Edelweiss passenger Sophie A. stranded in Jamaica

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Blick reader Sophie A.* (22) and her boyfriend go on a dream vacation to the Caribbean, but the return trip turns into a nightmare. The two are rebooked several times, stranded and eventually arriving home almost a week late.

“It’s just boring,” says Sophie A. “We had to unintentionally extend the holidays and haven’t been able to relax since Tuesday.”

No permission on the plane

The duo initially wanted to fly back on Tuesday last week. However, the Edelweiss flight from Montego Bay to Zurich was cancelled. The plane was to depart from Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic and fly to Zurich via Jamaica. However, the stopover in Jamaica was canceled as the plane was delayed from Punta Cana due to maintenance issues. 70 passengers stranded in Montego Bay.

Sophie A. booked a flight to Edelweiss with Swiss, contacted Swiss customer service and immediately received an alternative: a flight to Zurich the next day with American Airlines via Philadelphia (USA).

According to her statement, Sophie A. received information from customer service that she did not need a visa for the flight. When she wants to board the plane, she gets a nasty surprise: Sophie A. and her husband are not allowed on the plane because they don’t have a permit! “You can’t get a visa so soon,” complains Sophie A.

In fact, Switzerland does not need a visa for tourist entry or transit to the USA. But what they need is an electronic entry permit (ESTA). Proof of vaccination is also required. Sophie and her boyfriend are vaccinated against Covid-19, but they know nothing about ESTA.

more attempts

This was followed by a reservation change on a Virgin Atlantic flight via London (England) on Wednesday evening. “But we haven’t received any emails about it,” says Sophie A. Later, the duo misses this flight as well.

Sophie A. and her husband will then rebook an Air Canada flight via Toronto, scheduled to depart Thursday. Sophie A. received a confirmation email from Blick. However, we were told that there was no reservation at the Air Canada check-in counter. Nobody knows why.

Because: After the first rebooking, Sophie A. no longer has Swiss tickets, but American Airlines tickets. Swiss is no longer responsible for the case.

Sophie A. and her partner get lost in the airline jungle. Phone calls to Swiss and Edelweiss who repeatedly referred them. Sophie A. calls until her credit runs out. “For us, it’s not customer service. If we didn’t have a family in Switzerland, we wouldn’t have a plan today,” says Sophie A.

Her mother also makes a lot of calls and eventually goes to Zurich Airport to settle the matter. Successfully: On Sunday, the young couple finally gets a flight back to Switzerland with American Airlines. Both now have the required ESTA.

Who pays?

Swiss writes on request that he regrets the case. “Unfortunately, due to the various customer services involved, it cannot be determined to what extent there is a misunderstanding in the information regarding the documents required for the transfer in the USA,” the airline said in a statement.

The question remains as to who pays the additional costs. Two travelers to Jamaica had to pay 800 francs per night just for the hotel. Sophie A. would also like to reimburse the phone costs incurred.

Is Switzerland getting into it? This now needs to be clarified in detail, it says there. Sophie A. still has several phone calls ahead of her with customer service.

*Name changed

Source :Blick