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Location: BRISBANE "BEAUTIFUL ONE DAY - PERFECT THE NEXT"
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New Members Just Saying G,Day - Advice Needed On Emergency Flights Home !!!
Hi All
New members to the forum and just saying hi to all brits in oz and brits coming to oz.
Emigrated here to Brisbane from Liverpool UK 10yrs ago and enjoying every minute of living here.
My question is that we need to return back to the UK to see a family member who is very ill and i remember when we contemplating moving to Australia like everyone we used to get delivered the Australian Outlook newspaper and at the time there was a company which advertised in it and specialised in medical return flights back to the UK if a family member was not well, i think the company had a name with the words Patrick in it but unsure as it was 10yrs ago.
If anyone on the forum knows the name of this company or perhaps a similar company doing the same thing then i would be more than happy for any information received.
If there is any poms wishing some information on coming to Brisbane then drop me a line and i will be glad to try and help out.
Hi there Tony
Cant help with the emergency flight thing but you can still get the Australian Outlook newspaper, maybe if you got in touch with them they could help. Try www.australian-outlook.co.uk
Good luck, and sorry to hear about the bad news by the way.
Lyn x
hi, sorry to hear your bad news, while we were deciding which agency to use i remember seeing a leaflet about this, i know it was an agency that offered this insurance if you needed to fly home in an emergency, it was not that expensive either, our house is upside down at the moment(having building work done), but i will try to dig out the paper work this evening, i know its in a bag with oz info just a case of finding, if i find it i will post on here tonight, you could try phoning round some agencies to see if they offfer the same.
kelly
Your post seems to be saying that you need to come to the UK pronto? Or do you mean can you buy insurance that would pay for return flights for you if you should need them in a family emergency?
If it is the former, when we had to get my sister from Perth to the UK in a hurry because Dad suddenly became critically ill, we found that the best airline was actually British Airways (astonishingly.)
BA's flight from Perth to Singapore was the first one leaving that day. It was full but they chucked another passenger off onto the later Qantas flight in order to give Elaine priority. They also gace her a free upgrade to Business Class all the way so as to keep her as comfortable as possible during the flight.
At Heathrow they asked Elaine to leave the plane before any of the other passengers were allowed off, and they had a lady waiting at the door of the plane who rushed Elaine through Immi Control & Customs. They had treated all of Elaine's luggage as hand luggage and carried it in the cabin so that she would not be held up by baggage re-claim.
When she checked in for the flight to the UK and on the way back, Elaine's boarding cards, tickets and disembarkation cards were marked with a cross (as in a Church cross.) Presumably this is airline-speak for letting each other and Immi, Customs etc know that the flight is connected with bereavement and to make life as easy and comfortable as they can for the passenger concerned.
Mostly BA's service is such rubbish compared to Singapore Airlines that we refuse to use BA in normal circs, but to give them their due they were fantastic when Dad was dying. The smartest thing we did (with hindsight) was to tell the BA people why we needed the flight so urgently.
Location: BRISBANE "BEAUTIFUL ONE DAY - PERFECT THE NEXT"
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Hi Gill
No our circumstance is not immediate we require it for the future perhaps 12mths time or less as our grandson has autism and epilepsy and just recently fell from the bannister onto his head which has made the epilepsy worse and his heart rate went from very fast to very slow.
We are worried that the next time that he has a bad one like this that he may not come out the other side and we have not had the chance to see him in the last 8yrs plus.
This is why i am looking at this insurance flight thing.
Thanks for your story on the BA flight it sounds like they pulled out all the stops and should be given a pat on the back for what they done.
hi tony
well after some digging i have found it, i knew it was there somewhere!
the agency is called overseas emigration they are based in edinburgh scotland. its for people who are leaving uk but they might do policies for brits who are already in oz. its £52.48 for 12 months and covers your flights to return home in the event that an immediate member of family is critically ill or for a funeral of a member of family as long as they are under 80 years of age, the policy is renewable each year. its well worth getting in touch with them and having a chat, if they dont have policies for you once you have left uk then they might be able to put you in touch with a company in oz that will cover you.
overseas emigration ltd
phone 01316256900 www.overseas-emigration.co.uk
email insurance@my-oe.com
hope you find this helpful and good luck with it and let us know how you get on
kelly
Location: BRISBANE "BEAUTIFUL ONE DAY - PERFECT THE NEXT"
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Jo n Paul - Thanks for the welcome it is much appreciated.
Sporty-Chick - Biggest thing for the kids to adjust to is starting new schools and blending in but you will find this will be achieved much easier than you think, dont forget its a big adjustment for them also so help them along, plenty for them to do at weekends etc a lot more than in the uk.
Kelly - You are a gem, many thanks for eventualy finding the paper and the links, i will check them out later and let you know.
