Flight prices soar before travel green list is revealed

Travel agents reported a rush of people booking breaks

(PA)

Holiday bookings surged today as Londoners took a punt on destinations they believe will be on the long-awaited “green list” of countries.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps is expected to publish the list of nations, from which travellers returning to England will not have to quarantine, in a Downing Street briefing at 5pm.

These are likely to include Portugal, Iceland and Malta, and possibly also Israel and Gibraltar — with the easing of rules beginning in 10 days.

But travel agents reported a rush of people booking breaks to these holiday hotspots in anticipation of the announcement. The cost of some airline tickets has already surged, with travel to Portugal’s resorts on May 17, from when the restrictions ease, more than doubling in price in the last two days. Last night, Ryanair was charging £152 for a flight from Stansted to Lisbon, compared with £15 the day before restrictions lift.

The “traffic light” system for England will place extra restrictions on trips to “amber” and “red” countries. At present, overseas leisure travel is banned.

It came amid a warning from Booking.com’s chief executive Glenn Fogel that prices for international travel are set to rise this year due to pent-up demand and fewer aeroplanes in service. “There’s so much pent-up demand,” he told the BBC. “Everybody wants to go travelling, but we all want to do it safely.”

Spain, France, Italy and Greece are expected to be on the amber list but could switch to green at a “checkpoint” review on June 28. Assessments will be based on a range of factors, including the proportion of a country’s population that has been vaccinated, rates of infection, emerging new variants, and the country’s access to reliable scientific data and genomic sequencing.

People arriving from a green location will not need to quarantine on their return and will have to take one PCR test within two days of arriving. Those returning from an amber country must self-isolate for at least five days and take two tests. The red list requires an 11-night stay in a quarantine hotel at a cost of £1,750.

There will also be a “green watch list”, to give travellers advance notice of countries about to move to amber or red.

Luis Gallego, chief executive of IAG, urged the Government to “be a bit ambitious in getting global travel back on track”. He wants people who have been vaccinated or tested to be allowed to fly “without restrictions” between the UK and the US. The airline said it will launch a new advertising campaign featuring staff who are “preparing to return to work after a very difficult year”.

Tui’s managing director for the UK and Ireland, Andrew Flintham, said it will be “a long time” before travel companies can consider boosting profit margins. He told BBC Breakfast: “We want to get people away on holiday, having a great time, because we think they genuinely all deserve it.”

Tui said it would offer customers Covid-19 tests at a discount of £20. PCR tests alone typically cost £120.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have not set dates for the restart of foreign holidays.

Read More

No ‘big increase’ in summer holiday prices ahead of green travel list – Tui

What holiday destinations will be on the green list?

Grant Shapps hosts G7 talks on ‘coordinated approach’ to travel restart