Tropical storm Irene leaves Brits stranded in the USA

Some British travellers have been stuck in the USA after the huge storm slammed into the US east coast.

Travel Insurance News - 29/08/2011

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British travellers have been stranded in the USA after Irene, which was downgraded from a hurricane to a tropical storm, slammed into the country’s eastern coast. Over the weekend, heavy winds and rain lashed large portions of the country, leaving at least 11 people dead in its wake.

Britons could find travel delayed yet further, as a risk of flooding means more flights could be cancelled. British Airways cancelled all services between New York City and London on Sunday.

British Airways said it was reviewing the situation on Monday and was working with airports in the USA to decide which flights could go ahead as scheduled. On Sunday, New York Port Authority officials said the suspension of flights would continue, with flights restarting no earlier than Monday afternoon.

BA said through a spokesperson that it was trying to establish which airports would be in a safe condition to re-open flights. The airline said it was talking to US authorities to determine whether it could operate flights to the US east coast.

BA says passengers scheduled to fly between now and 30 August could re-book their travel on later flights. Anybody whose flight has been cancelled will be able to claim a full refund.

Through a statement published on its website, BA said that it had cancelled flights through a number of cities in the USA as the storm heads towards the country’s east coast. The airline advised passengers to check the status of their flights before heading to the airport.

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