From 4am on Friday, arrivals into England will no longer have to provide evidence of a pre-departure test taken in-destination.
And from Sunday, the Day 2 testing standard will be lowered from PCR to lateral flow. Arrivals will also no longer have to self-isolate while they wait for the result of their Day 2 test.
The changes mark a wholesale return to the UK government’s testing regime that preceded the arrival of the Omicron variant of Covid-19.
Industry leaders hailed the announcement on Wednesday (5 January) and said the move came at a "critical time" for travel sellers who feared the more stringent testing regime that was reintroduced in late-November would stall the traditional peaks booking window.
Early on Thursday (6 January), the CAA issued a reminder to consumers – and travel sellers – of the importance of booking Atol-protected trips.
"With travel companies offering a multitude of offers and deals ahead of what is expected to be one of the busiest weekends of the year for holiday bookings, the UK Civil Aviation Authority is urging consumers to be travel savvy when planning trips for 2022 by booking Atol-protected holidays and looking out for hidden costs," said the CAA.
"January is typically the busiest month for holiday bookings, with this weekend being the most popular time to plan ahead for 2022 getaways. Following the scrapping of pre-departure travel tests to England and the further easing of travel restrictions, many holidaymakers will be looking to book their holidays but could be overlooking key financial protection."
Michael Budge, the CAA’s head of Atol, said: “This weekend, typically known as ‘Sunshine Saturday’, is traditionally the busiest time of the year for people booking their holidays, and with travel restrictions easing, many consumers will be taking advantage of bargain deals, but could be missing out on key financial protection."
