What is the impact of the new lockdown on travel?
The new coronavirus lockdown causes more disruption for travellers, airlines and holiday firms.
Here the PA news agency looks at six key questions on the impact on travel.
– Will I be able to go on holiday?
The national lockdown for people in England prohibits day trips and holidays, as those are not among the specific reasons for leaving home such as attending school or going to the supermarket.
I understand that airline planning teams are tonight working on cancelling the vast majority of leisure flights from 5th November to 2nd December, as the @FCDOtravelGovUK advice is about to be changed to a ban on all non-essential travel. #travel #covid #lockdownUK @ThePCAgency
— Paul Charles (@PPaulCharles) October 31, 2020
– What if I’m already abroad?
Travellers are not required to return from their trips early.
Airlines are responsible under consumer law to bring travellers home, but flight schedules will be slashed in response to the drop in demand, meaning many people will be forced to change their travel dates.
– I thought we could go to the Canary Islands?
It is less than two weeks since the Government removed the quarantine requirement for people returning from the Spanish islands.
This led to airlines putting on extra flights to cope with the surge in bookings.
– Will travel corridors continue?
The Prime Minister did not mention travel corridors in his Saturday night press conference, meaning people arriving from some areas are likely to continue being exempt from quarantine.
But the lockdown means the number of travellers will be diminished anyway.
– Will I get my money back if I’ve booked a holiday I can no longer go on?
If your flight is still going ahead and nothing has changed in your destination, you are not automatically entitled to a refund.
But many aircraft are likely to be grounded from Thursday due to the new restrictions, meaning people with existing bookings will be due a refund.
– If I am entitled to a refund, how quickly will I get my cash?
UK consumers are protected under European laws which state that they should receive full cash refunds within seven days for cancelled flights and 14 days for package holidays that do not take place.
But since the coronavirus outbreak many people have faced difficulties obtaining payouts from airlines and holiday firms.
That situation is likely to continue over the coming weeks.
