[jj]

nibbs wrote:

Unless I’ve missed it, it appears that NYC have updated their Covid rules which effectively bans over 5’s from indoor venues (restaurants, tourism sites etc.) unless they can demonstrate they have had a single vax (increasing to double vax’d in January, I think).

It doesn’t seem to have been covered widely in the UK yet and I’m sure could catch a lot of people out. We have friends who were meant to be travelling on Friday who are now cancelling and unless things change, it puts paid to our Easter trip.

Has anyone seen anything different?

https://www1.nyc.gov/site/doh/covid/covid-19-vaccines-keytonyc.page

nibbs

I guess it depends on what you want to do with your time there. Many restaurants have outdoor seating in sidewalk shelters that I don’t believe require vaccination. Museums, boat trips, viewing platforms, etc, all check vaccination certificates pretty diligently, though. It’s also worth noting that you don’t need certificates for public transport or for shops.

It’s a whole other point, but I’m not sure I’d be taking young kids to NY myself. I’m sure you know what your own kids enjoy, but mine would have hated being stuck in a crowded city at that age.

[jj]

Somchai wrote:

Hi we have been away since the changes so could someone please confirm if Rapid Antigens are OK for the pre departure test for return to the UK

Yes, antigen is fine for the home-bound pre-flight test. The certificate needs to show your name, date of birth, date of test, test provider and type of test.

[jj]

Antigen (also known as lateral flow) are fine. Worked for me.

[jj]

Rhys Jones wrote:

masaccio wrote:

$1,775 wow!

It’s $195! Not sure where you saw $1,775…

I replied to this earlier but it seems to have been lost in moderation. The $195 rate doesn’t apply at weekends. You also need to send your baggage separately unless you’re travelling light, which may be inconvenient. Apart from these two snafus, it would be a great option.

[jj]

Here are the links:

Privacy policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy

Terms of service: https://policies.google.com/terms

[jj]

Rhys Jones wrote:

Why not ditch cars entirely and go with Blade? 😉 https://www.blade.com/p/jfk

Sadly, Blade’s $195 fare isn’t available at weekends. Unless you’re travelling light, you’ll also have to be separated from your luggage which may not work well.

No queue at all for a yellow cab when I arrived in JFK last weekend. It’s a fixed fare of $52 plus taxes, tolls and tip. Be careful with Uber’s surge pricing; I had a cost estimate for a trip from the Financial District to Mid Town of nearly $100 – it would have been cheaper to take a yellow cab to the airport and jump out half way.

[jj]

@cinereus, I had difficulty finding the TOS. I logged out and went to the Register page to find the links.

[jj]

Alternative is to test at the airport before flying. We have used ExpressTest in T5 to do that with no issues.

[jj]

Teide, of course, as others have said.

I don’t know how well it would work with your kids in tow, but some of the historical northern towns are well worth a visit. It’s a world away from the madness of the south coast.

A few particularly pretty spots where we have enjoyed long liquid lunches are Masca, Icod de los Vinos (the sight of the Dragon Tree Martin mentions), Garachico and La Orotava. San Cristóbal de La Laguna is much bigger but also beautiful. And the isolated lighthouse at Punta de Teno is particularly dramatic, albeit tricky to get to as the road is closed for much of the day.

Head north.

[jj]

Tom, you should definitely use FOS before MCOL. If you don’t follow the correct process, you risk having your claim rejected.

The correct claims process for all products regulated by the FCA is:

1. Claim to the company itself. The rules allow you to make a complaint by any reasonable means, but it’s best to use the complaints process that they must publish. They have 8 weeks to provide you with a final decision.

2. Once you have a final decision or the 8 weeks have elapsed, you can take the complaint to FOS if you are unhappy with the outcome. FOS charges a substantial processing fee to the firm, but it’s free for you. FOS has two levels of decision, adjudicator and ombudsman, so the initial FOS decision is not necessarily final. A FOS ombusman decision is binding on the firm but the consumer may choose to reject it.

3. If you aren’t happy with FOS, you can claim via the normal court process. Although you can start with the courts, your claim is likely to be rejected until you have first exhausted 1. and 2.

It’s important to understand that FOS doesn’t work like a court: previous decisions aren’t binding, and they will look beyond the contractual position in an attempt to find fairness in accordance with the FCA’s 11 principles for businesses and 6 TCF (Treating Customers Fairly) Outcomes. This typically favours consumers: the well-publicised billions that the banks had to repay on PPI claims were mostly against products that followed existing FCA guidance and which supported by legally watertight contracts that had been reviewed by the best legal minds in the land – but the FOS decided the products were unfair so the contracts had to be unwound.

So, if you have to go to FOS, read the FCA’s 11 principles and 6 outcomes, and couch your complaint in those terms. Based on the way that Creation has behaved, you will almost certainly succeed.