Travel Advice from the Destination Services Team at ABTA Ltd
In follow up to the conference call notes, please see below the latest statements from Thomas Cook, British Airway and Easyjet.
Thomas Cook – Sharm el-Sheikh Customer Information
Latest Update: 10th November 2015 17:00
Flight Schedule for Wednesday 11 November 2015
| Flight Number | Departure/Arrival Airport | Departure | Arrival |
| MT4525 | SHARM EL SHEIKH – LONDON GATWICK | 17:30 | 21:50 |
Flight Schedule for Tuesday 10 November 2015
Thomas Cook can confirm that the following flights are due to depart from Sharm el Sheikh today. Please note, flight schedules are in local time.
| Flight Number | Departure/Arrival Airport | Departure | Arrival |
| MT1525 | SHARM EL SHEIKH – LONDON GATWICK | 18:20 | 22:05 |
| MT2529 | SHARM EL SHEIKH – MANCHESTER | 20:30 | 00:30 |
Thomas Cook will be providing onward transportation for any customers that do not arrive back in to the UK at their original departure airport.
Thomas Cook has today updated its booking conditions for travel to Sharm el Sheikh. It has cancelled its flight and holiday programme up to and including Wednesday 25 November 2015, previously 12 November 2015. Thomas Cook is offering customers due to travel over this time the opportunity to cancel or re-book their holiday free of charge, offering a £25 discount per person on the alternative holiday booked. Customers booked up to and including Thursday 10 December 2015 will be offered a free amendment to their holiday.
In line with the Government’s advisory regarding strict restrictions on luggage, customers will be permitted hand baggage only on these flights, with any large luggage items ‘securely stored at the airport until they can be safely returned to the UK’. Given the limited space in the cabin, Thomas Cook customers will be entitled to two pieces of cabin baggage. Each bag should be no larger than a standard sized carrier or hand bag, one of which can be placed under the seat, the other in the overhead locker.
It’s important to note that the change in travel advice relates only to air travel and not to safety levels within the resort of Sharm el Sheikh itself. Our team in destination are dedicated to ensuring that all customers are as comfortable as possible until they fly home.
Thomas Cook is awaiting confirmation of flight slots for Wednesday 11 November, accordingly a further update will be distributed when these are approved. We would like to reassure our customers and their families that our priority remains their safety and welfare and we are working diligently with the Egyptian government and authorities to bring passengers home as quickly as possible.
Booking conditions – updated
Booking conditions remain as normal for travel after Thursday 10 December 2015, pending further FCO advice. Any customers wishing to amend or cancel their booking, or who have any concerns regarding their friends or family returning from resort, should visit their local Thomas Cook or The Co-operative Travel store or call our dedicated customer hotline.
In-store
We have a large network of stores who will be happy to assist customers. Store locations and their opening hours can be found using our Store Locator
Dedicated Customer Telephone Line – 01733 224 536
Any customers due to travel to Sharm el Sheikh up to and including Thursday 10th December 2015 should contact our dedicated customer phone line, open 24 hours a day.
We have increased staff numbers in our contact centre to help deal with call volumes. While we will endeavour to assist all customers with their enquiries, we will give priority to those travelling over the next seven days.
Travel Agent Line
A dedicated line for Travel agent enquiries has also been set up – 01733 224 520, open from 8.30am to 7pm
We are continuing to closely monitor the situation, working in collaboration with our overseas team and the FCO. We will provide further updates as and when appropriate on this page.
Notes
- For the latest travel advice click here
- Any customers returning from Sharm el Sheikh with pre-booked special requirements should call01733 224 537 for assistance
- All Thomas Cook UK brand guests are included, including independent travellers with flight only bookings
- At the time of the change to the FCO travel advice, Thomas Cook UK has circa 1,700 package customers and 300 flight-only customers in resort.
Latest Luggage Information
We understand that you really want to know when your luggage will be returned to you. The table below will be updated so that you can keep up to date with the latest information and progress.
The luggage is being returned by independent contractors employed by the Government, so until the luggage is in the hands of our distributors it will show as ”Pending”. Once we have the luggage and are told that they have sent it on, we will change the status to ”Confirmed”.
Please be patient with us as it may take a few days to get all of the luggage sent on. If the status has changed to ”confirmed” and your luggage hasn’t arrived after 3 days please contact us 0161 489 6724, or email bfallon@lrsmanchester.plus.com
| Date | Flight Number | Route | Luggage Due in UK | Expected Delivery to your home address | Status |
| 6Nov | MT5817 | Sharm El Sheikh – East Midlands/Birmingham | 09Nov | 10Nov – 11Nov | Confirmed |
| 7Nov | MT1627 | Sharm El Sheikh – Gatwick | 10Nov | 11Nov – 12Nov | Confirmed |
| 7Nov | MT2625 | Sharm El Sheikh – Manchester | 11Nov | 12Nov – 13Nov | Confirmed |
| 8Nov | MT1847 | Sharm El Sheikh – Gatwick | Pending | ||
| 9Nov | MT1525 | Sharm El Sheikh – Gatwick | Pending | ||
| 9Nov | MT2529 | Sharm El Sheikh – Manchester | Pending |
To see Thomas Cook customer information, please see link below:
https://www.thomascook.com/sharm-el-sheikh-customer-information/
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British Airways Update Below:
Sharm el-Sheikh – Operational Update
Following advice from the UK Government concerning flights between the UK and Sharm el-Sheikh, we will not operate any flights to or from the holiday resort between Monday, 16 November and Monday, 23 November 2015.
The following is the latest situation regarding British Airways’ services to/from Sharm el-Sheikh.
BA2560 departing from London Gatwick (LGW) to Sharm el-Sheikh (SSH)
- 12 and 14 Nov – both flights have already been cancelled
- 16, 19, 21, 23 Nov – All flights will be cancelled this afternoon with no alternative automatically rebooked
- 26 Nov onwards – currently operating but under review; please advise customers to keep checking ba.com
BA2561 departing from Sharm el-Sheikh (SSH) to London Gatwick (LGW)
- 12 and 14 Nov – will operate as scheduled but with restrictions allowing no checked baggage (see below)
- 16, 19, 21, 23 Nov – All flights will be cancelled this afternoon; customers booked on these flights have been contacted. Please offer BA2561/14NOV for any customers able to return earlier to UK.
- 26 Nov onwards – currently operating but under review; please advise customers to keep checking ba.com
The following baggage restrictions apply for customers checking in for BA2561 SSH-LGW:
Hand baggage:
· Customers will only be allowed to take two small pieces of hand baggage on board the aircraft with them.
· The maximum size of each piece will be 40cm x 30cm x 15cm (16in x 12in x 6in).
· One piece of hand baggage will need to fit under the seat in front and one piece will need to be placed in the overhead locker.
· We suggest that these two bags contain all essential items such as telephone, keys, passport, medicines, money, camera, computer, childcare needs etc.
· No larger hand baggage items will be allowed onto the aircraft.
Checked baggage:
· The UK Government has informed all carriers that flights departing back to the UK will not be able to carry any checked baggage.
· Customers will be able to check in their baggage but it will NOT be allowed to travel on the aircraft. It will be stored in a secure location at Sharm el-Sheikh airport and the UK Government is making arrangements for this to be returned to customers in due course.
· Customers will be asked to fill in a delayed baggage form on board the aircraft on their journey to the UK to help ensure that their bag is delivered to their home address as quickly as possible.
· Children’s buggies will be treated as checked baggage and will not be allowed to travel on the aircraft, however we will provide extra buggies and customer service teams on arrival at Gatwick. We’re very sorry for the difficulties this restriction on buggies will cause families.
Repatriation of checked baggage:
· Customers will have their bags tagged and then the bags will be kept in a secure area at Sharm el-Sheikh (SSH)
· Bags are planned to be shipped as soon as possible on a separate charter flight and will then be taken to London Heathrow (LHR) for processing
· While these customers are en route to Gatwick, they will be asked to fill out a delayed baggage form that includes their email address
· These forms will be processed on arrival at London Gatwick and an email will be sent to the customer with a baggage file reference number
· Once the customer has received the email, they will be able to check the status of their bags through ba.com WorldTracer
· We will strive to deliver these bags back to the customer as soon as possible
For agents
- For cancelled flights, use rebooking/refund options from the standard Conditions of Carriage
- Please note that when British Airways cancels a flights, customers may always use the value of their ticket as payment towards a completely new destination on British Airways’ network
- For customers on flights still operating, a rolling 14 day rebooking option is available to change their travel date or choose an alternative destination, see previously published Disruption Guidelines for Sharm el-Sheikh
- Please advise customers to keep checking ba.com for latest information – see Travel News and Flight Status
- Please advise departing customers from SSH of the above baggage requirements
- Customers need to arrive at SSH Airport for their flight departure in good time as it is likely to be extremely busy
- Please explain to our customers that we are very sorry for the difficulties they are facing in Sharm el-Sheikh. We are doing all we can to minimise disruption at the airport, with extra teams from British Airways and our ground handlers in place to help customers.
Regards,
British Airways
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EasyJet – Sharm el Sheikh Update
Update: 10th November, 14:30 UK
Thank you for bearing with us during this difficult time.
We have developed a provisional flight plan based on our current understanding of the situation in Sharm el Sheikh, which if we are allowed to operate by the authorities, should mean we can bring all our delayed passengers home by the end of next weekend at the latest.
Our plan is to bring home as many passengers every day as we can, and to prioritise those who have been delayed the longest.
The reality of this is that many of our passengers will be delayed for up to 3 days. Please be reassured we will cover all the costs of your accommodation and reasonable expenses, including necessary provisions. Please keep your receipts to speed up any reimbursements. If you are staying in a hotel that we have not arranged, and they require your bill to be settled, please call us on our special help line (+44 (0) 161 774 9879), so we can arrange to do this directly.
To help us to help you, we recommend you refer to the table below of proposed new flight dates and then try and extend your accommodation. We hope that most customers will not be delayed for more than the dates below, but the situation remains fluid.
The plan is provisional and may be subject to change, but we wanted to share it with you at this stage so you can plan your time and accommodation from understanding the likely length of your delay. Please be assured that if we can, we will try to get you out earlier. The whole programme is still subject to confirmation from the authorities, but these are the dates we currently believe we are most likely to be able to bring you home. We stress that this may change so please continue to look at this page for the most up to date information and we will continue to email and text you using the contact details we were given by you (or your travel agent) at the time of booking.
| Original Flight Date | Original Flight Number | Original Arrival Airport | Proposed New Flight Date |
| 10th November | EZY3032 | London Stansted | 13th November |
| 10th November | EZY2662 | Milan Malpensa | 13th November |
| 11th November | EZY8854 | London Gatwick | 13th November |
| 12th November | EZY3032 | London Stansted | 13th November |
| 12th November | EZY2662 | Milan Malpensa | 13th November |
| 12th November | EZY1856 | Manchester | 13th November |
| 12th November | EZY8854 | London Gatwick | 14th November |
| 12th November | EZY2398 | London Luton | 14th November |
| 13th November | EZY2398 | London Luton | 14th November |
| 13th November | EZY8854 | London Gatwick | 14th November |
| 14th November | EZY8854 | London Gatwick | 14th November |
| 14th November | EZY8852 | London Gatwick | 14th November |
| 14th November | EZY2662 | Milan Malpensa | 14th November |
| 14th November | EZY2398 | London Luton | 14th November |
| 14th November | EZY1856 | Manchester | 14th November |
As we get new information and can confirm further flights, we will update this site. The latest information will be posted here.
Although this situation is outside our control, we would like to apologise again for your delay and thank you for your on-going patience.
Information on hold luggage restrictions for passengers departing from Sharm el Sheikh
| Original Flight Date | Original Flight Number | Original Arrival Airport |
| 5th November | EZY1856 | Manchester |
| 5th November | EZY3032 | London Stansted |
| 5th November | EZY2662 | Milan Malpensa |
| 5th November | EZY2398 | London Luton |
| 5th November | EZY8852 | London Gatwick |
| 5th November | EZY8854 | London Gatwick |
| 6th November | EZY8854 | London Gatwick |
| 6th November | EZY2398 | London Luton |
| 7th November | EZY2398 | London Luton |
| 7th November | EZY2662 | Milan Malpensa |
| 7th November | EZY8852 | London Gatwick |
| 7th November | EZY8854 | London Gatwick |
| 7th November | EZY1856 | Manchester |
| 8th November | EZY3032 | London Stansted |
| 8th November | EZY8854 | London Gatwick |
| 9th November | EZY2398 | London Luton |
| 9th November | EZY8854 | London Gatwick |
| 10th November | EZY8854 | London Gatwick |
| 10th November | EZY8852 | London Gatwick |
| 10th November | EZY2398 | London Luton |
| 10th November | EZY1856 | Manchester |
| 11th November | EZY2398 | London Luton |
As we get new information and can confirm further flights, we will update this site. The latest information will be posted here.
Although this situation is outside our control, we would like to apologise again for your delay and thank you for your on-going patience.
Information on hold luggage restrictions for passengers departing from Sharm el Sheikh
What will happen to my bags at the airport?
I am travelling with a wheelchair or pushchair, what will happen to these?
How much and what can I bring in my cabin baggage?
How can I track my bag once I return to the UK?
Please see the link to the EasyJet disruption page below:
http://www.easyjet.com/en/help/sharm-el-sheikh?link=disruptionbanner
We will continue to monitor and provide updates accordingly.