Rhodes wildfires: Married couple call airline "inhumane" as they try to return to East Midlands Airport
Carol Anne Kenton-Bradshaw and her husband, Kieren, travelled to Rhodes ten days ago
A couple who flew from East Midlands Airport to Rhodes on Sunday 16th July are hoping to make their way back tonight (Wednesday).
Carol Anne Kenton-Bradshaw and her husband, Kieren, arrived to their hotel, Lindos Grand Resort and Spa, in the early hours of the morning with no concerns about wildfires. They were notified however of an expected heatwave.
The first time they heard about wildfires was on Thursday 20th but the couple couldn't see any smoke, and there was no news of evacuations.
They say the updates they received were through the hotel, and not the airline.
On Friday their concerns grew but had still not heard from the airline, Jet 2. They tried to get in touch via WhatsApp but say they received a generic, automated text in response.
The couple were eventually evacuated on the night of Saturday 21st. They did not know where they were going but ended up in what they described as a school hall.
Carol said: "I had several panic attacks myself... It is not something I normally suffer with however it was so intense the feeling that night.
"We was all bundled onto coaches in the middle of the night, around 1:30 in the morning. It was just through other guests telling us that we were being taken to schools, sport halls. Every guest in our hotel was split up across Rhodes."
Kieren said they owe a lot to those who helped them that evening: "The local people could not have done any more for us. They put a lot of food for us, baby wipes, tissues... Bearing in mind that this is their country and their houses that are being burnt to the ground. They have been absolutely heart-warming."
Keiren said he's bene left disappointed in Jet 2 after their lack of communication throughout the evacuation process: "I haven't got words for it. It's disgusting, it's inhumane. I understand they've got a lot of people to sort out, but they are not doing enough."
Carol added: "No-one could get through to their airlines. If you tried to contact them via text or WhatsApp, which is what they suggest, you just got a generic text back."
Jet 2 Response
We cancelled all flights and holidays due to depart to Rhodes up to and including Sunday 30th July, to give customers assurance and to avoid putting further pressure on the island’s infrastructure. We have contacted affected customers with regards to their refund and rebooking options and if they wish to receive a refund, we will process this quickly.
We will still fly those aircraft to Rhodes, but with no customers onboard, so that we can continue to bring our customers back to the UK on their scheduled flights, as well as any additional Jet2 customers who wish to return to the UK.
Our first repatriation landed from Rhodes into Leeds Bradford late on Sunday evening, carrying 95 Jet2.com and Jet2holidays customers back to the UK. Customers were also provided with onward ground transportation.
We have significantly increased our presence on the island too, with experienced colleagues arriving from other destinations, as well as a dedicated senior team flying from the UK to Rhodes yesterday. These colleagues are there to look after our customers in evacuation centres, in resorts, and at Rhodes Airport. We also have staffed transfer coaches taking customers to the airport from evacuation centres today.
A spokesperson for Jet2.com and Jet2holidays said: “We understand how difficult this experience has been for many, and our entire focus is on looking after our customers. We have a significantly expanded presence in Rhodes, with a huge team of experienced colleagues providing all the support we can for our customers, whether that is in affected areas or at Rhodes Airport.
“We have also put on four repatriation flights to bring our customers home, which is on top of our scheduled programme of flights that will continue to operate from Rhodes to the UK this week. We are continuing to make decisions in the best interests of our customers, and we are keeping everything under constant review.”