Travel news latest: Caribbean islands and Balkans at risk of moving onto red list

Emma Featherstone

16 September 2021 at 2:37 am·17-min read

heathrow terminal 5 on september 13 - Getty

Winter sun holidays to Jamaica and Grenada could be off the cards if the two islands are placed on the red list in this week's review.

The Caribbean countries are at risk of moving to the hotel quarantine category, alongside Serbia, Kosovo and Albania, according to data expert Tim White. Mr White told Sky News that Nigeria could also be vulnerable.

Jamaica remained amber in the last traffic lights update, but the Foreign Office has since changed its guidance for the country and advises “against all but essential travel to the whole of Jamaica based on the current assessment of COVID-19 risks”. There has also been an increase in people arriving in the UK from Jamaica with Covid-19.

Mr White said Grant Shapps, the Transport Secretary, "would effectively be admitting a mistake three weeks ago" if he put Jamaica on the red list. Meanwhile, green-listed Grenada has seen a spike in people testing positive for the virus. Mr White suggested that while Albania, Serbia and Kosovo could turn red based on the latest data, they would likely avoid the move.

An update is expected on Thursday or Friday, which could come with a shake up to the current travel system ahead of the October 1 deadline for the Government to assess to current rules.

Scroll down for the latest travel updates.

11:21 AM

Teletext Holidays could face legal action over holiday refunds

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has said it will take Teletext Holidays to court unless the firm takes "urgent action to improve how it handles refunds to package holiday customers".

The CMA announced in May that Truly Holdings Ltd, the company that operates Teletext Holidays and its sister company Alpharooms.com, signed undertakings committing to address failures to issue refunds during the coronavirus pandemic.

Andrea Coscelli, chief executive of the CMA, said:

It is unacceptable that some package holiday customers are still not receiving refunds within the timeframe that they are legally entitled to.

While we are pleased that many consumers have now received the refunds they were due because of our intervention, we are clear that Truly Holdings must comply with the law.

Unless it urgently takes steps to address the failures we have identified, we will take court action.

Although the CMA does not currently have powers to impose fines for this, this is the kind of issue that could be resolved at pace and met with fines if the CMA receives the consumer powers that the Government is currently consulting on.

11:19 AM

Britain's most magical places for autumn colours

Is there a more glorious time of year?

Still lakeside reflections at Grasmere in the Lake District, Cumbria, England, UK - Getty

Here's where best to witness the UK's spectacular seasonal swansong.

11:12 AM

Comment: Like it or not, some travel restrictions should remain

It would be a serious mistake to replace gold standard PCR tests with lateral flow for those arriving from abroad, according to Professor Denis Kinane.

Currently, our data shows 4 in every 1,000 people are testing positive after they arrive in the UK. That is the equivalent of 400 people infected with Covid entering the UK every day. The figure for unvaccinated is double at 8 in 1,000. Yet every one of those testing positive had already recorded a negative lateral flow test while abroad. That is why it would be a serious mistake to replace gold standard PCR tests with lateral flow for those arriving from abroad.

Read the full story.

10:52 AM

Gatwick cuts Covid testing costs

Gatwick airport is reducing the cost of 'fit to fly’ lateral flow tests by £2 to £33.

The price of PCR tests will be cut by £10 to £59 with the airport subsidising on-site Covid-19 screening centres operated by ExpressTest.

Two centres are open at the airport; a drive-in option located within its Perimeter Road South car park and a walk-in centre in the North Terminal.

Gatwick already subsidised ‘fit-to-fly’ on-site PCR tests since the drive-in centre opened in November, with passengers and staff able to take a test for £59. That rate is now extended to arrivals from green and amber destinations and for test to release.

Stewart Wingate, chief executive of Gatwick, said:

Gatwick airport recognises that the cost of PCR tests is prohibitive and acts as barrier preventing larger numbers from booking international travel.
We are therefore pleased to be able to offer passengers a more cost-effective solution, conveniently located at the airport, to help people get away on a much-needed holiday, to visit loved ones abroad or travel for business.”

10:33 AM

TfL reveals Tube map with two new stations

Transport for London has unveiled a new Tube map showing the first major expansion of the network this century.

The map features the two new stations making up the Northern line extension in south London.

Trains will begin serving Nine Elms and Battersea Power Station from around 5.30am on Monday.

It is the first major expansion of the London Underground since the Jubilee line was opened in the late 1990s.

10:26 AM

Filming of Game of Thrones spin-off prompts complaints in Cornwall

Guests of a Cornish holiday park have cut shot their stay due to noise from filming for the Game of Thrones spin-off series, according to the park's owners.

The Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon is being shot at Holywell Bay, Cornwall on National Trust land.

The Meadow Holiday Park is next to the National Trust site and its owners have told reporters that it has been a nightmare for the business . The charity said it is working with them to resolve the issue.

10:14 AM

Ryanair hopes to create 5,000 new jobs

Ryanair plans to create 5,000 jobs over the next five years, according to chief executive Michael O'Leary. It also aims to fly an extra 25 million passengers a year by 2026.

The proposed expansion comes after the company announced at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic that it would cut 3,000 workers due to the crisis.

Mr O'Leary said the budget airline is in a better position and has been snapping up airport slots vacated by its rivals.

Speaking ahead of the company's annual shareholder meeting, he said Ryanair will open 10 new bases across Europe this year. This will create the 5,000 new jobs.

10:01 AM

Virgin Australia will require all staff to be vaccinated

Virgin Australia has issued a vaccine mandate for its staff.

All pilots, cabin crew and airport workers will have to be fully vaccinated by November 15 and its other staff will have to be immunised by March 31 next year.

This brings Virgin Australia in line with Qantas Airways and a growing number of airlines in the Asia-Pacific region.

"We also remain supportive of any government-led measures to ensure travellers are vaccinated," Jayne Hrdlicka, Virgin Australia's chief executive, said.

09:54 AM

Holiday firm sees autumn sales more than double 2019 levels

UK sales for Sandals and Beaches resorts are more than double that of autumn 2019 due to pent up demand, according to boss Adam Stewart.

The executive chairman of parent company Sandals Resorts International told trade publication Travel Weekly:

Consumers are saying to us they missed their holiday and they are taking children out of school and heading to Beaches Resorts, or travelling with their loved one to a Sandals resort.

They’re saying ‘travel is critically important to me, I haven’t been able to do it for the last 15 months…and we’re going to travel this fall between now and the end of the year'.

He added that availability was tight for the autumn half-term while 70 per cen of the resorts’ rooms were already sold for January to April 2022.

09:39 AM

Travel rule shake-up expected in time for October half term

The traffic light system for travel is expected to given as major shake-up on Friday ahead of the October half-term.

Many parents have resisted taking their families abroad amid the pandemic due to the tight quarantine policies affecting a number of holiday destinations.

The Government is now expected to axe the traffic light system, with the green and amber lists of countries simplified into a single category, as revealed last week by The Telegraph, guaranteeing quarantine-free travel there for double-jabbed Britons.

With that in mind, here are the 20 best breaks in the UK and in Europe for this half-term holiday.

09:28 AM

Heathrow boss: Shapps 'hasn’t done anything we asked of him'

Grant Shapps remains as Transport Secretary following the cabinet reshuffle.

John Holland-Kaye, chief executive of Heathrow Airport, told Times Radio that he "welcomes" Mr Shapps continuation in the role. However, Mr Holland-Kaye added that the Transport Secretary "hasn’t done anything we asked of him".

Delighted to be reappointed by @BorisJohnson as Transport Secretary. Transport is central to this Conservative Government’s levelling up agenda and I’m looking forward to working with @transportgovuk to see this mission through.
— Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP (@grantshapps) September 15, 2021

09:21 AM

Emirates to hire 3,500 staff

The world's largest long-haul airline is set to recruit 3,000 cabin crew and 500 airport staff over the next six months to meet recovering travel demand.

These new roles with Emirates are based in Dubai, which (as part of the UAE) was recently moved to the UK's amber list for travel.

"Both jobs offer exciting opportunities for friendly, energetic, and service-oriented people to meet and interact with the world as Emirates’ brand ambassadors," the airline said.

09:05 AM

'The travel system is a ludicrous mess of contradictions'

"The preparation for my trip to Canada was a headache, but the ease of transiting through the airports exposed the inanity of travel admin," writes Guy de la Bédoyèrev.

The travel system as it stands at present, even though there is news things are about to change, is a ludicrous mess of contradictions. It’s not even a system. It’s an avalanche of chaos in the crazy world created by Terry Gilliam in his movie Brazil. An infinite number of monkeys with an infinite number of typewriters has created an infinite number of rules. And so many of them are really just for show.

Read the full story.

08:49 AM

Los Angeles bars to require Covid vaccines

Drinkers in Los Angeles will need to be vaccinated against Covid-19 starting next month, authorities said on Wednesday, as mandates spread across the United States.

Bars and nightclubs in Los Angeles county will be required to check that patrons have had the shot, the health department said, in the same way they demand proof of age.

The county, home to around 10 million people, joins New York City in making jabs compulsory for swathes of the entertainment industry, in a country that has not yet fully embraced the life-saving vaccines.

Read our guide on travel to the US.

08:39 AM

The countries on the red list

The red list of destinations have the toughest travel restrictions of all. These restrictions, including a 10-day stay in a quarantine hotel at a cost of up to £2,285, in the rules shake up that's expected this week.

Here's a reminder of the country's that are on the red list.

08:24 AM

Travellers set 'to claim millions' from airlines and holiday firms over passport confusion

Thousands of travellers could "claim millions of pounds" from airlines and holiday companies after wrongly being denied boarding for flights to Europe due to a misrepresentation of passport rules, according to The Independent.

UK citizens travelling to the European Union need a passport valid "for at least three months after the date you intend to leave the EU country you are visiting [and] which was issued within the previous 10 years".

The Independent said the two conditions are independent of each other, adding: "But the UK government claims otherwise, and many travel firms have followed its online advice."

The newspaper claims that companies have refused travel to Britons whose documents were valid and now face "a barrage of claims for compensation".

08:12 AM

Chile announces plans to reopen borders

Chile has announced plans to reopen its borders to overseas visitors.

Travellers will be required to show a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours of arrival to Chile, make a legal declaration of their destination and origin, have medical travel insurance and show proof of vaccination, public health chief Paula Daza said.

All arrivals will be subject five days of quarantine at a hotel or private home. They will also be asked to complete another PCR test and complete a daily health report.

Ms Daza warned visitors not to book a trip to Chile until their vaccine certificate is validated by the Chilean health ministry – this could take up to a month.

08:01 AM

Malaysian holiday island opens as tourism restarts

Visitors flocked to the Malaysian island of Langkawi Thursday as it became the country's first holiday hotspot to reopen after a coronavirus lockdown that has hammered the vital tourism industry.

Restrictions on local travel had been in place for months and international borders remain largely closed as Malaysia battles its worst Covid-19 wave.

With the outbreak gradually easing, Langkawi, one of tropical Malaysia's premier holiday destinations, has been chosen for a pilot project to reopen the sector to domestic tourists.

The island began welcoming visitors Thursday, with water cannons firing over the first plane to land at its airport.

Under the initiative, hotels and businesses have been allowed to reopen while activities on the island's palm-fringed beaches are resuming. Tourists must be fully vaccinated to visit and have to take a virus test before departure.

Tourists arrive at the airport - Reuters

07:56 AM

Could the Maldives come off the red list?

The Maldives "should not be red full stop", according to data expert Tim White.

Holidays to the Indian Ocean nation could be back on if it is removed from the quarantine hotel list in this week's review. An update is expected from the Government today or tomorrow.

Fully vaccinated tourists are permitted to visit the Maldives, although a negative PCR test is also required. Should the country be moved off the red list, it would be a welcome option for winter sun.

Mr White told Sky News: "I am sorry, but it is madness that the popular archipelago was not removed from red three weeks ago. Case numbers are low, and almost all cases are on the main island, the capital Malé. Almost all tourists head to the separate resort islands/atolls (and even the airport itself is on a separate island). "

Many countries hoping to get off🔴#Maldives #DomRep #Turkey #Pakistan just some, the delay may help the last two as new🔴list should only include nations where #Coronavirus variants may threaten #UK
Maldives should not be red full stop.
Dominican Rep🤞as such low infection rates
— Tim White (@TWMCLtd) September 16, 2021

07:46 AM

'Our precious vaccine certificates could soon be worthless for travel'

With booster programmes now underway, two shots will no longer mean fully vaccinated – what does this mean for our travel prospects? Hazel Plush takes a closer look.

Within days, the UK’s booster programme for over-50s begins – and we join the likes of France, Germany and Greece, who have already started administering third jabs. Protecting the most vulnerable is, of course, a vital weapon in our fight against Covid, but it does raise the question: if a third dose is now encouraged – nay, recommended – where does that leave those of us who’ve had just two shots?

We thought we were ‘fully-vaccinated’… but when the roll-out begins in just a few days, does our status change? Maybe not domestically (at least while vaccine passes are confined to ‘Plan B’), but for international travel the impact is less certain – especially as other countries begin their own booster programmes, and set new parameters around vaccine protection.

Just last month, Austria and Croatia imposed an ‘expiry date’ on travellers’ vax certificates, deeming them invalid if holders received their second dose more than 270 or 210 days prior to arrival (respectively). Austria has since extended the timeframe to 360 days, but the fact remains: if you were double-jabbed more than 12 months ago, and haven’t had a booster, then you must take a test on arrival and isolate for five days. Your ‘fully-vaccinated’ status means nothing – in Austria’s eyes at least.

Read the full story.

07:38 AM

The red list countries that could move to amber

Countries that could come off the red list in this week's update include Chile, Colombia, Egypt, Indonesia, Kenya, Pakistan, Paraguay, South Africa and Uruguay. Two government sources said Turkey could also be removed.

Here's the full list.

07:34 AM

Travel rules could get stricter for unvaccinated

Unvaccinated travellers could face tighter restrictions month, including two PCR tests on arrival to the UK from all countries, according to reports.

They could also be required to self-isolate for up to 10 days on arrival, according to The Times.

A review of the travel rules is expected to be approved by ministers on Thursday or Friday, which could see the amber and green lists merge.

Meanwhile, rules for fully vaccinated travellers are expected to be relaxed. The requirement to take a pre-departure lateral flow test up to 72 hours before boarding UK-bound flights and ferries could be scrapped altogether for this group.

Government sources told The Times that changes were likely to take effect from October 4.

07:18 AM

The countries on the green, amber and red lists

The green and amber lists could be scrapped and PCR tests may be replaced with cheaper lateral flow tests for vaccinated travellers, under plans being considered by ministers.

However, a red list is expected to remain. A review of the current rules, and which countries are on which lists, is expected today or tomorrow.

Here's how the traffic light categories look following the changes that came into effect on Monday August 30.

07:11 AM

Travel chiefs: Scrap pre-departure Covid tests now, before health doom-mongers object

Ministers were on Wednesday night urged to ditch pre-departure tests for double-jabbed holidaymakers amid fears the plans could be derailed by last-minute objections by health chiefs.

Grant Shapps, the Transport Secretary, and Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor, are thought to back the move as part of a new streamlined testing regime that would save a family of four up to £400 on an autumn holiday abroad.

Ministers also plan to replace expensive PCR tests, which travellers have to take on day two of their arrival in the UK, with cheaper lateral flow tests.

They are expected to finalise the plans at a Cabinet Covid-O committee meeting on Thursday or Friday to ensure the changes are in place in time for the autumn half-term break at the end of October.