Travel latest news: Pressure mounting on UK to add France to red list

As cruise holidays gently begin to return, one American operator has shown that requirements for passengers can change right up until departure. American Cruise Lines, which began coastal cruises earlier this month, will now require all travellers to have been vaccinated against Covid-19.

The previously published rules, which were in effect since it returned to sailing on March 13, were that passengers needed two negative coronavirus tests – one taken several days before boarding, another at embarkation. The new regulations are only in place until April 10.

A spokesman for American Cruise Lines told Cruise Critic that the decision was taken “out of an abundance of caution for the safe operation of our ships and in collaboration with the communities we visit.”

The red-letter dates are April 12, when we may be allowed to take a break in the UK, and May 17, when we may be permitted to have a holiday overseas.

You have probably noted the key word in the previous sentence; the “may” that promises nothing.

Every date in the plan is conditional, weighted with the caveat “no earlier than”. Still, we have cause for optimism – and can, with a reasonable amount of hope, begin dreaming of getting away later this year.

Find a month-by-month look at how this year could pan out for our holidays here.

Certainly, the French have messed up on Covid vaccines – but they’ve got high-speed rail travel nailed.

Let Anthony Peregrine take you through the TGV’s 40-year history here.

You wait more than a year for cruises to resume in British waters and then, just like London buses, they all turn up at once. A spate of recent announcements has set the scene for arguably the busiest summer of UK cruising in memory, with at least 10 companies preparing to set sail from May onwards.

So many getaways on such a diverse selection of vessels – from a clipper-style yacht to boutique ships and lively floating resorts – has brought perfect conditions for cruise virgins to discover their sea-legs.

With soaring demand for the peak season already forcing some of the UK’s most popular holiday resorts to put up sold-out signs, these sea-going staycations could be the key to keeping this summer’s holiday dreams afloat.

Sara Macefield rounds up the very best.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps shared the news on his Twitter account late last night.

The Government has not ruled out border measures remaining in place over the summer to prevent new coronavirus variants arriving from overseas, Priti Patel has said.

More on the politics live blog here.

Professor Neil Ferguson said that “travel may be one of the later things to be relaxed” in light of the third wave in Europe and elsewhere.

“But I think we… whilst not everything will be back to normal by the summer, certainly by the autumn, it will feel a lot more normal,” he added. 

Booster jabs in the autumn will be “critical”, he said, noting that “natural immunity to coronavirus probably lasts a year or so, so it’s entirely likely we will need to boost immunity.

“We can’t stop things like the Brazilian and the South African variants forever and they are different immunologically.

“The current vaccines are not as effective against those strains probably, so for that reason as well we want to update vaccines and boost people’s immunity.”

Labour has called for tougher action on the borders, warning the Government is acting “recklessly” over Europe’s third wave. 

Yesterday Boris Johnson told MPs it was “inevitable” the third wave would reach the UK, but insisted the country was prepared. Earlier in the week he said publicly it was likely to “wash up on our shores”. 

This morning Holly Lynch, shadow immigration minister, said: “The UK government is recklessly putting at risk progress being made by the vaccine, by refusing to take action to secure our borders against Covid. The fact that they will not even add France to their own limited ‘red list’ shows they continue to fail to understand the consequences of doing too little, too late.

“Rather than the Prime Minister waving a white flag and saying a third wave from Europe will inevitably ‘wash up on our shores’, the UK Government should be urgently introducing a comprehensive hotel quarantine system, to help guard against new variants. Instead of the current system that sees around just 1 per cent of arrivals submit to hotel quarantine.”

We all want (no, need) a break and a bit of sun this summer, but what is the best way of guaranteeing it? As is so often during this pandemic, Britain seems to have cleaved into two distinct tribes: the spread-betters and the wait-and-sees.

Even before the Government extended the overseas travel ban until July, reports of spread-betters – taking advantage of flexible cancellation policies to multi-book breaks and guarantee a sunbed somewhere, whatever the latest travel restrictions – were growing legion.

In the other corner are those keeping their cards close to their chests: earmarking some time off work over the summer, but holding their nerve for a last-minute bargain.

Find out more about both camps here.

Families who own a second home in Britain can legally stay at them over Easter despite Government guidance against doing so.

Boris Johnson‘s roadmap out of Covid restrictions says that on March 29 – the second part of Step 1 out of lockdown – “people will no longer be legally required to stay home”. It adds that they “should continue to minimise travel wherever possible and should not be staying away from home overnight at this stage”.

The text does not clarify whether the guidance against overnight stays away from home applies to a family’s second home or holiday home. Separately, it has emerged that there is no provision in the legislation published this week to underpin the roadmap that legally requires families to avoid overnight stays at a second home.

In total, 5.5 million Britons own an additional property, although many of these are buy-to-lets and overseas holiday homes.

Lucy Fisher has more.

The owner of British Airways is raising £1.3bn amid fears that airline revenues will be harder hit than previously expected.  

IAG pledged either take-off and landing slots at Heathrow and Gatwick airports or aircraft to lenders to renew its corporate overdraft for up to five years. 

It is the first time the FTSE 100 group that also owns Aer Lingus and Spain’s Iberia has offered the slots as security to lenders. 

The deal to refinance its revolving credit facility – loans that are similar to an overdraft – means IAG has an additional €400m (£350m) of funding once other loans maturing at the end of the month are repaid. 

Oliver Gill has the full story.

French hauliers arriving in the UK face Covid tests under plans being considered by ministers to combat the spread of virus variants from across the Channel, according to industry sources.

The Government plans to use testing sites around Dover – already being used for hauliers leaving the UK – to help minimise any risk of the South African variant in France reaching the UK, the sources have told The Telegraph.

It will provide the Government with an immediate alert if the variant turns up in any drivers, as ministers consider whether to put France on the travel ban “red” list, which would require other arrivals from the country to quarantine in hotels.

Charles Hymas has more here.

Paul Charles, CEO of travel consultancy The PC Agency, reveals what he understands to be the key dates and details in the reopening of travel to and from the UK.

British holidaymakers will have to wait until mid-April for a detailed explanation of when, how and where they will be able to travel this summer, but early murmurs suggest it will be dependent on a new “traffic light” system.

Such a scheme may sound familiar, because it is. The European Union introduced its own traffic light guidelines last autumn for cross-border travel, but the UK is only now considering such an approach.

Find out how exactly that system could work and when it might be introduced here.

Holiday giant TUI has said that it will be closing 48 shops across the UK. All  273 employees at the affected branches will be offered new roles in other locations.

This is in addition to the 166 TUI shops that were shut in summer 2020.

In response to the news, TUI said the travel industry and the high street ‘are both facing unprecedented pressure’ due to the coronavirus pandemic.

We now know that the taskforce is considering a ‘traffic light system’, labelling countries as green (no restrictions), amber (open, but with quarantine and test requirements) and red (banned entirely, or hotel quarantine on return).

In predicting which countries will be which colour when the system is announced, we have considered the following factors:

• How is the vaccination drive going?
• Did it reopen to UK arrivals in 2020, without quarantine?
• Is the Government in support of vaccine certification to waive quarantine for arrivals?
• What are the current case numbers?
• Does it have hotel quarantine, or other prohibitive border policies in place?

Read our predictions here.

• UK travel ban extended to June 30
• Spain to lift travel ban on UK from March 30
• BA and easyJet axe flights amid ‘third wave’ fears
• No plans to add Europe to travel red list 
• P&O Cruises sees “overwhelming” boom in bookings

Now, on with today’s news.