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“Cheers of joy” were heard at Heathrow Airport, after hundreds of passengers traveling to Ireland were given the “green light” to fly to Dublin before the 48-hour travel ban takes effect at midnight.
Ms Scully, 23, from Dublin described it as a “Christmas miracle” after her, and around 300 other potentially stranded passengers eagerly awaited news.
He had originally planned a flight to Dublin on Tuesday, but booked a flight home today for 8.55pm after learning of the inbound travel ban.
However, after arriving at the airport, Rachel and around 50 other passengers were informed that the flight they were traveling on was overbooked and that alternative arrangements would need to be made.
“They told us that they were going to put us in a hotel with the idea of booking a connecting flight from London to a country that could fly to Dublin. They are now in contact with the Irish government (government) to catch a flight to Dublin before midnight, ”said Ms Scully.
“Now there are about 300 people here, some who were for the flight we were going to get and some who had flights canceled,” Rachel explained.
The government announced a 48-hour ban on flights from Britain following fears about the spread of a new strain of Covid-19 Transport Minister Eamon Ryan made the announcement about the new restrictions on Sunday night after 764 new cases of Covid-19 reported in Ireland, as well as four more deaths.
Ms Scully, 23, who is heading to Dublin for a “quarantined Christmas” with her parents, described the anxious scenes at the airport, as people waited for news about whether they would be allowed to travel.
“The mood is anxious, but most are just trying to make the best of a bad situation. A few are starting with the staff, who are honestly doing their best and can’t believe how this has turned out, ”Ms. Scully said.
Ryanair and Aer Lingus have released travel updates in response to the government’s decision to ban all flights from the UK to Ireland for 48 hours.
The government announced a travel ban tonight in an attempt to prevent the spread of a new strain of Covid-19 ahead of Tuesday’s cabinet meeting to assess the situation.
Ireland’s announcement comes on the heels of a decision by other European countries to ban travel from the UK.
Aer Lingus said it has suspended all flights from the UK to Ireland during the period and will operate flights from Ireland to the UK to repatriate customers to Britain.
UK to Ireland Travel Update ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/aZSVcVOeJp
– Aer Lingus (@AerLingus) December 20, 2020
The airline said it would also offer flights for passengers with connecting flights to the UK.
Aer Lingus has said that customers with a canceled flight will be contacted directly and are entitled to a refund, coupon or rerouting in the future.
Ryanair has said that any customer with flights to the UK canceled due to government announcements will be contacted by email and offered a flight change or refund.
The airline said it would operate all other permitted flights to and from the UK, including passengers who need to travel for business purposes.
Ryanair statement on flights to / from the UK on December 20-24: pic.twitter.com/U4Tu4lUsGR
– Ryanair Press Office (@RyanairPress) December 20, 2020
He said that any passenger who does not want to travel on a flight five days before Christmas can change their reservation free of charge until March 15.
The government’s unprecedented announcement on trips to the UK came after a meeting of government party leaders on Sunday after a day of conferences between cabinet ministers.
Transport Minister Eamon Ryan made the announcement about the new restrictions on Sunday night after 764 new Covid-19 cases and four more deaths were reported.
Exemptions have been made for essential workers and those who bring goods into the country.
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