SAM Part Three - Adventures of Sam & Kat
Part Three of Sam & Kat’s updated travel plan.
SAM JOHNSON
With regret, we are looking at how and when we will be able to get back to the UK. When we arrived in Australia there we were still unsure of the extent of the lockdown to come. Now accepting that we can go no further on our travels we now are working out how to get home. Quarantine lasts until the start of April, but this is only the start of the minefield of getting safe passage back to the UK.
Starting in the logical place when your stranded abroad, our first port of call was the consulate. Unfortunately until recently they were not ready to deal with the concept that people stuck in Australia might actually want to go home - as the government has recommended for all British overseas. This is confusing as it is in direct contradiction with all other government advise to stay home.
So the consulate has been telling us to talk to the insurance company, our insurer has been telling us to talk to an airline and the airline thinks it’s perfectly reasonable to charge £13,266 for a couple of economy seats.
We’ve signed petitions to let the consulate know that there are people stuck out in Australia and New Zealand and have heard stories of people paying thousands for flights and then being denied entry onto the plane.
In this event, refunds are not forthcoming if it turns out your thousands did not deliver you a flight home. Instead airlines desperate to remain liquid give credit “refunds” to be used on another (usually more expensive) next flight out. Many have found that they have spent their last pounds on flights that don’t exist and do not have the funds to buy a second set of seats.
So our booking of flights needs to be strategic. Not all tickets will get you on the plane and we only have one financial bullet in the chamber (so too speak).
Singapore who do not allow transfers have apparently allowed BA flights to land, refuel and take off again for now. However, until I see evidence of this in operation it seems like a risky option.
Qatar seems like the only route which have had planes coming and going from London for the past week. Prices for a one way ticket can be are a modest £3000 for two one way seats... still better than the £13,000 it was last week.
Images owned by Sam Johnston
