'd miss friends and family too much.

2shoes · 21/04/2010 10:11

yanbu
there are staff from dd's school still stuck

Jajas · 21/04/2010 10:14

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Poledra · 21/04/2010 10:19

YANBU. It is dreadful for anyone to be stranded like this, and it must be a nightmare if you have your children with you.

However, I saw someone on the news one night suggesting that the government should compensate them for the cost of getting home. I am baffled as to why it is the responsibility of the government - they had no control over the volcano erupting, any more than the travel insurance companies had. But don't get me started on travel insurance companies....

Tiredmumno1 · 21/04/2010 10:21

I feel for the stranded people, and i feel that we need to carry on sending help to bring back as many as they can to help the airlines, who i also feel sorry for, it is not there fault, i did read that ryanair passengers were furious because if they pay compensation it will be just for the flight. now i dont see the problem with that, its not anyones fault, the airlines have obviously lost loads of money. so i think its unfair to be angry with them.

i hope everyone can now start having safe journeys back home.

posieparker · 21/04/2010 10:22

Anyone fancy a name and shame website to all those hotels that kicked people out, put their prices up and generally profited from other people's misfortune....

Some of the holiday makers have saved every last penny to afford the holiday...it's a fucking disgrace.

megonthemoon · 21/04/2010 10:25

i haven't heard anyone say "it's just holidaymakers" - i actually think there is generally a lot of sympathy for people stuck (although i imagine a few daily mail readers are moaning about them as they like nothing better than a good old moan )

i actually feel more sorry for holidaymakers than business travellers to be honest. it's of course horrid for business travellers, but by and large, if they work for reasonably sized companies then they will have their hotel and travel bills paid and also have people here who can do all the rebooking etc for them and usually deal with reputable companies who won't shove prices up just because of demand etc. Plus they won't have the worry about how they should have been back at work by now etc or have problems with pay being docked, as they were there stuck on business. i know my company has set up a crisis team to specifically help those abroad (there are a few hundred stuck in various places at the moment). obviously that only goes for larger businesses. it must be horrid for small businesses/self-employed dealing with the costs.

whereas poor holidaymakers are having to foot the bill themselves, and find out the best way home via lots of online rumours, bad phone calls etc. must be triply hard with small children, and particularly so for anyone who has travelled on a tight budget and just doens't have the available cash/credit to fund all these extra costs, and they also have to deal on the ground with companies shoving costs up sky high due to demand and greed etc. and then they have all the worry about what their employers think, wondering if pay will be docked, having to use up holidays to cover this etc.

we're due to fly on holiday in 10 days - i guess it looks like we might now be able to go although this could all change again. i would much rather be here and have a holiday cancelled, so we can go back to work and then rebook later in the year, than be stranded abroad.

OrmRenewed · 21/04/2010 10:29

It makes no odds whether i feel sorry for them or not. Sympathy won't get them home will it? However I do.

twopeople · 21/04/2010 10:31

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Sherbert37 · 21/04/2010 10:37

I was surprised by the comment last night on TV that the embassy in Spain was unable to help one holiday maker. Perhaps I am naive but I thought that if you had a major problem in a foreign country, then that was what the embassy was there for?

ShowOfHands · 21/04/2010 10:38

My BIL has been on a bus for the past 3 days trying to get home from Estonia. He went to audition out there for a job and couldn't get home.

He's having a great time though. I pity the other coach passengers, he'll be whittling on about nothing and trying to get them to sing songs with him.

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