- Bookings for flights and holidays have surged after the decision that fully vaccinated travellers returning from amber-list countries will not have to self-isolate after 19 July.
- Airlines said there was a rapid rise in ticket purchases within hours after the government announced it was relaxing quarantine rules on Thursday.
Michael Race & Beth Timmins write for BBC about the surge in booking for travel after relaxing Covid quarantine rules.
Bookings increased
EasyJet said bookings to amber-list destinations increased by 400%.
Despite suggestions prices could rise, analysts thought this unlikely.
The need to quarantine on return to the UK has hindered the travel industry’s recovery from the pandemic, with many people choosing not to holiday abroad.
Under previous rules, those returning to Britain from its top holiday destinations – Spain, France, the US and Italy – all had to self-isolate for up to 10 days.
What are the new travel rules for double-jabbed passengers?
- Fully vaccinated UK residents arriving in England from amber travel list destinations will no longer have to quarantine from 19 July
- They still need to pay for tests before and after their return. The second one must be a PCR test, but they will not need a day 8 test
- The rules apply to people 14 days after their final dose of the vaccine
- Under-18s returning from amber list places will also be exempt from quarantine
- The guidance that people should not travel to amber list countries will also be removed from 19 July
- The next review of countries on the green, red and amber lists will be on 15 July – next Thursday
- But “an amber list country could still turn red”, warned Mr Shapps, meaning hotel quarantine would become a requirement
- Anyone arriving in England from a red list country must still go into government-managed hotel quarantine
‘Pinch of salt’
But consumer group Which? said previous research found holiday prices before and after government green-list announcements “stayed the same or went down, not up”.
It said that so far, prices had not increased to popular destinations on the amber list.
Out of 14 package holiday prices and six flights to Greece, Italy, Spain and Portugal it tracked departing during the peak holiday season in last August, 12 packages remained the same price and two increased.
Four of the six flights rose in price, although the average fare increase was £7.
Rory Boland, Which? Travel Editor, urged people to take news of surging prices “with a pinch of salt”.
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Source: BBC
