A regulator has warned that airlines are publishing incorrect information about Covid test requirements, which may cause passengers to refuse to take the flight.
which one? Said that a mystery shopping activity discovered five major British airlines-British Airways (BA), easyJet, easyJet, Jet2 Ryanair And Tui-unable to provide clear, consistent or accurate answers.
In nearly half of the calls, passengers would be turned away if they listened to the information provided by the agent.
If the passenger does not meet the entry requirements and cannot board the plane, no refund will be issued.
Britain and decentralization government Formulate inspection rules for personnel returning to the UK, and foreign governments in other countries determine the rules for the arrival of British travelers.
The most reliable place to find information about the testing requirements for your destination is the FCDO website
But which one? Some major airports in the UK were contacted, and everyone confirmed that the airline’s ground crew would enforce these rules and decide whether someone should be allowed to board the plane.
Which of all airlines? The contact person outlined that it is the passenger’s responsibility to ensure that they meet the boarding requirements, and if they do not meet, they may be turned away without a refund.
Impersonating a passenger, which one? When flying to mainland Portugal, I called the customer service hotlines of BA, easyJet, Jet2, Ryanair and Tui 3 times and asked the same four questions about the test requirements.
When conducting research, passengers traveling to mainland Portugal must be tested, regardless of whether they have been infected or vaccinated before. Entry into Portugal only accepts PCR test, not lateral flow test, and only children under 2 years of age can be exempted.
The mystery customers of the consumer watchdog received incorrect or conflicting information in 7 out of 15 calls.
In four of the calls-two to BA and two to Tui-the information provided by the agent may see passengers turn around and leave their flight. Only two agents-one from Jet2 and one from Tui-were able to answer all questions correctly.
Two Tui representatives and a BA representative told the undercover researchers that vaccinated passengers do not need to be tested before the flight. One of the Tui agents added that children under 12 years of age are exempt. Another BA representative said that children under the age of four are exempt from the test.
These answers were incorrect at the time of the call, and customers who accepted the advice would be denied boarding and let them pay the full cost of their flight or vacation at their own expense.
Our colleagues have all received training and can inform our customers that they need to check whether they meet the entry and testing requirements of the country/region they are visiting
A mystery customer was also told by the BA representative that as long as they upload the test data to BA in advance, they do not need to bring any documents during the holiday.
This suggestion may be sufficient for boarding, but it is unlikely to allow passengers to enter the destination country.
Only two airline representatives from Jet2 and Tui answered all questions with the correct information.
6. Which one is the agent? Speaking with two BA representatives, two EasyJet representatives, a Jet2 representative, and a Ryanair representative, they said that they had never heard of lateral flow tests, even though these tests have become a common travel requirement for some time, and have been with the NHS The type of distribution is the same for rapid coronavirus detection at home.
When the undercover researchers tried to talk to representatives of Ryanair, they were told to varying degrees to “inquire about the country”, “check government “Website”, “Call the Embassy” or “Visit Ryanair’s Website”.
Which one does each easyJet proxy? It is recommended that the customer call the airport for information and falsely claim that the airport staff (not the easyJet ground staff) checked the passenger’s Covid file.
Another easyJet agent gave one of the mystery customers a number they claimed to be the Covid-19 consultation hotline, but in fact this is the Coronavirus Helpline provided by the UK Revenue and Customs Service for businesses and self-employed individuals.
We always remind customers that it is their responsibility to ensure that they meet the entry requirements in the end
which one? Expressed strongly that passengers are strongly advised not to contact their airline for Covid-19 travel advice, but to consult the Foreign Affairs, Federal and Development Office (FCDO) website, which is the best source of information on testing requirements and travel rules.
which one? Travel editor Rory Boland said: “When airlines are responsible for deciding whether passengers can board, it’s important for their staff to have a thorough and accurate understanding of the rules. Otherwise, if passengers follow the wrong advice, they may pay out of their pockets. The full cost of their flight or vacation.
“The most reliable place to find information about testing requirements to your destination is FCDO’s website-here you can find the latest information about entry requirements, traffic light changes and other important information before you travel.”
A British Airways spokesperson said: “Our colleagues have all received training and can inform our customers that they must check that they meet the entry and testing requirements of the countries visited. We are still emailing and ba. Information is available on com.
“Although we don’t think the issues raised in the three calls of Which? represent the hundreds of thousands we have handled, we have reminded colleagues to continue to recommend customers to gov.uk to avoid unintentional confusion.”
An EasyJet spokeswoman said: “We are constantly reviewing the information we provide to agents and providing them with continuous and extensive training, so we continue to do so to ensure that agents provide accurate and consistent advice to customers.
“However, we always remind customers that it is their responsibility to ensure that they meet the entry requirements in the end, and will continue to advise customers to check the requirements of the local government before departure.”
This study highlights the complexity of frequently changing entry and testing requirements
A Jet2 spokeswoman said: “Our contact center team is processing an unprecedented number of inquiries while also handling British government This is usually little or no notice.
“Which one do we want to thank? For bringing this to our attention. Although we provide our team with consistent information for use, in addition to regular training, we will take steps to address these feedbacks.”
A Ryanair spokesperson said: “This is more like fake news from which company? All Covid-19 travel requirements are listed in full on Ryanair’s website and emailed to all passengers 24 hours before the trip We don’t want our call center agents to become experts in the multiple Covid travel restrictions that apply to 40 different countries.”
Tui said: “This study highlights the complexity of frequently changing entry and testing requirements.
“We always strive to provide our customers with the best service, and our agents are trained and constantly updated with new information.
“Additional training to support combat-only queries is being provided. To further help customers, our dedicated Covid Center provides detailed and current entry requirements information.”
