Covid19............International travel

[Bri Roberts]

Good news but who would currently risk going through security at Manchester Airport?

[SteveH]

Manchester Airport has queues out into car park as passengers report 'shambolic' scenes
Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has warned that the problem could ensue for another two months

Travellers attempting to jet off from Terminal One in time for the Easter Holidays have expressed their anger and said they were met with "shambolic" scenes, but praised exhausted staff for doing their best. It comes as the mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, warned that queues and delays could continue for at least another two months as he criticised airport bosses for reacting "too late" on recruitment.

cont https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/manchester-airport-queues-out-car-23677138

[SteveH]

More misery ahead for airport users, says baggage handler
Member of staff predicts months of misery ahead

The Daily Mirror reports the worker claims that their crew is working with half the number they did before the pandemic, meaning their efforts to load and unload the aircraft in good time are inevitably in vain. The baggage handler, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said better conditions and pay elsewhere had led many experienced colleagues to leave.

Read more https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/uk-news/more-misery-ahead-airport-users-24536435?IYA-reg=49560bcd-5a9c-47f0-8fc5-ba2e71710589

[SteveH]

Return of air route is 'great news' for tourism in North Wales                         
Direct air links between Manchester Airport and China will be restored for the first time since the start of the pandemic

You can now fly on the new BA.5 service direct..................   

[SteveH]

Brits travelling to Spain issued money warning as miserable price hike expected
You'll be paying ?500 more for your holiday than this time last year, according to new research

There's bad news for Brits looking to travel to Spain in the next few months. Now summer has ended, thousands of us look to holiday abroad for substantially cheaper prices in the colder "back to school" months - but people are being warned of a price hike.

For a week's getaway, you will likely end up paying at least ?505 more now than you would?ve done this time last year, new research has revealed. The findings, from the foreign exchange expert eurochange, follows a year-on-year comparison of accommodation fees, restaurant meals, car hire and currency exchange rates, which reveal significant annual increases across the board in mainland Spain.

Given that their findings do not take the cost of flights into account - which are reported to cost around 45% more now than they did last year - the price hike could be even higher. The area that?s seen the biggest annual increase is car hire, which costs 136% more than this time last year, with Brits expecting to shell out ?609 for a week's rental, or ?52 per day,

https://www.dailypost.co.uk/whats-on/trips-breaks/brits-travelling-spain-issued-money-25124482

[SteveH]

Strikes by Border Force staff at UK airports could go on for months unless the government enters talks over pay, the head of the PCS union has said.

Mark Serwotka said the PCS had a "mandate" for walkouts up until May.

Thousands of travellers arriving in the UK have been told to expect disruption over the festive period as passport control staff began strikes on Friday.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-64060584

[SteveH]

Covid tests for China travellers to UK ending

Travellers flying into England from mainland China will no longer have to provide proof of a negative pre-departure test from next month.

The change will come into effect on 5 April - exactly three months after the measures started.

Ministers brought in controls after a spike in cases following Beijing's relaxation of its zero-Covid policy.

Their removal comes after greater transparency from China, the government said.

In a statement, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said that there has been increased information on "testing, vaccination and genomic sequencing results" on China's domestic disease levels.

The data indicates that Covid variants seen in China "continue to be the same as those already circulating in the UK", it added.

cont https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-64993197

[SteveH]

Easyjet has confirmed it has cancelled 1,700 flights as people prepare to travel on their summer holidays.

The airline has axed flights during July, August and September, travelling to and from Gatwick airport.

Easyjet blamed constrained airspace over Europe and ongoing air traffic control difficulties, which are causing regular cancellations.

It said 95% of affected passengers had been re-booked onto other flights.

Easyjet announced the decision as many schools in England and Wales prepare to break-up for the summer holidays.

The company said the cancellations roughly represent the equivalent of one day's worth of flights. It will still operate about 90,000 journeys over the period.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-66153416

[Ian]

On Prime video (free to all who have a Prime sub) there's a chilling documentary about Ryanair, which spells out why there will be a terrible disaster in the near future. Meanwhile, Ryanair is still rated the worst airline in Europe bar none, and the management culture there is said to be beyond toxic. Having watched the documentary it's fairly clear why people only ever fly once.

We have only flown Ryanair once, around fifteen years ago, and never since.

It seems you might need a VPN to watch it.

[SteveH]

Thanks for that,    my sister spotted a ridiculously cheap flight from Nantes to Manchester last Friday, ?57.00 return, and as we had not seen each for some time, booked the flight, just over an hour flying time, said it was what she expected for the money, and is flying back tomorrow, I will not show her your post......   

[Ian]

Perhaps after she lands? 

[SteveH]

Warning to holidaymakers as third of airports hike drop-off fee
Anyone heading to an airport has been told to ?brace themselves?

Drop-off fees for drivers have increased at more than a third of major UK airports in the past year, according to new research. Eight of the 21 airports analysed have raised or introduced charges for dropping off passengers since August 2022, an RAC investigation found.

Drivers should ?brace themselves? for record high fees, the motoring services company said. The biggest upswing in existing so-called kiss and fly charges ? which are typically levied for dropping off someone as close to a terminal as possible ? are at Southampton and Belfast International airports.

cont https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/uk-news/warning-holidaymakers-third-airport-hike-27310958?IYA-reg=49560bcd-5a9c-47f0-8fc5-ba2e71710589

[SteveH]

Drug-resistant bug warning to holidaymakers as illness surges through Spain and other Euro resorts
The main symptoms of the disease include fever, severe diarrhoea and stomach pain

Brit holidaymakers have been warned about a potentially deadly stomach bug, spreading in popular tourist hotspots in Europe.

The dangerous shigella sonnei infection - also know as shigellosis - is said to be breaking out in clusters and become resistant to multiple drugs. Experts have singled out tourist destinations in Spain, as well as Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands, reports the MIrror.

cont https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/drug-resistant-bug-warning-holidaymakers-27375820

[Dave]

Of the meagre 7 that replied to the survey, I was the only one that said I'd travel when Covid vaccinated.
I wonder how that reads now?
Covid is still about and I have already been to 5 European and 4 worldwide destinations in the last 23 months and I'm heading back to India in the near future.

From a health point of view I have yet to catch so much as a cold when travelling on a plane but managed to get covid post vaccination , probably on a packed tram in Manchester  heading to the Etihad.
We lost too!.

All this scare mongering is ruining lives by those who buy in to it. Might as well take your chance and enjoy life while you can, it could all come to an abrupt end anyway

[SteveH]

Travelling with counterfeit goods could land you in jail or facing hefty fines
Donning some knock-off goods isn't unusual, but some countries' rules could see travellers in some trouble

Travelling is an exciting experience that helps you explore new cultures and places and, whether you want to take photos for your Instagram or personal collection, many of us want to look stylish on the go. With the cost of living being so high, you may be tempted to wear counterfeit goods while travelling, but Ben Schreiber from handbag company Latico Leathers warns that doing so could result in a criminal conviction and a hefty fine.

cont https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/uk-news/travelling-counterfeit-goods-could-land-28115968?IYA-reg=49560bcd-5a9c-47f0-8fc5-ba2e71710589