TUI return flight from Zante - all passengers to self isolate

elsien

So do the flight staff also have to isolate as well? After all they would seem to have the higher chance of passing the virus on to other flights.

bradders1983

I can easily see why cabin crew dont bother enforcing it. Reduces conflict, reduces time in main cabin as already said, also to be honest they arent paid enough to deal with the potential crap.

Grumpelstiltskin

So the flight staff kept out of the main cabin as much as possible. Where were they?
Crammed into the small area where they store and prepare food?
They wouldn't be able to be more than 2 inches apart in there, so if anyone one of them was infected with no symptoms the whole cabin crew and passengers stood the chance of being infected.

Pollycat

elsien said:

So do the flight staff also have to isolate as well? After all they would seem to have the higher chance of passing the virus on to other flights.

No, they don't.

They are on the 'exempt from quarantine' list:

Pilots and crew, as defined in paragraph 1 of Schedule 1 to the Air Navigation Order 2016(h), where such crew have travelled to the UK in the course of their work

You’ll need to complete the Public Health passenger locator form before you travel to the UK if you travel in any part of the aircraft that is accessible to any passenger for any part of the journey (for example the aircraft cabin).

You do not need to complete the Public Health passenger locator form if you travel in a part of the aircraft that is not accessible to passengers, for example a fully enclosed cockpit

You will not need to self-isolate.

You should show a crew badge or ID.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-travellers-exempt-from-uk-border-rules/coronavirus-covid-19-travellers-exempt-from-uk-border-rules

So free to infect the next lot of passengers to whatever country they're flying to...

bradders1983

To be fair, NOBODY on the flight legally has to. They are being asked to. No law has been invoked to force them as far as I am aware and as it stands at 9.35am this morning Greece remains on the OK list for all parts of the UK.

NoodleDoodleMan

Travel company Tui has cancelled all holidays to a party resort on a Greek island because of customers failing to follow coronavirus safety measures.

Tui said it would no longer be offering trips to the resort of Laganas, on Zante, from Thursday.

I wonder if the TUI reps in this particular accommodation reported these failures to the resort management, and/or TUI line managers ?

Presumably TUI will ensure that the flight crew are all tested before their next gig ?

Pollycat

NoodleDoodleMan said:

"One thing for sure, I'm sure TUI will have their house in order after the kicking they're getting in the press."

Oh, to be a fly on the wall when the cabin manageress/manager is asked by TUI top brass to comment on passenger reports alleging lack of observence of rules as highlighted in the media !!!

Have TUI head office issued a statement ?

Here's an alternative account of the flight:

But Nigel Harris, from Barry, who was on the plane, told BBC Radio Wales' Jason Mohammed show the flight home was a "pretty standard flight" and he did not see people walking up and down the plane.

"I had my facemask on from the time I left the hotel to the time I left Cardiff Airport and, in my experience, that was what I saw on the plane as well," he said.

Mr Harris said staff were enforcing the rules and a number of tannoy announcements were made reminding people.

TUI said in response: "Following an initial investigation with our cabin crew we are confident that multiple announcements via the PA and individual conversations with customers to try to reinforce protocols took place and other customers on the flight have confirmed these findings to be correct."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-53984808

There's usually more than one side to a story...

Pollycat

bradders1983 said:

To be fair, NOBODY on the flight legally has to. They are being asked to. No law has been invoked to force them as far as I am aware and as it stands at 9.35am this morning Greece remains on the OK list for all parts of the UK.

The information on GOV.UK is clear (this is for England):

Coronavirus (COVID-19): how to self-isolate when you travel to the UK

When you arrive in the UK, you will not be allowed to leave the place where you’re staying for the first 14 days you’re in the UK (known as ‘self-isolating’) unless you’re arriving from an exempt country.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-how-to-self-isolate-when-you-travel-to-the-uk/coronavirus-covid-19-how-to-self-isolate-when-you-travel-to-the-uk

Policing it is of course something entirely different.

bagand96

Grumpelstiltskin said:

So the flight staff kept out of the main cabin as much as possible. Where were they?
Crammed into the small area where they store and prepare food?
They wouldn't be able to be more than 2 inches apart in there, so if anyone one of them was infected with no symptoms the whole cabin crew and passengers stood the chance of being infected.

Given that a 737 cabin is 3.5m wide, and has both a forward and a rear galley area, I am sure the 4 or 5 cabin crew on board would be able to sensibly distance - certainly more than 2 inches apart.

bagand96

Pollycat said:

elsien said:

So do the flight staff also have to isolate as well? After all they would seem to have the higher chance of passing the virus on to other flights.

No, they don't.

They are on the 'exempt from quarantine' list:

Pilots and crew, as defined in paragraph 1 of Schedule 1 to the Air Navigation Order 2016(h), where such crew have travelled to the UK in the course of their work

You’ll need to complete the Public Health passenger locator form before you travel to the UK if you travel in any part of the aircraft that is accessible to any passenger for any part of the journey (for example the aircraft cabin).

You do not need to complete the Public Health passenger locator form if you travel in a part of the aircraft that is not accessible to passengers, for example a fully enclosed cockpit

You will not need to self-isolate.

You should show a crew badge or ID.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-travellers-exempt-from-uk-border-rules/coronavirus-covid-19-travellers-exempt-from-uk-border-rules

So free to infect the next lot of passengers to whatever country they're flying to...

Pilots and cabin crew are exempt from quarantine going about their normal work.  However, now that those crew were on a flight with a known issue, and will have effectively been "Tracked and Traced"  I would be very surprised if they have been released straight back out to flying duties.  The airlines have plenty of spare crew sitting around at the moment.