EXCLUSIVE: An Island family have spoken of their wonderful holiday in Sharm-el-Sheikh that turned into a nightmare after being stranded for 2 days following last week’s suspected terrorist attack on a Russian flight from Egypt.
Wroxall residents Dan Shelley, his wife Jodie and their 2 kids travelled out to Egypt on 28th October for a week in the sun as Jodie’s wedding anniversary to Dan, but became stranded in the foreign land for 48 hours after their scheduled departure date when all flights in and out of the country were cancelled amid terrorism fears.
Investigators are now almost certain that a bomb exploded mid-flight on a Russian Metrojet flight, with a noise being picked up by the plane’s blackbox. All 224 people on board died when the jet came down in the Sinai Peninsula.
Whilst enjoying the gorgeous weather Dan had heard about the crash, but was told it was an accident. It wasn’t until the family were about to board their plane that everything became very clear.
Speaking exclusively to Island Echo, Dan described how airport staff tried to get money from him for bypassing security checks:
“The holiday was fantastic, no problems at all. But that all changed when we arrived at the airport. We knew about the Russian plane that had gone down but we hadn’t been reading the media for all the details.
“Once we arrived at the airport someone came over with a trolley for our luggage. We said it was fine, but he took it anyway. As soon as we got to the main doors someone else took the trolley and, to our amazement, he took us straight past the first security checkpoint.
“We reached the check in and the staff member who had brought us through from the entrance asked us for money. We said we didn’t have any money, but he wanted £15 per person for bringing us through security. We said we don’t have any money left after the holiday and he made off in a huff, leaving us at check in”.
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The unorthodox arrival at Sharm el-Sheikh International Airport was only the start of a grueling 2 days that followed for the family, which included seeing fighter jets flying overhead.
Dan continued:
“We checked in without a problem and moved forward for the border security. As we were queuing people were getting pushed out of the way by airport staff who were trying to bring people through who had clearly paid money to skip the security checks. These people were going through unchecked, but we as a family got patted down and searched.
“We finally got to the departure lounge and waited around 2 hours for our flight. We were due to fly out at 19:05 on Wednesday evening but that time soon came and went. Oddly, the wifi at this point had been turned off.
“Rumours started to circulate that all flights had been cancelled. We had no idea what was going on. Thankfully, other passengers were getting phone calls from home updating them on what the UK media were reporting.
“At 21:00 someone who said they were an Easyjet rep came an told us they had delays due to bad weather. An hour later the same guy came back and said the flight had been cancelled and that the British Embassy were on their way”.
Confused about what was happening, the Shelley family followed the lead of the rep alongside their fellow passengers and passengers from the Luton flight. After going up and down different stairs, the whole group were returned to the departure lounge.
“Staff tried to hand out visa cards but the staff couldn’t pronounce any of the names”, Dan added.
“Much to our amazement, a British lady stood up and took it upon herself to read out the names and hand the visas to passengers.
“Eventually we were told we were going to the hotel – The Hilton Sharks Bay – but we still hadn’t seen anyone from the Embassy. As we made our way to the exit, three woman in high vis from the British Embassy were there and advised us to go straight to the hotel where we would be told more”.
By now the family had been on their feet for most of the day and finally arrived at the Hilton hotel at 00:30 Thursday morning, where a complimentary dinner was offered. After dinner the Embassy staff informed the holidaymakers that it was not clear if the flight would be flying and that they would be back during the day to give an update.
Tired and emotional, the Shelley family hit the hay.
“Thursday morning came and we made our way down to reception where the hotel staff said they hadn’t heard anything. We didn’t see any embassy staff that day, we felt abandoned.
“Thankfully, we were able to use the hotel’s WiFi and keep our friends and family updated. In the evening we were told to be at the reception ready to go at 07:00 Friday morning, but this didn’t come from the Embassy but instead the receptionist.
“07:30 Friday morning and it was absolute chaos. There was no embassy staff and we believe some passengers were left behind. An hour later we arrived at the airport and the queues began. The security was noticeably tighter, much tighter and there was so much local media around trying to film the kids.
“We went through the first security gate and were thoroughly searched. Then we made our way to check in and handed over our hold luggage not really knowing where it was going or when we would get it back. It wasn’t until we arrived at Gatwick that we were told to expect our luggage within 7 days at our home address.
“Next we made our way through the next security check. Jodie was told she couldn’t take her make-up and hair straighteners through even though we had seen other passengers with them – she got very emotional after such a stressful 48 hours.
“We finally got through and were told that we would be flying at midday but then a bombshell – there would be no food or drink on the flight as it had been standing on the ground for 3 days. Everyone rushed to buy food from the airport shops, including us, but then when we informed we couldn’t take any of it on board with us. Everyone went ballistic as it cost so much money, around £36 for two drinks”.
Dan, Jodie and the kids finally touched down at Gatwick Airport and were repatriated at 16:40 London time – they were that closer to home on the Isle of Wight. They collected their family car from Holiday Inn Gatwick Worth, who waived the extra charges and were completely understanding of the exceptional circumstances.
After driving down in the heavy rain, the Shelley’s arrived at Wightlink’s Portsmouth Gunwharf terminal – but the welcome wasn’t as supportive as they had experienced from Holiday Inn and their holiday insurance company.
To add to the very raw experience, the ferry operator requested an additional payment of £29 from the Shelley family for missing their scheduled crossing, despite having been stuck in a foreign country for days through no fault of their own.
Dan said:
“I couldn’t believe it. It was the icing on the cake”.
Island Echo got in touch with Wightlink, who have confirmed that they are now refunding the charge imposed on the Shelley family on this occasion.
A spokesperson said:
“We are pleased that Mr Shelley and his family are now back home”.
Although now back on the Island, the problems haven’t ended as the family are still without their luggage, meaning everyday things such as contact lenses are having to be re-bought.
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Photograph of airport/Justus Weiss
