easyJet has today confirmed it has added more seats on flights from Portugal to the UK between Saturday 5th and Monday 7 June, to help flights and holidays customers return to the UK ahead of the sudden move from the UK government to add Portugal to the Amber list.

Over 1000 additional seats have been added on routes from Faro to London Gatwick, London Luton, Bristol and Manchester. Customers can easily transfer to these flights themselves via Manage Bookings at easyJet.com or via the easyJet mobile app. Customers on easyJet holidays packages have been contacted directly and supported if they want to make any changes to their holiday arrangements.

To support any customers who require new tests to be able to return to the UK in line with current UK government requirements, the airline and holiday operator is working with its testing partners to assist customers in Portugal who need to make new testing arrangements. Approved testing partner Collinson will be contacting all customers who have a single arrivals PCR test booked or who booked a pre departure test, to advise them to book a second post arrivals test.  To help make this more affordable for customers, for an additional test there will be a 20% discount available for easyJet and easyJet holidays customers, who can use code PORTUGAL20 when booking.  Customers will be contacted directly from today to help make it as easy as possible to return if they need to, despite the sudden change in restrictions.

Any customers who require help with testing can contact Collinson at  https://www.collinsongroup.com/en/covid-19-testing

The airline is already offering some of the most flexible policies which means that all easyJet customers are able to change their flights this summer without a change fee, at any time up to two hours before departure. Unlike other airlines, there are no restrictions on dates or destination; customers can transfer to any flights currently on sale up to the end of September 2022, and to any other destination on the airline’s network which spans 35 countries across Europe, North Africa and the Middle East.

This means than customers due to travel to Portugal can easily change their trip to another date or destination on easyJet’s network.

For package holiday bookings, under its Protection Promise easyJet holidays customers can pay their balance just 28 days before travel. If things change, or customers simply change their mind about their holiday, they can cancel up to 28 days before departure and receive a full refund with the deposit back as easyJet holidays credit to put towards a future holiday when the time is right. easyJet holidays recently enhanced its Covid commitments in line with the traffic light system for any customers due to travel this summer up to 30 September 2021. It means should a holiday destination feature on the ‘amber’ list, customers can make fee free changes within 28 days all the way up to 24 hours before travel. Or should a destination be on the ‘red’ list, holidays here won’t go ahead, and as the planned departure date gets closer, customers can make fee free changes within 28 days or easyJet holidays will cancel the holiday no later than seven days before travel with customers given a full refund.

In response to yesterday’s news, easyJet holidays has contacted all customers in Portugal, to assist them to find alternative flights if they want to return home sooner than planned and advising on testing options. The operator has also contacted all customers with imminent departures, to provide them with their options. Customers who no longer wish to travel have the option to make fee free changes to their holiday date or receive easyJet holidays credit, to use towards a holiday in the future when the time is right.

 

Johan Lundgren, easyJet CEO commented:

 

“We know first-hand from our customers what a blow this sudden decision to put Portugal on the Amber list is. With many British tourists currently in Portugal our priority is to help the customers who need to return ahead of the Tuesday deadline. We are providing over a thousand additional seats from Portugal to the UK by flying larger aircraft on flights and adding some additional flights where there is demand. 

 

“And, for customers who need support with testing requirements, we’re working with approved testing partner Collinson to provide support to customers in Portugal who need to arrange new tests.

 

“We already offer some of the most flexible polices for customers through our Protection Promise, which means that any customers booked to travel to Portugal this summer who want to change their plans can transfer to another date or destination, fee free.”

 

The safety and wellbeing of all customers and crew remains easyJet’s highest priority and the airline continues to have a number of biological safety measures in place onboard in line with guidance from the relevant authorities. This includes daily enhanced cabin disinfection effective in protecting against coronavirus for at least 24 hours and mandatory mask wearing for customers and crew. All easyJet aircraft are already fitted with HEPA filters, similar to those used in hospitals, which filter 99.97% of airborne contaminants in the cabin, including viruses and bacteria.

 

ENDS