Passengers who were barred from boarding a British Airways flight to London last month were mistakenly prevented from flying because check-in staff did not have updated information about pre-flight testing, an airline spokesperson has said.
While initial information issued by the UK government indicated that a test taken a maximum of 72 hours before boarding a flight was required, by the time the 29 Jan. flight from Grand Cayman to Heathrow was due to depart, that requirement had been changed. Under the revised rule, those who had undergone PCR testing anytime on the Tuesday before the 9pm Friday flight should have been allowed to board.
A British Airways spokesperson confirmed that individuals who are booked on this week’s flight, on Friday, 12 Feb., would be allowed to fly if they take a test, with a negative result, today (Tuesday, 9 Feb.)
Passenger Renante Areola was one of the passengers who was prevented from flying on 29 Jan. after being told by staff at the BA check-in desk at Owen Roberts International Airport that because he had taken the test on 26 Jan., he was not within the required 72-hour window. He has had to remain in Cayman and pay additional rent for a fortnight, and rebook his London-bound and onward flights to the Philippines.
Commenting about his experience, he told the Compass, “The two-week extended accommodation is the costly part, but, well, that’s how it is. Travelling during a pandemic is not easy.”
He contacted the Compass again on Tuesday morning, with a copy of an email from British Airways, that, like the confirmation email he had received last month prior to his flight, stated that a test taken on the Tuesday before the Friday flight would be acceptable.
When the Compass contacted British Airways about this, an airline spokesperson confirmed that the 72-hour requirement had been changed, and a test taken at any time three days prior to a flight would be acceptable.
The spokesperson said there had been a “human error” by the airline’s third-party provider regarding the pre-flight test requirements last month, but that the staff had now all been informed of the amended requirements.
The BA spokesperson also advised those affected to contact the airline’s customer service.
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