The government is increasingly confident that more countries will turn amber and green ahead of next weeks review of the traffic light lists for international travel.
The foreign secretary said that, although British travellers would have to wait to find out the updated lists, the momentum forward is positive.
Dominic Raab told Sky News that travel is expected to open up more as other countries progress with their vaccine roll-outs.
Weve done the job we had to do domestically and as we see other countries catch up if you like, I think we are increasingly confident that more countries will go either on amber or on to green, he said.
The next review from the Department for Transport is expected on or around 4 August.
It follows the news that fully vaccinated US and EU travellers can swerve self-isolation when entering England from amber-list countries.
The update to the rules was announced yesterday, and will take effect from 4am on 2 August.
Travellers will follow the same protocol as double-jabbed Britons entering the UK from amber destinations: they can forgo quarantine but must take one pre-departure and one post-arrival Covid test.
Were helping reunite people living in the US and European countries with their family and friends in the UK, said transport secretary Grant Shapps. The changes will apply to fully vaccinated people with an FDA or EMA vaccine.
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Airlines report surge in US-UK bookings
Airlines have reported a surge in bookings on flights from the US to the UK after the announcement that fully vaccinated travellers can forgo quarantine on entry into Britain.
Juha Jarvinen, Chief Commercial Officer at Virgin Atlantic, said: We know theres pent up demand to travel and our surge in bookings for US-UK travel reflect this. The news that self-isolation for fully vaccinated US citizens arriving into the UK will be removed from 2 August has increased consumer confidence, allowing our customers to finally plan a much-needed reunion with family, friends and business colleagues.Â
Flight bookings are up by more than 100 per cent week on week, with bookings from New York to London increasing by nearly 250 per cent, compared to the previous week.Â
He added: We now urge UK Government to go further and move the US to the UKs green list and for the Biden administration to repeal the 212F proclamation for UK travellers. The UK is already falling behind US and EU and a continued overly cautious approach towards international travel will further impact economic recovery and the 500,000 UK jobs that are at stake.
Helen Coffey29 July 2021 11:46
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Six airports in Scotland closed due to strike
Six airports in Scotland have been closed to all but emergency flights due to a strike by air traffic controllers.
Benbecula, Dundee, Inverness, Kirkwall, Stornoway and Sumburgh airports are all closed due to an ongoing dispute about plans to introduce remote airport control towers.
The Prospect union said Thursdays walkout marks an escalation in the industrial action which has been going on since January.
Highlands and Islands Airports (HIAL) managing director Inglis Lyon said: We apologise for the inconvenience this day of strike action will cause.
The disruption will impact our passengers, airline partners and the communities we serve at a crucial time in the recovery from the effects of the Covid pandemic.
It is extremely disappointing that strike action is going ahead despite months of work with Prospect to agree a number of policies to support our colleagues’ transition to our Air Traffic Management programme.
We are still in talks with the union on a commuting policy and appeal to Prospect to conclude those discussions before considering any further escalation of industrial action.
Additional reporting by agencies
Helen Coffey29 July 2021 11:28
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Scotland and Wales to relax quarantine rules for jabbed US and EU travellers
Fully vaccinated travellers from the US and EU will no longer have to quarantine when entering Scotland or Wales from an amber country.
The Scottish government announced the move hours after the UK government confirmed the rule change for England, and Wales also confirmed it would also follow suit.
Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford said it would be very hard not to introduce the same relaxed measures.
The new rules will come into effect from 4am on 2 August.
Helen Coffey29 July 2021 11:13
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Heathrow to give away free flights and experiences
Heathrow is celebrating the safe reopening of international travel and its 75th anniversary by giving away thousands of pounds worth of free flights and experiences to passengers travelling from the airport.
The airport has teamed up with more than 10 industry partners, including British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and Gordon Ramsay Plane Food, to launch its Come Fly Again promotion.
Other partners involved in the initiative include Blue Air, Fortnum & Mason, Leon, WH Smith, Macallan Whiskey and Cignpost Diagnostics, which will enhance the flight experience with free meals, gifts and travel essentials.
Enter for the chance to win a free travel experience at Heathrow.com/comeflyagain.
Helen Coffey29 July 2021 10:41
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Minister rejects suggestion that rapid testing could release travellers from quarantine
The foreign secretary has rejected suggestions that rapid testing alone could be used to release travellers from quarantine once theyve entered the UK.
Government adviser and immunologist Professor Sir John Bell said yesterday that data from January demonstrated that testing could be used to allow arrivals to forgo self-isolation.
But Dominic Raab told Sky News: We are doing daily testing, but I think the answer to your question why do it now not in say, two-and-a-half weeks time? is we know and we can project how many people broadly well have double vaccinated and that is the level of reassurance we want to get to.
I know it has been frustrating, I know it has been an inconvenience, theres been lots of things in this pandemic that have been inconvenient.
But the truth is the whole tide – whether it is domestic restrictions, international – is going in the right direction of opening but we do need to just be careful, make sure we are doing it at the right time.
Additional reporting by agencies
Helen Coffey29 July 2021 10:32
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France travel rules dependent on island 6,000 miles away from mainland
Summer holiday trips to and from France will depend on infection rates and the presence of Covid variants on an island 6,000 miles away, the foreign secretary has warned.
On 16 July, ministers moved France from amber list status to a new amber plus category. The effect is to oblige all arriving travellers from France, including those who have been fully vaccinated against coronavirus, to self-isolate in the UK. The reason stated: the prevalence of the Beta variant, which is much more significant on the island of Réunion in the Indian Ocean than it is in mainland France.
Speaking to BBC Today, Dominic Raab made clear this was the governments policy. He said: Obviously the evidence presented on which the original decision was taken was based on the prevalence of the so-called Beta variant, in particular in the Réunion bit of France which of course is away from the mainland.
The island is 5,800 miles from Paris. But Mr Raab said that was irrelevant.
Its not the distance that matters, its the ease of travel between different component parts of any individual country.
Its not the distance that matters, its the ease of travel between different component parts of a country, says foreign secretary
Simon Calder29 July 2021 09:57
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Government cannot guarantee that US and EU travellers will not show fake vaccination certificates
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said the government cannot guarantee that US and EU travellers will not try to show fake vaccination certificates.
He told BBC Radio 4s Today programme: We cant guarantee that some people might not do it. I think it is highly unlikely.
The point here is that, with both the European countries and the US, we are talking about high-trust countries with whom we have not just an intuitive level of high trust, we have active co-operation, so we know that we can straighten out any discrepancies we might come across pretty quickly.
Mr Raab said there is a double lock of written certification and proof of US residency for American travellers, which he said could allow further checks if there is any suspicion of fraud.
He added: Both domestically with our rollout but also internationally we want to open up, we want to move the country forward, but we want to do it irreversibly and we need to take solid, surefooted steps forward.
We feel this is a modest opening up of international travel but one that has the reassurances that we can take further steps forward as we build confidence in the system.
Reporting by agencies
Helen Coffey29 July 2021 09:37
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Good morning, and welcome to the travel liveblog.
The government is increasingly confident that more countries can soon added to the amber and green travel lists, a senior minister has said.
Foreign secretary Dominic Raab said he hoped more travel links could soon be opened up for British holidaymakers, as other countries speed up their vaccine roll-out.
Read the full story:
The momentum forward is positive, says foreign secretary
Helen Coffey29 July 2021 09:12
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Am I allowed to go on an international cruise from the UK?
Most cruises ceased in March and April 2020, as the coronavirus pandemic took hold. Since then the vast majority of the worlds 270 ocean-going cruise ships have been moored, unable to operate.
Some have become tourist attractions, with boat trips organised around the forlorn cruise ships moored off the south coast of England.
Over a year after the Foreign Office advised against all international cruising, the warning has been lifted.
These are the key issues on cruising as the world emerges from the coronavirus pandemic:
You may be required to quarantine on board or at designated facilities if your ship is affected by a Covid-19 outbreak, says Foreign Office
Simon Calder28 July 2021 18:47
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United Airlines to operate 40 weekly flights as England re-opens to US travellers
With todays announcement that England is reopening to fully vaccinated travellers from the US, quarantine-free, from 2 August, United Airlines has announced it will launch additional flights to London.
United will have six daily flights between the States and the UK capital, including a second daily flight from Washington, D.C., and a daily service from Houston.
United is also planning a new nonstop service between Boston and London.
The airline will operate more than 40 weekly flights to England in total.
Todays announcement is yet another major milestone in recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic with the opening of one of the most important markets from the U.S, said Patrick Quayle, vice president of international network and alliances at United.
United has demonstrated that we can operate flights between the US and England safely and we are eager to help rebuild these economies by facilitating business and leisure travel.
Helen Coffey28 July 2021 17:11
