Jet2, Tui, easyJet and Ryanair have made amendments to their policies after the UK Government announced international travellers returning to England from “red list” countries will have to quarantine in designated hotels.
From February 15, UK nationals or residents returning from any country on the Government’s travel ban list have been required to stay in a quarantine hotel for 10 nights.
These new measures apply to anyone who has been in or through a “red list” country in the past 10 days.
Currently, there are 33 countries deemed at high risk of coronavirus variants, which includes all of South America, southern Africa, Portugal and the United Arab Emirates.
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Here’s the latest advice from the major airlines in the UK:
easyJet
With changing travel restrictions, easyJet has launched a ‘protection promise’ allowing customers to change their booking if their plans change.
This includes a refund guarantee for flights or holidays if they are cancelled plus a full refund for holidays if a customer changes their mind up to 28 days before.
With the travel ban protection, customers can also receive a refund for non-cancelled flights if plans are impacted by travel bans in a regional or national lockdown.
Customers also have the freedom to change flights without a fee up to 14 days before departure, and change a holiday up to 28 days before departure; and if quarantine measures come in to place last minute, easyJet’s quarantine assurance also means impacted flights can be changed without a change fee.
All holidays are covered under easyJet holidays’ Covid commitments if holidays cannot go ahead or are impacted by restrictions.
Jet2
Jet2 cancelled more flights this week in response to tougher restrictions, reports HertsLive.
The airline are now hoping that holidays will return by April 14 – pushed back from the end of March.
In a statement posted on Twitter, Jet2 said: “Due to the ongoing uncertainty and travel restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, we have taken the decision to extend the suspension of flights and holidays up to and including 14 April 2021.
“Where customers yet to travel are affected by any programme changes, our industry-leading and prompt refunding of over £1bn has been widely praised, and we will continue to automatically cancel affected bookings with a full refund.”
There is some optimistic news, the airline also added hundreds of new seats to flights for later in the summer, including to Zante, Crete, Rhodes and Kefalonia.
TUI
TUI have been trying to offer quarantine-free holidays throughout the pandemic meaning that they have had to cancel or postpone trips to a number of destinations.
Those affected can change their booking to a different holiday, receiving a voucher, or receive a full refund.
All their holidays due to depart on or before March 7, 2021 have been cancelled.
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There has also been a number of holidays cancelled up to the end of April.
The follow holidays, including flight-only and accommodation-only bookings to the below destinations due to depart on or before April 30 2021:
- Goa, India La Palma, Canary Islands
- Phuket, Thailand
- The Gambia
- Florida
- Iceland
- The Seychelles
TUI will not run holidays until at least November first to smaller number of destinations, with trips to the following places cancelled up to October 31 2021:
- Los Cabos, Mexico
- Kvarner Bay, Croatia
- Alghero, Sardinia
- Montenegro
Ryanair
Ryanair is continuing to fly a reduced schedule during the lockdown, and has not cancelled any flights since rules were tightened.
The airline has reminded travellers that they need to complete a Passenger Locator Form before arrival in the UK, and they should check with local authorities.
In a press release, the airline said, there will be “few if any, flights being operated to or from Ireland or the UK from the UK from the end of January until such a time as these draconian travel restrictions are removed”.
Those with flights cancelled by the airline will be entitled to a full refund, while those wanting to change their plans will be able to reschedule without a change fee.
