Despite the warnings people traveled to XYZ and are now stuck. Who is responsible?

[Doc]

I find the situation on Roatan more than puzzling.

The Canadians were flown back out by dead-head (flown down empty) by the same discount charter “bus route” airlines they had arrived on. Seems that most got out.

People who came in via a US carrier, not so much. I do not have exact numbers, but if I recall correctly, I’m thinking there have been only two such repatriation flights. A lot of (mostly US citizens) relaxing in paradise. Involuntarily.

US Carriers delayed the return portion long enough to be blocked by the Honduran Govt prohibition against any arriving air flight, at Sunday 23:59 hrs. This proclamation was poorly worded as it could (and conveniently was) misconstrued to prohibit “dead headed” empty busses sent down for pick up only.

That US Carriers further ignored the 24hr grace/amnesty period is inexplicable. That gave them until 18:00 Monday to do a pickup.

That previous post link...in regards to US Military extractions have so far (again, I am being told), was only from the mainland (not Roatan) for the US Women’s Soccer Team which does enjoy some odd, exclusive and largely unknown Government arrangements in regards to health and safety. Personal experience speaking on that topic.

The OP link referenced a fellow named Bahr stuck in Utila. Poor fellow has no idea how the real world works, still believing he’s in Kansas. Your beef and salvation is with the Airlines. If the US Military is some day going to work down the list of priorities to resolving vacationers stuck in the Bay Islands, anyone sitting in Utila is likely going to have to go all Bear Grylls and swim to Roatan’s airport. Utila’s airport is not really suitable.

If the above is offensive to some readers, know that I was doing an extended series of exploratory dives in Grenada, round about October 1983. (That’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it) Hilarity ensued. Clint Eastwood did not come and Uber me home.

Every step you take away from home puts you a step further away.
.
Fortune rewards the brave.

The above is strictly my SWAG (semi-informed wild assed guess)

 

[outofofficebrb]

As mentioned, a lot changes by the day or even hour. I think if there’s an active travel warning when you leave, that changes things. Don’t for a second think these chartered flight rescues are free. They usually aren’t. Even the evacuations from Wuhan when this started to hit the fan wasn’t. Paid seats.

I think a motivating factor for people to travel despite warnings has been mentioned in articles relating to travel insurance. People are going to fall between the cracks because they have none or they feel or know if they cancel or postpone, there will be losses or no coverage given this unprecedented event. They will lose money by not going so they go and are motivated by that. It creates more of a nightmare when trying to contain spread of COVID. I wonder if there will be a change with insurance after this, maybe from a state level.

to be honest, I never imagined this to get as big as it has. Even in a matter of days in the last 1-2 weeks.

 

[KatieMac]

I find the situation on Roatan more than puzzling.

The Canadians were flown back out by dead-head (flown down empty) by the same discount charter “bus route” airlines they had arrived on. Seems that most got out.

People who came in via a US carrier, not so much. I do not have exact numbers, but if I recall correctly, I’m thinking there have been only two such repatriation flights. A lot of (mostly US citizens) relaxing in paradise. Involuntarily.

US Carriers delayed the return portion long enough to be blocked by the Honduran Govt prohibition against any arriving air flight, at Sunday 23:59 hrs. This proclamation was poorly worded as it could (and conveniently was) misconstrued to prohibit “dead headed” empty busses sent down for pick up only.

That US Carriers further ignored the 24hr grace/amnesty period is inexplicable. That gave them until 18:00 Monday to do a pickup.

That previous post link...in regards to US Military extractions have so far (again, I am being told), was only from the mainland (not Roatan) for the US Women’s Soccer Team which does enjoy some odd, exclusive and largely unknown Government arrangements in regards to health and safety. Personal experience speaking on that topic.

The OP link referenced a fellow named Bahr stuck in Utila. Poor fellow has no idea how the real world works, still believing he’s in Kansas. Your beef and salvation is with the Airlines. If the US Military is some day going to work down the list of priorities to resolving vacationers stuck in the Bay Islands, anyone sitting in Utila is likely going to have to go all Bear Grylls and swim to Roatan’s airport. Utila’s airport is not really suitable.

If the above is offensive to some readers, know that I was doing an extended series of exploratory dives in Grenada, round about October 1983. (That’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it) Hilarity ensued. Clint Eastwood did not come and Uber me home.

Every step you take away from home puts you a step further away.
.
Fortune rewards the brave.

The above is strictly my SWAG (semi-informed wild assed guess)

View attachment 575307

To be clear about many of the Canadians in Roatan, most of us we were there before all hell broke loose. One couple we traveled back with left Canada in January.

 

[mi000ke]

We came down to Caymans in early January, expecting to return home end of April. Caymans decided to ban all flights in and out for at least three weeks with a few days notice. We decided to stay, figuring it's much safer here (only 2 active cases both under quarantine), and we're still diving (with everyone keeping appropriate social distance, except underwater, of course), and it's a lot warmer here than at home. There are worse places to be stranded..

 

[BoundForElsewhere]

We came down to Caymans in early January, expecting to return home end of April. Caymans decided to ban all flights in and out for at least three weeks with a few days notice. We decided to stay, figuring it's much safer here (only 2 active cases both under quarantine), and we're still diving (with everyone keeping appropriate social distance, except underwater, of course), and it's a lot warmer here than at home. There are worse places to be stranded..

And that, folks, is how it's done.

 

[Scraps]

I do have sympathy for those stranded, even those who traveled in early March.

When someone has paid deposits and bought nonrefundable plane tickets, it's difficult to detach emotionally from the money that has been committed and properly categorize it as a sunk cost so long as no authority has actually forbidden the trip. On the other hand, it's very easy to hope for the best and put additional money at risk by carrying on with one's travel plans.

When one does take a known risk, and it doesn't work out, one should expect that the various people who can effect relief (our government, the government at the vacation site, the hotelier, the commercial or charter airline), will not get around to solving one's particular plight until their management of the crisis buys them enough breathing room to address individual problems. It could be a while, and the wait could be very expensive. And it's probably harder to adjust expectations while stranded than it would have been to write off the sunk costs up front. So sympathy is in order.

Perspective offers the consolation that the extra travel costs will pale before the losses absorbed by our retirement accounts.

Best wishes to all who are struggling to return home.

 

[Centrals]

HK had relatively few cases, about 120, less than 2 wks ago. But now it stands over 300!!!
A lot of these new cases are from HK tourists who went overseas and students who came back from Europe and N. America.
Some of the infected were actually picked up at the airport!

 

[Plungee]

I have sympathy for them. I was supposed to go to Roatan on 3/14 (feels like months ago) and we didn’t feel like a concrete no go until morning of 3/12. Things didn’t seem to go to overdrive until then.

 

[Doc]

To be clear about many of the Canadians in Roatan, most of us we were there before all hell broke loose. One couple we traveled back with left Canada in January.

umm, EVERYBODY (not “many” or “most”) got there “before all hell broke loose”. It surely was not the fault of any travelers who arrived even five minutes before the entry ban was proclaimed.

No one involved here is guilty of anything other than the US air carriers. They’re the ones who haven’t arranged appropriate return flights for their stranded and ticketed passengers.

I am told this failure is about to be resolved. Hearing that one of two U.S.A. Carriers is being less than cooperative. I have no personal knowledge, so I’ll skip naming the company I heard referenced negatively. Time will tell.

The few people stuck at Coco View have been staying for free, and after the limitation on boat diving kicked in, they’ve been shore diving 3 and 4 times a day.

Not a bad place to go all Gilligans Island.

 

[Joneill]

umm, EVERYBODY (not “many” or “most”) got there “before all hell broke loose”. It surely was not the fault of any travelers who arrived even five minutes before the entry ban was proclaimed

I disagree - there was enough news by March 9 to know traveling internationally was risky - some folks just seem to have poor judgement.

I do feel bad for those stuck and hope they get evacuated (and are then held in strict quarantine for 2-3 weeks before being “let loose”) - hopefully, this is a learning opportunity for any future situations like this.