Elsewhere, new high street sales figures reveal a dip, while Ryanair has been accused of barring passengers who made chargeback claims against the carrier for flights they were unable to take during the pandemic.
Here are the key headlines concerning travel on Tuesday 12 October.
Pressure for public enquiry following pandemic report
Boris Johnson is under pressure to bring forward the public inquiry into how the pandemic was handled after a report by MPs condemned errors that cost thousands of lives. Experts said shutting down a week earlier than 23 March 2020 would have cut the 40,000 death toll in the first wave “by at least half”. (Daily Mirror)
Ministers’ ‘errors’ cost thousands of lives, says Covid report
A pandemic plan based too much on influenza and "groupthink" among public health officials meant early opportunities to delay the spread of Covid were missed, even though lockdowns, testing and isolation strategies were working in other countries, according to a report by MPs. (Sky News)
Fuel shortage prompts High Street sales collapse
September saw the slowest retail sales growth since January, when lockdown was in place. Year-on-year sales were down 0.6% in September compared with 2020. Experts blamed the fuel shortage and wetter weather in the second half of the month. (The Telegraph)
Ryanair blocks Covid claim passengers from flying
Holidaymakers have said their plans were left in tatters after Ryanair informed them they would be unable to fly unless they paid it money previously refunded via credit card “chargebacks”. It is thought thousands used consumer credit rules after they were unsuccessful in getting money back directly from the airline for trips disrupted by coronavirus. (The Telegraph)
