A positive test, a US trip cancelled: Omicron throws travel plans up in the air

It was supposed to be different this year.

However, with the rapid spread of the Omicron variant of Covid-19, the ghost of Christmas past has returned and upended the travel plans of many people who had hoped to come and go in what was once the season to be jolly.

The Dublin Airport Authority (DAA), which manages Dublin Airport, has been looking forward to a comparatively happy Christmas this year with the numbers set to travel to and from Ireland up dramatically on last year's figure – although down more than 40 per cent on the last Christmas before the pandemic hit.

Even with Omicron sweeping across the world, the DAA expects about 850,000 travellers set to fly in and out of the airport between now and January 4th, with some 45,000 people likely to use the airport each day. Sunday and next Thursday are likely to be the busiest days of the season.

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But the passengers who have been hoping to travel home or abroad to see friends and family after a gap, in many instances, of more than two years are being forced to ask hard questions of themselves and to deal with a raft of paperwork and red tape that was not supposed to be part of the picture any more.

Portugal said we all needed an antigen test to get in at a cost of €180 roughly. Then Ireland joined in for the return at a cost of €180 roughly

Like many people, Frank Scally and his family haven't been out of the country since the summer of 2019 so as a treat for his four children he booked a family trip to Germany to visit the Christmas markets. The booking was made in October.

Then the German authorities changed their rules due to rising numbers of Covid-19 there. “That meant our two kids under 12 would have to quarantine for five days,” he says. “We were only going for three.”

Not so restrictive

The good news was that Ryanair allowed a no-fee flight change so he changed the direction of his trip and booked a short break in Lisbon where the rules were not so restrictive. "Then Portugal said we all needed an antigen test to get in at a cost of €180 roughly. Then Ireland joined in for the return at a cost of €180 roughly."

At least, he notes, both countries exempted the under-12s so the cost of the antigen testing fell to about €220.

Should I stay or should I go now, was what he had to decide. If he chose not to go he would lose the flights. which cost €390; while if he did go, he would spend around €400 on accommodation and a further €220 on antigen tests. He would get a break away but would spend that break worrying that someone in his family might fail the test and they could be stuck in Portugal for Christmas.

In the end, Scally made the choice to stay at home.

At least he had a choice to make.

Pat O’Connor was due to fly to the US from Ireland two days ago, returning home next Tuesday. Last Wednesday, he did a PCR test and it came up positive.

“My plans are completely gone. I had been flying to San Francisco to see a once-off event that I booked during the summer, and spent a large amount of money on. Now I have to see if I can claim something back on my travel insurance,” he says.

Ireland is fabulous place but the pandemic disrupted many of our plans for family and friends to visit this great country

He is stoic about the derailment of his plans and is somewhat grateful – if that is not the completely wrong word – that he learned he had Covid while still in Ireland. “If I got stranded over there, it would be a horrible Christmas,” he says.

Judy La Belle and her family moved to Ireland in late February 2020, days before the pandemic was declared.

"It was 18 months before we could get back to our home in Canada for a visit," she says. "Ireland is fabulous place but the pandemic disrupted many of our plans for family and friends to visit this great country. In addition, Covid has stopped us from seeing family at home.

‘So many hurdles’

“This year we were going to go back before Christmas but decided not to because there are so many hurdles, plus the high presence of disease. My brother and his family were coming on St Stephen’s Day for a week but the restrictions and Omicron have paused everything. We are heartbroken again. But it is the right thing to do.”

Arran Sadlier is based in Melbourne and was planning on “a longed-for” visit to family and friends in Ireland this Christmas.

The plans fell apart once Omicron took hold. "Border control restrictions here in Australia have been strict and one of the main tools used throughout Covid, only opening up international flights to Australian citizens in November this year. With so many people – citizens or any kind of visa holder – getting locked out of the country during Covid, there is too much worry that I wouldn't be able to get back in, or even have a timeframe to work with. It's a lot of different emotions to deal with."

Fiona Dowling had to deal with a combination of immense stress and advanced science when flying home to Ireland from Chicago's O'Hare Airport last week.

She notes that everyone is familiar with the concept of a PCR test. "However, myself and a party of friends had a bad experience on December 5th when we tried to check in in Chicago O'Hare Airport as our PCR test was refused by the Aer Lingus staff as it was not an RT-PCR test. We were not alone, as around 30 people were also refused check-in and hence mayhem ensued as we all had to go and get tested for a rapid antigen. I never knew there were two types of PCR tests."