Travel operators urged to refund UK holidaymakers who call off trips to Rhodes

Travel firms and airlines are being urged to reimburse passengers who decide against flying to Rhodes as the Greek island is ravaged by wildfires, with a leading consumer group arguing it would be “unconscionable” to withhold refunds. Which? travel editor Rory Boland called on carriers to be “flexible” if customers decide for themselves that they do not want to fly to Rhodes, at a time when there have been emergency evacuations of more than 19,000 people on the island. “It’s likely that those who are due to go to Rhodes now won’t want to go, and given the emergency operations that are taking place on the island, local authorities could probably do without more tourists arriving,” he said. A string of travel companies have cancelled package holidays to the Greek island that were due to depart in the coming days. Tui said on Sunday evening that all passengers due to travel to Rhodes up to and including on Tuesday would receive full refunds, while those due to depart on Wednesday would be able to receive a full refund or change for free to another holiday. EasyJet said those who were booked to travel to or from the island until Tuesday would be able to transfer to another date or request a flight voucher. Thomas Cook will not take tourists to parts of the island considered most at risk until the end of the month, and Jet2 has confirmed that it will not fly travellers to the destination for at least a week. British Airways said that customers already on Rhodes who needed to return home early would be able to change their flights for free, although it was expected there would be limited availability. The Foreign Office’s website informs tourists planning to travel to Rhodes that they should check with their travel operator or hotel before travelling, to make sure that their visit would not be affected by the wildfires.<br/>