Greek test and trace form confusion costs Britons their holidays

‘I’m a lawyer and I’m used to form-filling and small print. But with these, it’s so difficult to understand’

BRITISH families are having their holiday plans spoiled due to confusion over the Greek government’s new online passenger locator form, introduced to aid the country’s test-and-trace efforts.

Those wishing to travel to Greece must fill out the form at least 24 hours before departure, giving details about where they will stay. A QR code, which can be scanned by Greek authorities upon arrival, is then sent via email.

However, dozens of travellers have been caught out, with many forced to fork out for new flights, while others have reported a lack of guidance from airlines and contradictory advice.

Londoner Rachel O’connor was due to fly to Rhodes from Luton on Sunday afternoon with her husband and baby, and completed the form a few days in advance.

However, on Sunday morning she realised she had mistakenly said they would be arriving in Greece the following day.

“It isn’t possible to edit the original form, and we tried to speak to the Greek authorities but the phone number is not available at the weekend,” she said. “Therefore, as the form needs to be completed at least 24 hours in advance, we were forced to postpone our trip and rebook for Tuesday.”

Mrs O’connor spent £300 to change her flights, ferry tickets and hire car, but still wasn’t certain she would be able to travel. She claimed her airline, easyjet, had not made the Greek policy clear and that she only became aware of it after checking the FCO website.

She also said there was conflicting information online. “Some websites suggest you should fill out one form per passenger, others one form per family.

“One airport employee told me the QR code isn’t necessary so long as you have the email confirmation – but other reports suggest that this is not the case. I’d be amazed if many more people aren’t caught out – and the very fact that the QR code doesn’t arrive until a few hours before the flight causes unnecessary stress.”

Easyjet said it was offering customers “clear guidance” ahead of their flights and were notifying customers via email, SMS and via their Flight Tracker.

However, a British family encountered a similar problem last week at Gatwick.

Michelle Last and her children were denied seats on their flight to Greece because the QR code did not cover all three of them.

“It was such a shock,” said Ms Last. “I’m a lawyer and I’m used to form-filling and small print. But with these, it’s so difficult to understand. The website is unclear. Another couple who were refused boarding hadn’t even heard about the forms.”

The Greek government website states travellers boarding or embarking on the previous day of the arrival will be allowed to do so upon showing the confirmation email, since they will receive their QR code during their flight or voyage.

The confusion comes amid rising coronavirus cases in the country.

Gkikas Magiorkinis, of Athens university, said: “We can say that Greece has formally entered a second wave of the epidemic. This is the point that we could win or lose the battle”.