Q. We have booked a week's holiday in Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt flying out of Newcastle next Saturday with Jet2. However, we are very concerned that Egypt may not be safe at the moment and would rather cancel if possible?
A. No one can force you to go to Sharm and you are therefore free to cancel at any time. However, if you do cancel, Jet2's booking terms and conditions provide that you would have to pay a cancellation fee equivalent to 100% of the cost of the holiday. This is because you would be cancelling so close to departure date that it leaves Jet2 no time to sell the holiday on to another person at the same or even a reduced price. Furthermore, Jet2's standard travel insurance does not cover a situation like this and therefore you wouldn't be able to obtain a refund from the insurers (unless you have separate travel insurance which covers such a scenario).
Q. So we will lose all of our money if we don't go?
A. If the position remains unchanged and you cancel the holiday, then yes you will. However, there is one way you could obtain a refund. At present, whilst the Foreign Office are advising against all but essential travel to Cairo, Alexandria, Luxor and Suez, flights and holidays to Sharm el Sheikh are operating as normal. However, if the position in Egypt were to deteriorate further such as to cause the Foreign Office to advise against travelling to Sharm, then Jet2 would be obliged to cancel the holiday. If that happened, they would then have to offer you a full refund or an equivalent holiday elsewhere.
