You must fly from Ørsta to Oslo with Widerøe – not up to hospital class – VG

Widerøe flights on the short-haul network have been canceled until 17. Mikael Makipera Vike has not reached hospital opening hours and many hospitals are now increasing their readiness.

– I’m feeling hopeless here now.

This is the first thing Mikael Makipera tells Vike when VG calls him on Monday morning.

He had to fly from Orsta to Oslo on Sunday night, to report an hour at Akershus University Hospital (Ahaus).

The examination is not urgent, but it should be carried out in a hospital where there is a general practitioner.

“I followed the pages of Avinor and about 4 am I still said my plane was leaving, but at 4:30 I was notified that my plane was also canceled,” says Makipera Vike.

It also proved difficult to find an alternative means of transportation. The night bus is completely sold out, and if he gets on another plane, he won’t get home in time.

– Today I got to the hospital and they are taking summer vacation, so I don’t get another appointment until August. Now I have to wait another two months for another hour, he says.

Follow the canceled flight in VG’s flight demo here.

Impossible to plan

Makebera Vik is from eastern Norway, but lives in More og Romsdal. It relies entirely on Widerøe to operate in eastern Norway.

We who live in pig-infested areas are completely dependent on Widerøe, says Makipera Vike.

Plus, the holiday is approaching, a joke for the family who is scheduled to go out and travel on Tuesday.

It would be absolutely impossible to plan, says Makipera Vike.

When his plane was canceled on Sunday, he received a text message from Widerøe that the ticket would be refunded. No other information was received.

Full stop for the shortest Widerøe cruise

On Monday, more than 230 flights were cancelled. Most of them are in Widerøe, where more than 200 flights were canceled on Monday, according to VG Private Flight.

Widerøe Director of Communications Katharina Soleil told VG that the short-distance traffic stop would extend to 5pm on Monday.

“Today we will cancel the shortest flights on the short-haul network until this afternoon, but there is a high probability that all flights will be canceled today,” says Sully.

In addition to the shorter flights, there are some longer flights that are also being cancelled.

Widerøe is now working to see if single flights can fly during Monday evening. This means that some flights may go short distances and return to a major airport.

Raising emergency preparedness in many hospitals

The interruption of flights on the short-haul network will also have consequences for hospitals.

They wrote on Twitter that Finnmark Hospital had increased its preparedness to the green as a result of the strike.

In Hammerfest, the hospital had to cancel many doctors’ appointments because specialists were not attending, Dagbladet-Borsen wrote.

Helgeland Hospital is also increasing its preparedness due to the airstrike. Here it is increased to yellow level.

– This has consequences for the staffing situation at Helgeland Hospital as some alternatives do not reach Helgeland and that ambulance planes can also be left on the ground, the hospital wrote in a press release.

The closure could also have consequences for patients traveling.

At the University Hospital of Northern Norway (UNN), there are patients from Finnmark who do not have good travel options to get to Tromsø.

And those who have been laid off from UNN may feel they are not coming back, says press officer Solveig Jacobsen.

Only eligible for refund in case of cancellation

Katharina Soleil explains that the reason why many Widerøe flights are canceled is complex.

First, Widerøe does not want to take passengers into the regions without being able to take them home. At the same time, it is more difficult to move crews and technicians to areas when traffic can be running as usual.

Secondly, Widerøe has much more flights than for example SAS and Norwegian.

Widerøe customers will not receive a rebooking or alternative means of transportation. They also do not receive coverage for food and lodging.

Now Widerøe customers are entitled to a refund of their flight ticket only.