Rhodes: NI holidaymakers travel to the island after fearing money loss

Some holidaymakers have said they are still travelling to Rhodes during the wildfires as they feared losing money.

The Greek island has been affected by the fires for a week due to strong winds and temperatures exceeding 40C.

A number of passengers at Belfast International Airport told BBC News NI they wished their travel agent had cancelled their trip.

Most travel insurance companies and airlines will not compensate for situations beyond their control.

On Tuesday, one passenger said they were "dreading going, just to get stuck out there".

She said she tried to find a way out of the trip but the company they booked with would not issue a refund as their flight had not been cancelled.

"We would lose out on everything," she added.

Another passenger said they "haven't been given the option to rebook or cancel" but believed he would be safe if his hotel remains open.

He said if he could he would "rebook for a different time, when the smoke clears".

The McCarroll family arrived at the airport to find their holiday cancelled

The BBC also spoke to Kelly and Peter McCarroll, who, along with their son Casey, were due to fly to Corfu on Tuesday and arrived at the airport to find their holiday had been cancelled.

"We're gutted," Kelly McCarroll said.

"Our hotel was cancelled, [the] flight is still going but it was part of an Easyjet package, so there's no hotel for us."

Ms McCarroll said she did not believe their holiday would be cancelled even though Easyjet had previously offered them cancellation vouchers.

"We were looking on every single forum, just double checking that it was okay and we received an email from the hotel this morning saying everything was good, we weren't in danger or anything."

Ms McCarroll said the family arrived at Belfast International Airport to find the situation had changed and their hotel had been cancelled.

She added they were waiting at the airport in the hope of travelling elsewhere.

"We are googling but everything is double price because it's last minute so, we don't know if we will get anywhere." said Kelly McCarroll.

Holidaymakers arriving back to NI

The first holidaymakers fleeing wildfires on the Greek island of Rhodes are due back in Northern Ireland later.

EasyJet and Jet2 flights are due to land at Belfast International Airport early on Wednesday morning.

About 19,000 people have been evacuated from areas hit hardest by the wildfires.

Firefighters from other EU countries and Turkey have been deployed to assist with bringing the fires under control.

The Greek islands of Corfu and Evia also issued evacuation orders on Monday as strong winds caused flames to spread.

An Easyjet flight taking tourists from Corfu is also due to arrive in Belfast on Tuesday night.

'Very difficult situation'

Among those returning to Northern Ireland later are Warren Edwards and his wife Sarah.

Warren Edwards and his wife Sarah had to leave their hotel in Gennadi due to the fires

The couple from Limavady are on a package holiday with Jet2 and were evacuated from their hotel in Gennadi in southern Rhodes on Saturday.

Speaking to BBC News NI's Good Morning Ulster programme, Mr Edwards said the operator made "questionable" decisions at times, but he understood it was an unknown situation for all parties.

He also praised one Jet2 representative from Rhodes who slept overnight on a beach to help assist holidaymakers.

"We couldn't have gotten through without the support of Jet2 and the local people," he said.

A plume of smoke from the wildfires blows towards a beach

"They've put us up in hotels, they've made sure we're fed, they've given us water - we've been really, really fortunate in what's a very difficult situation.

"Of course it's tough for us, [but] much tougher for the people of Rhodes itself."

• Rhodes wildfires are 'like a biblical catastrophe'

• LIVE: More fires break out in Rhodes as evacuation flights leave island

• What are holidaymakers' rights?

• NI tourists praise locals as Rhodes fires continue

The Greek fire service told the BBC that new fires have started on Rhodes, with people in Platanistos evacuated on Monday night.

Wildfires have also began in other parts of Europe, such as the Italian island of Sicily

In Sicily, meanwhile, Palermo International Airport was temporarily closed to air traffic on Tuesday morning after wildfires in the hills around the city reached the airport perimeter.

Climate change increases the risk of the hot, dry weather that is likely to fuel wildfires.

The world has already warmed by about 1.1C since the industrial era began and temperatures will keep rising unless governments around the world make steep cuts to carbon emissions, experts say.

Safety 'paramount'

President of the Irish Travel Agents Association Paul Hackett said most tour operators have been responsible by offering cancellations and refunds.

He said airlines have two reasons to continue operating flights as normal: to take passengers off Rhodes, and due to an EU regulation stating an airline must fly if airports are open and there is no guidance against not traveling.

"The reports, the imagery, the videos are stark and frightening; the reality is… there have been no injuries, no deaths and no casualties," he told Good Morning Ulster.

"Safety is paramount and no travel company is going to put any of its consumers at risk."

Officials estimate 19,000 people have been evacuated by land and sea with more people due to be evacuated from three villages - Pefki, Lindos, Kalathos

What's my airline or travel company saying?

If you are due to travel to Rhodes in the upcoming days and weeks, you should contact your travel provider.

Be aware that, in general, if a flight or holiday is still scheduled to operate but you would rather not travel, there is no automatic entitlement to a refund.

• Some airlines are continuing to fly tourists out to Rhodes as normal, like Ryanair. It's currently offering no flexibility for customers wanting to move to another date.

• Tui has cancelled all outbound flights to Rhodes up until Friday and, for those travelling to hotels directly affected by the fires, flights have been cancelled until Sunday. All customers due to travel on these flights will receive full refunds. Passengers due to travel to areas not affected by fires on Saturday and Sunday will be offered a fee-free amend to another holiday or the option to cancel for a full refund.

• EasyJet is offering some flexibility for customers to move to another date.

• Jet2 has cancelled all holidays to Rhodes until 30 July and says it is in contact with customers about refunds.

• Thomas Cook says customers who are booked to travel to Rhodes on Tuesday and want to cancel can do so and will get a full refund. It's cancelled all holidays to Kiotari and Lardos until 31 July.

Richard Williams, from the Northern Ireland Consumer Council, said package holiday customers who wished to cancel their trip would be entitled to a refund if it was "impossible for that holiday to go ahead".

Damian Murphy, chair of the Association of Northern Ireland Travel Agents, said those who had their flights cancelled were entitled to a full refund or would be offered an alternative holiday.

The UK government said it is "reviewing the situation carefully" but it did not want to act out of proportion with situation on the ground with fires affecting "a limited area" on the island.

The UK Foreign Office urged British nationals affected by the fires to follow the guidance of the emergency services.

It advises in the first instance to contact airlines or travel operators who can assist with return travel to the UK.

The Republic of Ireland's Department of Foreign Affairs said citizens "should stay away from the affected areas and move rapidly out of any areas affected", while staying "fully informed of what is going on by monitoring local news and social media".