How is Bristol Airport Travel Going to be Affected by the Coronavirus Crisis?

Holidaymakers up and down the country have been plunged into uncertainty. But if you had or have plans to fly from Bristol Airport in the near future, you might be wondering what the advice is for this specific region. Here is a quick guide on current updates, where to find out more information and what to do if you need to make cancellations or claim any refunds…

 

What Flights Have Been Cancelled at Bristol Airport?

The current Foreign and Commonwealth Office advice is that no one should undertake non-essential travel for at least the next 30 days. This of course applies to most holidays. In the first instance, you should contact your travel provider to go about postponing or cancelling your holiday. ABTA recommend that if possible, you should consider postponing as this will keep money in the struggling travel industry system as well as giving you a holiday to look forward to at some point in the future. But if you are waiting for a refund, please be patient with members of staff as they are under an enormous amount of pressure at the moment and this may take a while to process. You can also contact your travel insurance provider, but whether you are covered will depend on your policy details. Disruption cover is the key thing to look out for here, but not all policies feature it.

If you have a flight booked that was due to leave from Bristol Airport, and are wondering about the current situation, you should contact your airline in the first instance. As of Tuesday, Bristol Live has a list of airline responses but as this is an ongoing situation, information is changing on a frequent basis. Both Easyjet and Ryanair have said the grounding of their entire fleet is a possibility, but they cannot say for sure at present.

 

bristol airport runway

 

 

What New Procedures Have They Brought In?

If you are due to arrive or depart from Bristol Airport, then you might be concerned about what extra measures are being taken to protect travellers and staff. The latest information on the Bristol Airport site states that in accordance with government advice, those arriving at Bristol Airport from overseas are not currently undergoing additional screenings or checks. They have put in place more cleaning and hygiene procedures and these include advanced monitoring of flights from affected locations, increased provision of hand sanitizers throughout the terminal, extra protection equipment and training for first aid responders and extra signage for airport users with required information. They have also enhanced their cleaning procedures with more frequent services and checks.

 

What If I Have a Flight Booked Later in the Year?

In this case, it is best to regularly check in with the current Foreign and Commonwealth Office advice. At present, if you have travel booked that is due to take place after the 30 day period currently advised, then you will not be able to make a claim if you decide to cancel now, This is because it will be considered your own decision and cancellation terms and conditions do not cover for this. This will usually apply with any travel insurance claims too. The best thing to do is keep your bookings and reservations for now, and then contact your travel provider if government advice changes and this affects your plans.

 

What If I Need to Cancel a Bristol Airport Parking Booking?

If you have a flight that is due to leave from Bristol Airport, then you may have also made an airport parking reservation too. If this is the case, after postponing or cancelling your travel, your next step should be to contact your parking provider to find out where you stand with refunds. There is usually a cancellation notification period in place, and as long as you notify them before them, it should be straightforward to claim your money back.

If you have booked a parking space with one of Bristol Airport’s own car parks, you can cancel any airport parking bookings up to 48 hours before your scheduled departure time. If you cancel within the 48 hour period, you will be subject to a £5 cancellation charge. If you need to cancel a booking, please head to the Manage My Booking section of their site in the first instance. If you are currently abroad and plan on returning early from your holiday (and therefore cutting your airport parking booking short) then don’t worry. If your car is parked in Bristol Airport’s Silver Zone car park, you can email them with your reference number, and they will meet you with your car when you come off your earlier flight.
If you have booked a pass for Bristol Airport’s executive lounge, the same cancellation terms apply as with their airport parking. So, you will only be subject to a £5 cancellation charge if you are cancelling with less than 48 hours’ notice.

As with any types of travel that you have booked in the near future, please check in regularly with news updates and government advice using the links above. You can also find further information on the BBC news site, health updates on the NHS site, and local updates relating to Bristol Airport on their site (we have included the link above).

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