Virus

[janey]

jet 2 have been fantastic.  we should have travelled a couple of weeks ago, they rang us - we didnt ring them, they offered a different flying date, a full refund or a credit note.
i am sure they offered the same to everybody booked.  i think they have been marvellous under the circumstances. 
i just hope they dont go out of business.

[nophead]

Unfortunately I think all the low cost airlines will go bust and there will just be few big ones that have to be re-nationalised.

Unless governments suddenly realise people die, get over it, the economy as we know it will end. When governments are happy to pay people for doing nothing money becomes worthless. All industries that rely on people having freedom to move about will go bust.

[White Rose]

It doesn't  look as though the  Canaries are in any rush to get tourism back for a while when you  read this.

https://www.janetanscombe.com/news/italian-tourist-tests-positive-for-coronavirus-in-tenerife.html?fbclid=IwAR11NnJq7BcAwqpLKEzeVcyjG-utystlrOdQZIwhHMNng0CvFuotdkG_n2w

[Tanemera]

Unfortunately I think all the low cost airlines will go bust and there will just be few big ones that have to be re-nationalised.

Unless governments suddenly realise people die, get over it, the economy as we know it will end. When governments are happy to pay people for doing nothing money becomes worthless. All industries that rely on people having freedom to move about will go bust.

Well, just what we needed Nophead!  Don't you think there is enough misery around without you having to tell us that we are all doomed?  There are plenty of good things happening. Last Thursday at 8pm in the UK thousands of people stood outside and applauded the NHS, demonstrating that times like this have positives as well as negatives.  We survived WW2 by keeping our spirits up and we will survive this crisis too and be stronger for it. 

[Davymar]

[nophead]

In WW2 they didn't close down all the businesses. Shops, pubs, restaurants and cinemas, etc, were still open. The effect of this on the economy of this is much worse.

In WW2 it was accepted that lots of people would die. We no longer can accept that anybody dies, so the entire economy stops to extend the lives of the 1% of people who haven't got long anyway, given that if you catch it at any age over 25 you stand the same chance of it killing you as one more year of life does. Below 25 a year of life is much more dangerous.

[pilgrim]

I think once this is all over, there will be big questions to answer. WAS IT ALL WORTH IT!!!!!!
The misery of unemployment for up to 3 million new people. The crash in house prices. And the broken marriages, the Mental and phycological problems, alcoholism, wife battering, even murders etc...  Never
mind kids no longer taking exams, university deferred!
I am ok Jack! as my kids are so far!
But as supporters of a free society. I truly believe, the government's advice should only be that. If over a certain age or you have underlying health problems you should isolate for your own safety.
And if you wish to ignore this advice, as freewill may tell, it is your own fault if you get the Virus!
The police are already asking for extra powers here. Disgusting!!!!!!
I am goner lobby my MP to get Boris to cancel the extra police (who can be replaced by technology), and employ 20,000 NHS staff instead!

[nophead]

Yes if the NHS was big enough to cope I doubt we would have had a lock down.

China had prefab hospital units on standby. I don't know why we didn't have a plan since pandemics are inevitable.

[Davymar]

In my spare time, i made ahat for the cat.

[paulaf]

We have enough capacity in the NHS now, only 19 patients in London nightingale and others not being used and may be stood down, so this gives me hope just one more 3 week lockdown before restrictions eased and we can start to recover our economy.

[pilgrim]

Yes, I read today as well! Hopefully lifted in a week or two. Thing is people will need a weeks notice to get their head around at going back to work. The other joke is that the government is not asking for people to wear face masks! The reason is we don't have any here! So lockdown would have to last until they came into the country, could be a month or two!

[Tanemera]

Obama had the right idea. Have a look at this...
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://m.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DpBVAnaHxHbM&ved=2ahUKEwix2auTsuvoAhURXsAKHeA1BpAQFjAFegQIBBAB&usg=AOvVaw1oTGgP9zCJqIM_w_0VeAWZ

[pilgrim]

Very good, I agree with him? But he never did it!! The man was a talker he never did a thing! A complete waste of space, and he destroyed his legacy by "just talking".  Shame as he had such great support, and such a following, but never rose to the accession!  "NO DRAMA OBAMA"

[blarer]

I realise that the Canaries are an autonomous region of Spain and can to certain degree make their own laws & regulations. However the Spanish Government has announced that they hope to have tourism opened between Costa del Sol and Costa Blanca by the end of the year. No mention of the autonomous regions. It looks like it could be many months before we can visit our island again.

[pilgrim]

Today in Daily Mirror, it says that tourism should reopen in the Canaries, in July or August, but for the Spanish only to give them a well deserved break! And the rest, I guess us, in October! If you own a property and are a brit maybe you could get out sooner? I don't know! And of course it was in the Mirror, that paragon of virtue!

[Georgie]

Fingers crossed

[unhappy]

People in the UK, sorry but you have no idea what is going on in our SEMI LOCKDOWN Country, here we are on a TOTAL LOCKDOWN until the 26th & the Canarian President wants it extended until the 10th of May, also he has said Tourism is finished for 2020.

If you are hoping to come here next month or onwards GREAT, then the airlines & the British Government that left thousands of us stranded in the Canaries, sometimes cancelling not 1 or 2 or 3 or even 4 flights we had booked after taking our money &, promising to refund us, but nobody has had any money refunded, CAN GET US HOME, my own case, my first flight I booked with Ryanair, was cancelled on the 20/03. This flight flight was fully booked or as they posted sold out for weeks & they promised to refund me in 7 days, still waiting, not a penny refunded, other flights we booked with other airlines exactly the same.

DO NOT BELIEVE what you read in the British Press or Government releases, most of the people stranded here are classified as the risk age in excess of 70+ years old with ongoing health problems, that's why we come here in the winter & they have done nothing to repatriate us.

Until you know for sure that airlines are flying into anywhere DON'T waste your money, because like many of us you will not get your money back when they cancel your holiday or flight, and blame the Coronavirus not their bank balances.

[blarer]

I don't think there'll be much flying anywhere until there is an effective vaccine.

[nophead]

unhappy,
  Did you pay by credit card? Can you get the money back from the credit company?

[Dolly Diver]

I agree with Blarer on this one.  I don't see how anyone will be allowed on a flight with out a vaccination certificate (or something to say they caught the virus and they are immune)  It was only a couple of months ago that an Italian tourist arrived in Adeje with the virus and up to yesterday Tenerife has 1331 confirmed cases (and is still rising by 10 - 16 cases daily, even in this strict lockdown) and 80 deaths.  If flights were to resume too early it would just take 1 infected person to take us all back to square one again and Tenerife has a very high population of over 70's.  I for one have no wish to spend another 2 months in lock down.  For me the health of the people is more important than money.

It is so sad to see everywhere deserted and all the businesses closed, but there has been some good news this week, most of the self employed have now received a payment.  It will keep food on the table but anyone with children, a mortgage or rent to pay faces a really tough time.  Those who are temporary out of work on the ERTE system should receive something at the beginning of May.  The majority of these people have had no income what so ever since March 14th and are really struggling as is the case in the majority of other countries.

The research for a vaccine in UK looks promising and I have my fingers as well as my toes crossed.  These are tough times, but tough times don't last, tough people do.  Hang on in there.  Take care and stay safe.

[nophead]

I don't think all the infections came from one tourist. I think multiple tourists probably came with it.

Yes governments that get their money from taxing people that work are now using that money to pay them not to work. Almost as mad as the price of oil going negative. So really they are preventing people from working by borrowing money that can only be paid back by those same people. And this is to protect mainly the people that no longer work and still get their full pension. Makes absolutely no sense at all to me.

[unhappy]

nophead, you are wrong again you can not claim from credit card companies if the company is still trading.

As for my pension, having owned and run my own company for over 35 years, not only paying the employers and the employees contributions but a hell of a lot of tax for my hard work, I have earnt it.

But what we do is to support 4 charities, also as we do not need our heating allowance the £200, we give that to the homeless, I wonder what you do with yours as you spend so much time in Tenerife in the winter

[nophead]

I am sure you can normally get refunds from the credit card when companies that don't come up with goods.  See https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/shopping/section75-protect-your-purchases/

Plus, even if the problem is just non-delivery or faulty goods, you have exactly the same rights from the credit provider as from the retailer, flight company or supplier.

I am not old enough to get a heating allowance. I expect they will be means tested or abolished by the time I am.

[pilgrim]

In the States they are sending cheques to every tax payer, $1200 for single people, $2400 for couples and $500 for every child. Now is that not a far better way to help people. So whether your a CEO not working or a burger flipper you get enough to be fed and pay your utilities!
Unhappy, do you mind sharing what your business was that you ran for 35 years! A good period of time, and no doubt you have been thru a few rough times, down turns etc..

[losjack]

My April 2nd EasyJet flight back to the UK was cancelled. I received a full refund from EJ on the 4th April. It took a lot of perseverance but I got there in the end.

[unhappy]

Hi pilgrim, I can give you my whole working life history if you are interested, left school at 15 no exams failed my 11 plus. took me 6 months to get an apprenticeship, mad on cars, as a motor mechanic, 5 years on no prospects in the garage, joined a forklift company as a fitter, 15 years later moving from the shop floor to a grade 1 field engineer into junior management with a MD who was an idiot, I decided to start my own business, unfortunately with a Senior Manager who thought being a company director would make him loads of money without working.

I got rid of him, and from scratch built up a business in the forklift business, my main aim was to supply customer service second to none and built up a client base from one man bands that turned into large companies to very large companies based in the USA and Europe that stayed with me mostly for the 35 years

I had every intention of retiring at 50 then 55 and so on, but when my son died I sold my company and retired at 67, a great sadness, but I have my wife and our memories and our happy times in Tenerife to remember as a family.

[pilgrim]

Unhappy, good for you! sorry to hear about your son. Am sure you have some great memories to think back about! Take care!

[janey]

jet 2 have been fantastic.  we should have travelled a couple of weeks ago, they rang us - we didnt ring them, they offered a different flying date, a full refund or a credit note.
i am sure they offered the same to everybody booked.  i think they have been marvellous under the circumstances. 
i just hope they dont go out of business.

I reiterate

[Samijoe]

Our flight booked for Sunday 26th April has ,obviously ,been cancelled by Jet2. We have had several updates over the last few weeks, then yesterday received an email advising that we will receive a full refund within 28 days. Cannot fault them. We always fly with them, from several northern airports, and will continue to do so. They may be more expensive but their customer service is worth that little extra.

[unhappy]

I received the same email yesterday from Jet 2 for a flight cancelled on the 07/04, I also received an email from that conman O'Leary of Ryanair when he cancelled my first flight home on the 20/03 and promised to refund me in 7 days, still waiting not a penny received. But when I do get home I will issue court proceedings against them for fraud, if they dont refund me.