Jennifer Klementti’s family members take a trip every year to Faro, Portugal.
This year, in light of COVID-19, their plans to return from their trip are up in the air due to travel restrictions that are changing day by day, leaving the Barrie resident scrambling to try to find a solution to get her stranded family members home.
“This situation changes hourly. My mom and family are doing well. They’re staying inside. They say Portugal is handling the situation very well,” said Klementti. “They’ve been laying low and are just waiting.”
Klementti’s mother Judy Klementti, her stepfather Don Richardson, and her stepsisters Patty Richardson-Page, of Orillia and Donna Richardson, of Toronto take the same trip to a Faro, Portugal resort annually.
Their flight is scheduled to return on March 25. Only one flight per week flies out of Faro, through Air Transat only, and the one for the March 18 was full and couldn’t accommodate her family to get home early.
Klementti says her mother has told her there are about 325 Canadians stuck at the resort, trying to find a way home.
“The issue is, there are no earlier flights,” said Klementti.
Correspondence between Air Transat and Klementti shows that Air Transat currently has no plans to send an earlier flight, however they are adding rescue flights as travel is further restricted, which are regularly updated on their website.
On Wednesday, Transat A.T. Inc. announced the gradual suspension of Air Transat flights until April 30.
According to their media release, repatriation flights would still be operated during the next two weeks, in order to bring Transat customers back to their home country. Sales for departures until April 30 are suspended immediately from and to most destinations in Europe and the United States. Sales are also halted immediately from and to the Caribbean and Mexico.
The release also states that a date for a full halt to operations will be announced soon.
"This is an unprecedented situation, beyond our control, which is forcing us to briefly suspend all of our flights to contribute to the effort to fight the pandemic, protect our customers and employees and safeguard the company," said Transat President and Chief Executive Officer Jean-Marc Eustache. "We are doing everything we can so that this has as little impact as possible on our employees and customers, whom we make sure to bring back home."
Klementti contacted MP Doug Shipley’s office this week to find out how local residents who are travelling can get help to get home. She says she was advised by his office to contact Canadians Abroad in Need of Emergency Assistance at 613-996-8885 or by email at [email protected].
