Sharm el-Sheikh flight suspensions: Six things you need to know now that stranded passengers are coming home

The UK Government has banned all British airlines from flying from the Red Sea airport until security experts are satisfied with standards and the Foreign Office is advising against all but essential travel. Simon Calder looks at the implications for holidaymakers

There are thought to be around 20,000 Britons currently in Sharm el-Sheikh (EPA)

Q How are people being brought home from Sharm el Sheikh?

The airlines and tour operators have scheduled extra flights today, and more are likely to be arranged for tomorrow. Assuming the government gives the go-ahead, empty planes will be flown out from Britain - nine by easyJet, five by Monarch and one by British Airways - to bring passengers back.

However, it will be an unprecedented rescue operation, with baggage being carried back to Britain separately by a “government agency”. The airlines hope to reunite passengers with the baggage within a week.

Q My holiday in Sharm el Sheikh has been cancelled - what are my alternatives?

Tour operators have cancelled a number of departures in the week ahead, and airlines are doing the same. If you have booked a proper package holiday, you can choose between a full refund or an alternative holiday.

November is the lowest-season month of the year, and airline seats and hotel rooms are likely to be available in a wide range of destinations. It may also be that the airlines and tour operators switch capacity to the Canaries - an obvious alternative to Sharm el Sheikh.

Q What about flights to Hurghada and Cairo - are they affected by the government’s moves?

No. They are continuing as planned, with no additional security in evidence, and normal conditions apply; you will not be able to change or cancel without penalty.

Q I am booked to travel to Sharm el Sheikh at Christmas/New Year. What are my options?

At this stage, normal cancellation conditions apply. If you decide not to travel, you are likely to lose some or all of your money. If, however, you have booked a package holiday then you are entitled to transfer it to someone else on payment of a reasonable fee to the tour operator.

Past experience suggests that in the coming days and weeks some holiday firms may relax their normal terms, particularly if they decide to switch some Sharm el Sheikh flights to alternative destinations.

Q The Foreign Office is warning of a high threat of terrorism in Egypt. Can I claim any losses from my travel insurance?

No. The FCO has the same warning in effect for a wide range of countries, and it would have applied at the time you booked your trip. Cancelling because of “disinclination to travel” is not grounds for an insurance claim. The only possible involvement of travel insurance will be for holidaymakers whose return from Egypt was delayed.

Q The week’s developments have made me anxious about my forthcoming holiday in Morocco. Will I have the opportunity to change to another destination?

At present there is no reason to suppose that airlines and tour operators will allow penalty-free changes to be made. It may actually be that some of the Sharm el Sheikh flights are switched to Agadir on the Moroccan coast. The same applies to destination such as Turkey.