Portimao 29-31 May 2021. RTTL Extravaganza

[Dodgy69]

Let me know when to put the new rubber on.

[weeksy]

Let me know when to put the new rubber on.

2022

[weeksy]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-56682226

It seems from this, the Gov won't now make their decision until next month lol.

Today's report is not the grand reopening many in the travel industry wanted.

There is real worry, particularly among lower cost carriers, that around £100 per person for a test will dissuade travellers from booking, with many paying more for it than for their flights.

But there are suggestions that the government has tried to address some of the concerns too.

The introduction of a green watch list, to flag any countries potentially about to move from green to amber, is an attempt to avoid some of last year's confusion, as people rushed back to the UK before countries required quarantine.

Nothing is guaranteed yet, but the government now says it will confirm whether or not international travel will restart on 17 May early next month.

How early is the next question.

Without being the prophet of doom surely that makes it impossible now ? NL can't wait until May before deciding if we're going away in May ?

[Dodgy69]

I'm no Amber gambler and I think the £100/£120 test fees are a bit of a piss take, if that's what they come up with.

[weeksy]

I'm no Amber gambler and I think the £100/£120 test fees are a bit of a piss take, if that's what they come up with.

The fees, maybe we could accept that... but if it's Amber it's 10 days isolation on return, which is an instant No No for us.

[Flux]

Same here, i wonder how accommodating the td companies will be regarding this as they have the potential to say it's your choice not to go due to quarantine?

[weeksy]

I guess in the next week or two we'll find out the answer to that.

Once upon a time the decision the TDO make would have potentially cost them many thousands between me and mates, now it would likely only be several thousands. But i can safely say if NL make this difficult for us then 14 of us won't be using them again.

I'm optimistic they'll come good here... but i'm not 100%

The thing is, realistically we simply cannot go now personally. They're saying that people need to accept the green/yellow/red thing is fluid and can change.... well sure, i get that, but if we pay NL the remainder of our payment now and Portugal goes Yellow and needs 10 days on return, they we can't fly out there... So even if Portugal is green when they finally announce a list, that only means it's green that day/week, not in another 2 weeks, 4 weeks.

I've not pressed a button or sent a mail etc, but i simply don't see any realistic way we can go now, even if NL say it's all good.

[Dodgy69]

Also, there's the extra expense of testing which we didn't sign up to. The risk of a 10 day quarantine is also very real, as things can change anytime, so I think the event will have to be cancelled to keep it within the events pricing.

I'll take a credit for a later date though.

[weeksy]

THe testing i'd have swallowed the cost of... we'd already decided that anything around £500-600 we'd take as a family. But the boy is already missing 3 days of school as we fly out early, then adding an extra 5 days on our retrun means he's missing a total of 9-10 days schooling in a time/year when it's already been a toughie. Of course it could all work out fine and be perfectly OK, but we just can't take that sort of a chance here.

Credit towards 2022 would be absolutely brilliant. I'd happily do the Parcmotor one with Tricky in Oct if we were all in, but that didn't go down well when i suggested it, so i'm seeing 2022 as being the likely one

[Bigyin]

Same here, i wonder how accommodating the td companies will be regarding this as they have the potential to say it's your choice not to go due to quarantine?

The 10 day quarantine is a deal breaker for most through loss of earnings and effectively double the cost of the event for some of us, if not all. By refusing to accommodate or help in any way with deposits then i certainly wont book anything with them again as will a few others who have said that publicly. At the time of booking there was no quarantines, pre flight testing, post arrival testing etc etc

Bear in mind many of this group will book 6 or 7 trackdays a year thats a lot of business for them to lose to their competitors and with the joys of the internet opinions spread quickly about companies. My contact with NL has already suggested keeping our deposits for next year as a possible encouragement for them to accept defeat and postpone/cancel but that decision has been passed from the booking staff to the boss and hopefully knowing there is a group of 14 who wont be paying in full might nudge them a bit

We have now sent emails at the start of this week and a few minutes ago with the same response that says "wait and see next week" which is getting ridiculous

[fil2]

its not 10 days isolation..you can test after 5 and if negative good to go....so it might be 10 lol !!..I cannot see NL cancelling as flights will be on ! so those waiting for a credit note will be sadly left in the cold ! all I really want is NL to communicate and tell us !!!

[weeksy]

its not 10 days isolation..you can test after 5 and if negative good to go....so it might be 10 lol !!..I cannot see NL cancelling as flights will be on ! so those waiting for a credit note will be sadly left in the cold ! all I really want is NL to communicate and tell us !!!

I'm so far past caring now. Our plan is to go to Burgundy in Aug/Sept.

[Dodgy69]

Maybe NL will pay for the covid testing.

[Bigyin]

its not 10 days isolation..you can test after 5 and if negative good to go....so it might be 10 lol !!..I cannot see NL cancelling as flights will be on ! so those waiting for a credit note will be sadly left in the cold ! all I really want is NL to communicate and tell us !!!

Might not be a full 10 days but add in all the PCR testing costs as you will need more to get out early and that’s a fair bit on top of the event ..... about 50% on top of the basic trip then add in loss of earnings to that as well

I have tried to get email response from NL but if I don’t get any reply by early next week then it will be phone calls as this is getting stupid now

[weeksy]

Portugal are doing well on the whole, but one stumbling block on that is the Algarve Region, which of course includes Portimao, which is having somewhat of a mini-surge going on right now. As i said, we've essentially given up on the idea here, it's the 12th tomorrow and i think NL are expecting more from the Gov, but i'm not actually convinced they'll get anything they're expecting.

We've got Silverstone 3 weeks tomorrow, so my thoughts are now heading there and sorting out van booking etc.

[Dodgy69]

When you weigh it all up, NL should of emailed everyone who has a euro booking and offer alternatives by now. When we booked, last October, we expected the world to be in a better place and the costs to remain the same, but alas, it ain't, so like any booking associated to covid, you get an alternative, refund/credit.

Folk i know have decided not to travel abroad this year and to wait for better time's. Some are without jab, some have family members who are vulnerable etc. Some may say it's even irresponsible to be going abroad while the pandemic continues. Some will just be uncomfortable with the whole idea of foreign travel atm.

At the very least, NL should be keeping us all informed better than they are and also offer alternatives for those not happy travelling abroad atm. If they had offered this earlier they could of refilled positions with folk more prepared to take the associated risk.

[weeksy]

When you weigh it all up, NL should of emailed everyone who has a euro booking and offer alternatives by now. When we booked, last October, we expected the world to be in a better place and the costs to remain the same, but alas, it ain't, so like any booking associated to covid, you get an alternative, refund/credit.

Folk i know have decided not to travel abroad this year and to wait for better time's. Some are without jab, some have family members who are vulnerable etc. Some may say it's even irresponsible to be going abroad while the pandemic continues. Some will just be uncomfortable with the whole idea of foreign travel atm.

At the very least, NL should be keeping us all informed better than they are and also offer alternatives for those not happy travelling abroad atm. If they had offered this earlier they could of refilled positions with folk more prepared to take the associated risk.

Struggling to argue with any of that. I think NL are still expecting a government update today, which i actually don't think is now happening. My big question for myself sits more around "what are we going to do with our flights" and i don't actually have an answer to that one other than "move them..." but to what and where, i don't have anything useful to add yet. I'll simply move them as far as possible into the future to then hopefully move them to 2022s date/location for track stuff, but whether Easyjet will keep their "free to move" policy going until this time next year, is anyones guess.

As i say, i've peaked with NLs lack of communication and think it's absolutely rubbish how they've gone about all this. They've gone right on my Shit List and i don't see me booking with them again based upon this, whether that's in the UK or abroad. Of course they may come good and i'll begrudingly take whatever trip they come up with if it means we save £600 we've paid, but after that, i'm done with them.

[fil2]

At the very least, NL should be keeping us all informed better than they are and also offer alternatives for those not happy travelling abroad atm. If they had offered this earlier they could of refilled positions with folk more prepared to take the associated risk.

Struggling to argue with any of that. I think NL are still expecting a government update today, which i actually don't think is now happening. My big question for myself sits more around "what are we going to do with our flights" and i don't actually have an answer to that one other than "move them..." but to what and where, i don't have anything useful to add yet. I'll simply move them as far as possible into the future to then hopefully move them to 2022s date/location for track stuff, but whether Easyjet will keep their "free to move" policy going until this time next year, is anyones guess.

As i say, i've peaked with NLs lack of communication and think it's absolutely rubbish how they've gone about all this. They've gone right on my Shit List and i don't see me booking with them again based upon this, whether that's in the UK or abroad. Of course they may come good and i'll begrudingly take whatever trip they come up with if it means we save £600 we've paid, but after that, i'm done with them.

Totally agree !!!!!!!!!!!Yup ShitLimits strike again !!! absolutely terrible customer service in fact no customer service !....no comms over carnet requirements either !! just had an update on cost and process from Redline for a trip in October !!!......NL nothing !!

[weeksy]

NL Customer and staff still in a standoff, who'll blink first and pull the trigger !

[Dodgy69]

Is it a Gun or Taser.??