LATEST: The travel company TUI is canceling all departures to Rhodes until Tuesday. Apollo and Ving are canceling trips for those going to the affected hotels. The forest fires on Rhodes are raging wildly for the seventh day in a row. Local authorities say they have no control. The situation affects several hundred Norwegians who are either on, or about to go on holiday. Do you have questions about cancellation, refunds and replacements? Senior legal advisor Thomas Iversen at the Consumer Council explains your rights here. Medical need – It is the travel company that has to deal with the situation as it is now, says Iversen at the Consumer Council and emphasizes: – It means life and health first and foremost. That is the most important thing, to avoid the loss of human life. Legal advisor Thomas Iversen at the Consumer Council explains the rights of travelers affected by the forest fires on Rhodes. Photo: Halvor Pritzlaff Njerve / Consumer Council The fires on Rhodes have been raging for almost a week. The air is constantly filled with smoke and ash. It will particularly affect travelers with lung diseases, who may have difficulty breathing. – They should contact the package company and travel insurance for assistance. And if you need help getting the necessary medicine, find out where you can buy it. – If you need help getting to and from a pharmacy or a shop, the package travel company should be able to assist with that. Take action before it becomes a crisis! Evacuated tourists – Are you entitled to a free return trip, or do you have to stay where they have been accommodated during the evacuation? – They may be entitled to a free journey home if there is a need for it. This should be arranged by the package travel operator, replies Iversen. – What rights do those who are accommodated in schools, hotel floors and the like have? – Here it is important to distinguish between what the purpose of accommodation is. If the purpose is to continue the holiday, the floor of a school is not inside. If the purpose is to evacuate, to ensure life and health, a floor is a sufficient intermediate solution. – In any case, there will soon be talk of a price reduction if you are evacuated to or via a small medical facility. Hotels on Rhodes are filled with evacuated tourists. Photo: Privat You may also be entitled to a discount when your holiday is cut short – as it is when you are evacuated. And if you have lost or damaged property in the fire, you have a claim to have it replaced. But: – I recommend concentrating on the practical problems caused by evacuation first. You can ask for compensation and price reductions when you get back home. Non-evacuated tourists – If you are not directly affected or evacuated, which is a matter for the authorities, you must first of all try to continue your holiday as planned, he says. Legal adviser Thomas Iversen at the Consumer Council Photo: The Consumer Council If you have additional packages that have been paid for, it is natural that it will be refunded if it cannot be carried out. – I understand that it can be an aftertaste to the holiday. But weather and wind can affect any holiday. The fact that you can’t go sightseeing all over Rhodes is something you just have to accept. Have booked a trip to Rhodes – Are those who have booked a trip now entitled to have their trip canceled and refunded? – Now it is like that if there are extraordinary circumstances, according to the Package Travel Act, you can have the right to cancellation and refund, he replies and adds: – But, it can be a little difficult to say directly who can cancel validly or not. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOF) is asking Norwegians in southern Europe to follow the advice of local authorities, including in Rhodes. But the Foreign Ministry does not advise Norwegians to travel to Greece. – Can you cancel and claim a refund if you are going to a place that is not directly affected in an area characterized by extraordinary circumstances? – It will be a much more difficult path to take legally, if the authorities have not evacuated the areas, Iversen replies. Those who are now skeptical and unsure about going on a trip should contact the company they have booked through as soon as possible. The waiting time is often long.
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