Flight to Sofia - is it mis-selling?

fantomd

Bulgaria is on the government green list for travel, so looks like a possible holiday destination. No need to quarantine on return, just a couple of tests before and after travel. Having booked flights with Wizzair, flying out to Sofia and back from Varna, I looked on the web to find arrangements for Covid testing, only to find that Bulgaria is not allowing entry from foreign nationals except for business/study/health professional exceptions. It appears to be the only EU country not allowing entry and I think that should have been highlighted on the website before I made the booking, and feel that I should be able to withdraw, but Wizzair fees for cancellation or for amending flight details are prohibitively high. My thought is that the flights have been mis-sold, but I don't know how to tackle the issue or whether there is any legal standing for obtaining a refund. I've contacted the customer service who just pointed me in the direction of the online complaints procedure - which promises to get back within 30 days! Anybody got any advice (except that I should have been more thorough in my research before booking)?

Sandtree

It is always the buyer's responsibility to ensure they have the right to enter the country and not the sellers... this is a case of miss-buying not miss-selling 

Westin

I am afraid that checking that you have the correct permission/visa/fit the country entry requirements are always down to the travelling passenger. There has been no mis-selling.

Several other "green" list countries also do not allow entry to tourist visitors at the moment - Australia being a well documented one.

Check the WizzAir website to see if they are allowing any travel waivers, such as a change of date.  I think that will likely be your best option.

eDicky

Without wishing to sound unkind, I would think that a country being on the green list is a clue that it currently has a low infection rate, so it would be worth checking whether they entertain the risky proposition of accepting British tourists.

Dr_Crypto

It’s almost as if the random colours assigned  by the U.K. are meaningless 

onashoestring

There does seem to be alot of mis- understanding the UK Traffic light system . 

The Green list is not a travel corridor between UK and another country. 

Each country sets its own rules for entry . For example if you travel to Italy from UK you have to quarantine for 5 days and if you are not fully vaccinated you will not be permitted entry to the Netherlands or France for non-essential purpose. 

This is why airlines specify that it’s the passenger’s responsibility to check that they meet the requirements for entry into their destination.

powerful_Rogue

Dr_Crypto said:

It’s almost as if the random colours assigned  by the U.K. are meaningless 

Not really. They outline what action you need to take on your return to the UK.

Dr_Crypto

Gosh I’m glad you pointed that out. I’d have never known. 

CKhalvashi

It is your responsibility to ensure you meet the ongoing entry requirements of any country.

Unless you have purchased the Flex service, you will be able to request a refund to your Wizz account minus I think €60 per sector per person, as stated in the terms and conditions of your ticket.

mattyprice4004

You are responsible for making sure you're eligible to enter a country, that's not the airline's job. 

Westin

OP logged back in a few hours after initially posting, then not since.  Guess they are not bothered now.