‘We feel very abandoned right now’ - Scottish couple and young family among thousands stranded in Poland amid COVID-19 pandemic

A Scottish couple and a young family are among thousands of passengers “abandoned” in Poland as the country closes its borders over coronavirus fears.

Elaine and Bradley Milburn have been left stranded in a holiday apartment in Gdansk with their one-year-old baby, Benjamin, since Saturday after their Ryanair flight back home to Edinburgh was cancelled.

The couple flew to Poland to mark their son’s first birthday and are currently stuck abroad with thousands of other Brits as airlines begin grounding flights amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Elaine, 24, said Ryanair and the British Embassy’s handling of the situation has made the experience “utterly horrendous” and the couple feel “kept in the dark” on how they are going to get back to the UK.

The Milburn family and Martyn and Siobhan are among thousands of British citizens stranded in Poland over coronavirus travel chaos

“It’s honestly been an emotional rollercoaster since being stuck out here, we feel like we’ve been abandoned,” she said.

“We don’t know what to do yet, and it’s worrying with a one-year-old.

“We have been completely kept in the dark as to what is happening because we have had no communication at all from the airline.

“The only thing we have heard from the embassy is to get to Warsaw and there will be more flights. But it’s a five hour journey to get there alone and we haven’t been given any information on what happens when we do get there.

“They seemed rushed and eager to get us on the phone.”

Panic buy while stranded

Elaine said the couple have had to panic buy nappies for Benjamin as they remain stranded in the holiday apartment.

“There aren’t many shops open here,” she added.

“The only nappies available don’t fit Benjamin that well, and we only have about a quarter of a box of milk formula left, so the clock is ticking. It’s honestly just horrendous.”

The young parents said they felt disappointed the airline failed to tell them about Polish authorities closing shops and cancelling events.

“I just wish we were told that lots of places were shut and events weren’t going ahead in Gdansk before we left,” she continued.

“Then we just wouldn’t have come all this way.

“I would have thought the airport or airline would have double checked if we still wanted to go given the country’s current “lockdown” situation.”

‘We feel very abandoned right now’

Glasgow couple Martyn Miller, 26, and his 23-year-old girlfriend Siobhan Divers are also among the thousands stranded in Poland.

Both were due to fly back to Edinburgh tomorrow with Ryanair but have been told by Gdansk airport that all outbound flights have been cancelled.

“We feel very abandoned right now, with so much uncertainty around everything,” Martyn said.

“Ryanair said our flight is still going ahead tomorrow, and we have checked in. But when we called Gdansk airport we were told there are no flights running at all. So it’s all incredibly confusing.”

He said many passengers have been trying to call Ryanair customer service but the number just keeps ringing out or says it is invalid.

“I think even if the airline can’t get flights to us then a lot of people would just respect some contact,” he said.

“It would at least remove this uncertainty. It’s holding people back from making other plans to get home.”

Flight prices soar

Martyn said passengers elsewhere in Poland have been advised to travel to Warsaw to take Polish airline LOT flights back to the UK.

But according to him and Elaine, prices have been racked up amid the pandemic.

He said: “The single flight home with LOT will cost more than £300 per adult which is a bit ridiculous given it’s the only way out of the country it seems.

“I feel bad for people who can’t get that sort of money together. What are people supposed to do.”

“British in Poland”

Former Haddington resident Sebastian Page, now living in Poland, has set up a community group to help UK citizens return home called “British in Poland”.

He said the group has been set up in response to the “lack of action” taken by the British Embassy in Warsaw.

Sebastian said: “Other embassies have been far more helpful to their citizens than the British one.

“It should not be left to social media for people to find their way home.

“The British embassy in Warsaw I believe is the largest in Central Europe, so I don’t think they can say that they are under-resourced.”

He said based on last years tourist numbers in Poland, he believes between 1000 to 3000 British people are currently struggling to find flights back to the UK.

He is part of a whatsapp group of about 80 people who are currently stranded in Poland and advising each other on alternate routes back to the UK.

Polish Government announcement

At about noon today Poland officials announced that they are temporarily introducing border control for a period of ten days due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Polish nationals returning home must undergo a 14-day home quarantine and restrictions on shopping centres will be imposed, according to the country’s government website.

A spokesman reassured all Polish citizens who are abroad can return home, but they will be subject to a medical examination.

British Embassy comment

The British Embassy in Warsaw has been contacted for comment.

On its Facebook page it announced: “We understand that LOT Polish Airlines is hoping to operate up to six daily flights from Warsaw Chopin Airport to London Heathrow Airport this week. Keep checking at lot.com.”

In response to a message on Facebook from a concerned passenger today a British Embassy spokesman said: “At the moment there are no more Ryanair flights.

“One easyJet flight will be leaving today, and LOT Polish Airlines are operating flights from Warsaw.”

Ryanair comment

Ryanair Group has been contacted for comment.

In a statement when asked about the company potentially grounding all flights over coronavirus fears, Ryainair’s chief executive officer Michael O’Leary said: “At the Ryanair Group Airlines, we are doing everything we can to meet the challenge posed by the Covid-19 outbreak, which has over the last week caused extraordinary and unprecedented travel restrictions to be imposed by National Governments, in many cases with minimal or zero notice.

“We are communicating with all affected passengers by email and SMS, and we are organising rescue flights to repatriate customers, even in those countries where travel bans have been imposed. Our priority remains the health and welfare of our people and our passengers, and we are doing everything we can to ensure that they can be reunited with their friends and families during these difficult times.

“Ryanair is taking all actions necessary to cut operating expenses, and improve cash flows at each of our airlines.

“Ryanair is a resilient airline group, with a very strong balance sheet, and substantial cash liquidity, and we can, and will, with appropriate and timely action, survive through a prolonged period of reduced or even zero flight schedules, so that we are adequately prepared for the return to normality, which will come about sooner rather than later as EU Governments take unprecedented action to restrict the spread of Covid-19”.