I was enjoying a bright hot sunny morning on the day I was supposed to be taking a delayed flight home at the end of my locum duty here.
Then I had a call from Kath telling me that the Jet2 flight, the fifth re-booked flight in a matter of three weeks, the one she booked for me yesterday, has already been cancelled. Another blow, but what bad luck. If I had hummed and aahed over the booking and slept on it first, this wouldn't have happened. More hassle.
What we think is happening is that UK government policy about enforcing two weeks quarantine on people arriving from UK flights is actually deterring people from booking flights, not so much short stay holiday makers as business and domestic travellers wanting to return home or go to their jobs after a long time away. If there's not enough to cover the cost of running the flight, it gets cancelled. None of the airlines seem willing to be honest with the public and keep promoting flight bookings competitively as if it was still 2019. Such competition to get people's booking money in the face of a global crisis, instead of partnership is a lethal recipe for a dark anarchic future.
As Kath and Lucy run Wriggledance Theatre from their home offices, they are very skilled at digital research. Kath set about investigating which regular scheduled UK flights are running to judge from the published flight arrival boards of various airports, and seeing how that matched up with flight prices being asked - the higher, means the greater demand. It seems that Barcelona has a couple of daily flights to London which do run and are well populated. So, with the same connecting flight to Barcelona from here cancelled on 28th April I have a flight from Barcelona to London on 16th June.
I am not confident it will run given the inability of the British Home Secretary to think coherently about the consequences for travellers and airlines of anything she says in a market driven economy.
The way things are, I am being denied the right of return to the country of which I'm supposed to be a citizen. Sure this is an over-riding crisis time, but no thought seems to have been given to actually testing people as they arrive, or having a set up where they are tested before they board and receive a bio-passport, valid for travel within a limited time frame. Too much effort? Wait and see whether the entire British airline industry goes out of business or not.
Although very upset, I made an effort to complete the Sunday service and send it to Dave for web uploading. Early for a change. That at least took my mind off the anger and frustration I feel. I still find it hard to believe the country voted in this government so decisively, plus I am appalled that brexit was voted through as a consequence. Britain has vainly done its own thing rather than work in close partnership with the EU over covid 19, so the UK now has the highest death rate as the price paid for an 'independence' of thought which has not served Britain well at all.
The temperature rose to 27c in the afternoon when I finished work and headed out for my walk. Not exactly the best conditions. But I have learned that I need to drink far more water to avoid feeling even worse. Clare has written to Kevin Brennan our local MP to ask if he will take up the case with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office of stranded expats let down by airlines needing repatriation now a couple of months after the last repatriation flight left because the reason their reason for not leaving at the time no longer applies. There are Brits domiciled in Ibiza stuck in the UK as well as some others like me, stuck here. Fr Rhys's wife Eluned is an Assembly Member and she has agreed to pursue this through the WAG. I doubt whether any action will ensure, but the government needs to know that their ill considered policies have real world consequences, and that they will be called to account for their foolishness eventually.
Listening to Home Sceretary Priti Parel sounding off on the late evening news before bed made me realised that her words will serve as a deterrent even to existing scheduled flights. I desperately hope mine will run, but my confidence about this is very low. I will rejoice if proved wrong.
Nevertheless, as long as I have to stay, I can continue offering the on-line services until it proves possible to have real proper church celebrations again. It can't be rushed, Everyone is nervous in the wake of two months lock-down. Preparation and planning will take time and much care. I will be ready for whatever comes up. That's my job.
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