CarTrawler’s CEO on the battered travel sector’s pandemic recovery: ‘Priority is flexible cancellation policies’ Exclusive interview Yesterday it was announced that people arriving in England from overseas will no longer need to take a PCR test before their flight or be forced into self-isolation on arrival in a move that will provide sorely needed help to the UK’s travel sector. Boris Johnson explained the measures were no longer needed due to [...]
Desperate travel sector demands all international Covid testing requirements are scrapped immediately Sector in crisis All testing requirements for international travellers should be abolished immediately, the travel industry said this morning. Manchester Airports Group (MAG) and Airlines UK said research they commissioned into travel restrictions found domestic, not international, restrictions would be the only way to reduce the spread of Omicron. Pre-departure and day two PCR testing were reintroduced in [...]
Brits have to pay for entry to the EU from this year: Cash and pre-authorisation needed for post-Brexit trips to Europe New post-Brexit rules Brits will have to start paying €7 per person and pre-register their details in order to enter the European Union from this year. Reports had surfaced in various European media in recent weeks that access to all Schengen EU countries would come at a cost from 2022, and when approached by City A.M. this morning, [...]
From today: Many trains services slashed following staff shortages as strikes and Covid cripple rail networks January 1, 2022 Several train operators – including ScotRail and South Western Railway – said they have no choice but to slash services as a result of Covid-induced staff shortages. From today until 17 January, when the new timetable will be introduced, Southwestern Railway trains will be subject to short notice cancellations. “The onset of the Omicron variant [...]
Exclusive: Nearly 9m Brits face having to cancel or postpone US and European holidays December 30, 2021 Nearly nine million holidaymakers face potentially having to cancel or rearrange trips to the US or mainland Europe that they booked before the introduction of new travel restrictions, according to new research shared exclusively with City A.M. this morning. Nearly one in five adults, around 8.9m Brits, has booked trips to mainland Europe or the [...]
South Africa demands compensation from UK for economic damage caused by Covid travel red list in response to Omicron variant December 27, 2021 South Africa is calling for compensation from the UK for the economic damage the country suffered after it was placed on Britain’s Covid travel red list in November. South Africa’s Department of International Relations is demanding compensation after the movement of people was severely restricted, saying Africa’s largest economy took a serious beating because of [...]
UK travellers to face week-long waits for PCR results December 9, 2021 Those travelling during the Christmas period could face week-long waits to get their PCR results back. Travel testing company giant Qured said that PCR tests could face delays during the Christmas period because delivery providers work on reduced services. Fit to Fly and Day 2 PCR tests with an arrival date between 20 December and [...]
Future of travel special: Pent-up wanderlust, streaming and, of course, a lot of tech November 16, 2021 After three strict lockdowns, the old adage ‘trip of a lifetime’ has never been more appropriate. Nearly two years into the pandemic, constant reminders of how precious life is have inevitably left their mark, bringing an increased awareness of what really matters, which is quite a motivation for many people to stop putting off that [...]
One night in Bangkok (quarantine): Thailand reopens to UK tourists November 1, 2021 After nearly two years of all but a trickle of foreign arrivals, Thailand is reopening to mass tourism, with travellers required to spend just one night in quarantine while they await Covid test results. Hundreds of vaccinated foreign tourists this morning arrived in the Thai capital for quarantine-free travel after the Southeast Asian nation approved [...]
Eurostar faces £400m losses after pandemic swerves passenger numbers off track October 3, 2021 Eurostar has reported more than £400m pandemic-induced losses and cautioned it faces “material uncertainties” in the future, after Covid travel restrictions derailed passenger numbers for the cross-channel train. After riding high with a £62.4m profit in 2019 before the pandemic hit, the French majority-owned train operator swung to a dizzying pre-tax loss of £427.8m in [...]