Coronavirus: 'Covidiots' criticised on Tui quarantine flight

31 August 2020

A flight from Zante where nearly 200 people were told to self-isolate was a "debacle" with many travellers not wearing masks, a passenger has said.

Stephanie Whitfield told the BBC the Tui flight was full of "covidiots" and "inept crew who couldn't care less".

Sixteen passengers on flight TOM6215 from the Greek island to Cardiff have now tested positive, Public Health Wales (PHW) said.

Tui said safety was a priority and it was concerned by Ms Whitfield's claims.

"Our crew are trained to the highest standards," the airline said. "A full investigation is now under way as these concerns weren't reported during the flight or before today."

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Coronavirus: 'selfish covidiots' on flight to UK from Greek island criticised

Tui launches investigation after almost 200 passengers told to isolate after outbreak

Josh Halliday
Mon 31 Aug 2020 10.36 BST
Last modified on Mon 31 Aug 2020 11.06 BST

A flight from the Greek island of Zante was “full of selfish ‘covidiots’ and an inept crew”, according to a passenger among the almost 200 who were onboard who have been told to self-isolate after a coronavirus outbreak.

Tui said it had launched an investigation after 16 people tested positive for Covid-19 linked to its flight to Cardiff on 25 August, including seven passengers who were infectious or potentially infectious on the plane.

Stephanie Whitfield, one of those onboard, said on Monday that many of her fellow passengers were not wearing face coverings correctly and seemed to “disregard the rules”.

“Lots of the people were wearing the masks underneath their noses or even underneath their chins,” she told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. “They were taking the masks off to talk to friends and they were going up and down the aisles to talk to their friends without their masks on.”

Whitfield said she noticed a crew member ask one woman to put her mask on but “the vast majority” of passengers were not reminded of the rules. Face coverings are required to be worn at airports and on flights unless a passenger has a medical condition that makes them exempt.

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