Why are flights to Portugal still going ahead?

[Janus]

Just that really! Ryan air are still flying from
Stanstead to Lisbon. I thought my husband was kidding, we are due to go to Portugal in late July and he’s suggested just flying to Lisbon and driving down. I didn’t believe him but, yes, if I want to fly to Lisbon tomorrow I can. How does that make sense, how is that allowed??

Oleary wants to start making money.

We have a flight booked in August. Looks like I will have to lose a thousand pounds.

They might be still flying but once you get there you might not get in

Actually if you go on their website they say flights from the U.K. are allowed to enter Portugal (along with quite a few other countries). I don’t understand how Portugal would allow this as they have somehow had very low deaths, think it’s around 1,000. Why would they let us, with such high numbers, in?
Riga, would you not go because of the risk of flying and no safe self distance?

I don’t understand why flights are still coming to the UK.

Flights to most countries are still running. A friend went to stay with her family in Italy last week!

Won’t you have to self isolate for 14 days when you get there?

Check Portugal end though. They are very strict on travel the other end; they have been strict with their own residents travelling out of regions to stop Covid spreading and are doing really well.

Riga, would you not go because of the risk of flying and no safe self distance?

Well It depends what it is like then but it doesn't sound like it would be fun.

Flights have been running throughout but the advice has been not to travel unless absolutely essential.

As I understand it, the advice is currently this; you can travel if you want to and can social distance and see one person not living in your household outdoors at a 2 m distance, as long as you like, but outside, so all day if you want to.

There haven't been any guidelines on what to do if you are travelling outside UK though. You would have to follow that country rules, and you would have to quarantine 2 weeks when you returned.

Presumably it's because olerary has worked out that if they fly, he doesn't have to reimburse customers regardless of whether any of them can get off the plane at the other end.

Money.

If Ryan air can make 1p profit they will do it. No doubt they have/will cancel any planes that are not profitable and keep flying the ones where enough have booked. Portugal at this time of year is no doubt full enough to run and hold onto the cash.

Some companies are going to start flying again because it’s cheaper for them to fly the plane than provide everyone with a refund. It’s super sneaky because it means you can’t get your money back as the flight went ahead. It’s the customer’s responsibility to ensure they can get in to whichever destination they’re travelling to.

They have a flight every single day to Lisbon so I can’t see that there’s any problems once you get there as else you’d be hearing about it.
Portugal has done well because they locked down early and hard. Restaurants are opening again next week though, other restrictions have lifted this week. It seems they are far ahead of us but I still don’t know why they’d want us over there!

My neighbour still works in another European country. He flies over early on Monday mornings and returns Friday evenings, just as he always has. DH has also had to leave the UK to hold board meetings for overseas companies that can't take place on UK soil.
I expect the 2 week quarantine rule to disappear before it even takes effect. London is a major financial centre and we need to be open for business.

I had no idea you could do that Cake! I think a lot of people don’t!

Worth a read.

www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-52644816