Rush to reach Britain: Families divided by Covid look to reunite after 16 months

Rush to reach Britain: Families divided by Covid look to reunite after 16 months
Rush to reach Britain: Families divided by Covid look to reunite after 16 months
Are YOU flying from the US to Britain?

Advertisement

Flights from Europe and the US have rocketed after Britain reopen the doors to international travel.

Airlines reported staggering booking surges while hotels in London also saw increased interest following yesterday's announcement.

Trips from New York to London spiked by 250 per cent while overall reservations from the US leaped 100 per cent week on week.

There was also a 'swift uptick' in bookings from Portugal, Italy and Greece after quarantine was axed for double-jabbed visitors.

Travel experts said most passengers were likely to be 'family members keen to see loved ones as soon as possible'.

They said they expect bookings to increase further on Thursday and in the coming weeks ahead of events such as London Fashion Week.

England will allow US and EU travellers who are fully vaccinated against coronavirus to enter without the need to quarantine from Monday.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced the new rules yesterday following intense pressure from the travel sector.

The Scottish Government and Welsh Government followed the move while will debate its position on Thursday.

But earlier this month the US State Department advised all Americans not to travel to the UK due to the Delta variant and this is not expected to change until August.

Airlines reported booking surges while hotels in London also saw increased interest following yesterday's announcement. Pictured: Heathrow's Come Fly With Me campaign

Airlines reported booking surges while hotels in London also saw increased interest following yesterday's announcement. Pictured: Heathrow's Come Fly With Me campaign

Virgin Atlantic said it had seen a 'significant uptick in interest' in flights from the US to Britain

Virgin Atlantic said it had seen a 'significant uptick in interest' in flights from the US to Britain

The UK has a far higher case rate than the US currently - but the countries are on different trajectories 

Virgin Atlantic said it had seen a 'significant uptick in interest' in flights from the US to Britain.

A spokesman told MailOnline: 'Following confirmation that isolation and quarantine for fully vaccinated EU and US citizens arriving into the UK will be removed from 2 August, Virgin Atlantic has seen a significant uptick in interest in travel from the US to the UK.

'Overall 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.'

Travel expert Paul Charles said there had also been a spike in bookings from EU countries to Britain.

The CEO of travel consultancy The PC Agency said: 'Airlines have already seen a swift uptick in bookings from Europe, including from Portugal, Italy and Greece to the UK.

'These are probably mostly family members keen to see loved ones as soon as possible without having to quarantine on arrival.

'I'm certain US bookings to the UK will increase further from today as business travellers book to come to the UK in the coming weeks, especially for major events such as London Fashion Week in September.

'We're seeing the UK Government shift decisively towards a more economically-driven approach, after the 18 months of health-led policies.

'This means travel and other sectors can get going again in a period where we learn to live with Covid, balancing greater opening-up with the health needs of the country as well. So we'll see further opening up of travel, especially next week when we see more countries being put on the green list.

'I also expect to see European countries in particular amend their border restrictions on UK visitors in the coming weeks, removing quarantine rules in some cases, such as Italy, and enabling more UK visitors to travel more seamlessly.

'However, the US will still take some weeks to open to us, as the Biden Administration wants to drive up the fully-jabbed rate among the US population and drive down Delta infection rates.'

Travel experts said most passengers were likely to be 'family members keen to see loved ones as soon as possible'

Travel experts said most passengers were likely to be 'family members keen to see loved ones as soon as possible'

They said they expect bookings to increase further on Thursday and in the coming weeks ahead of events such as London Fashion Week

They said they expect bookings to increase further on Thursday and in the coming weeks ahead of events such as London Fashion Week

Head of The Points Guy UK Nicky Kelvin noted Britain was an 'incredibly popular destination' for Europeans and Americans and said it will be a 'boost for tourism'.

He said: 'The recent news that England will allow fully vaccinated travellers from the United States and the European Union will offer a boost to the tourism industry in the UK.

'As an incredibly popular destination for Europeans and American alike, a number of businesses are likely to see a relative uptick in bookings – not just for tourism but also from visitors travelling for business and reuniting with friends and relatives.

'At The Points Guy there has been immediate excitement over relative ease at which our American colleagues can visit from next week and a number of key business related trips are likely to be booked in the coming days.

'We should see this sort of effect ripple through the business world especially in sectors where there are existing strong trans-Atlantic connections.

'We've also already seen a positive response from the airline industry to the news. Following the announcement on Wednesday, United Airlines announced that it will restore frequencies to operate more than 40 weekly flights between the U.S. and England.

'I anticipate that more airlines will jump on this trend and add more flights between the US and England – however with the USA still closed to travellers coming from both UK and Europe, the transatlantic travel corridor is still a way off.

'Even with this new exemption, travellers are still required to present a negative test before departure taken within three days, which can be a lateral flow test, as well as completed passenger locator forms and a 'Day Two' PCR test booked and taken.

'These hurdles along with the ongoing uncertainty around the changing traffic light lists may prevent a significant influx of Americans and Europeans.

'Many will be concerned for example about what happens should the Day Two test come back positive, and the reality of having to complete a 10 day quarantine away from home.

'It's important to note that the exemption applies to those who have had an approved US or EU vaccine - so for example someone who has been vaccinated in the US but is coming from a different Amber list country such as Mexico will also fall under this exemption, whilst on the flip side, someone travelling from the US or EU but vaccinated outside of the US or EU will not fall under this exemption.

'It's also worth noting that arrivals from any country that is on the U.K.'s red list will still be required to undergo a 10-day quarantine in a government-approved hotel, costing £1,750.

'At this time, there are 60 countries on the red list — none of which are the U.S. or in the EU but it does pose an additional risk for those newly eligible travellers who wish to come to the UK from other countries.'

But travel journalist Simon Calder sounded a note of caution and advised people not to book flights from the US because they will struggle to return.

He told GMB: '[Travel to the US] will probably be some time in September but again there is no rush whatsoever on the American side.

'Please don't go around booking any tickets. The airlines are already writing off a lot of their flights in August because they don't think there's much chance of that happening.

'This will have given them a bit of a boost and anyone in America with loved ones here who can travel of course is going to make the most of not having to quarantine but it

read more from dailymail.....

NEXT In news vacuum, rumours and concern swirl over Catherine mogaznewsen