Tier 4 sees operators, airlines and Eurostar cancel and amend travel

The restrictions include advice that those living in Tier 4 areas should not travel unless it is for a permitted reason.

Tui has cancelled all departures from Luton, which sits in tier 4, from 20-30 December.

It said it would contact clients directly to offer a full refund or the option to amend their booking.

In addition, Tui customers living in Tier 4 due to depart in the next 14 days will be entitled to cancel and receive a full refund or amend for free to any holiday “currently on sale”.

Customers booked on a Tui holiday not flying on Tui Airways can amend for free to a holiday with the same airline as their original booking. If airline cancels the flight, customers will receive a full refund.

The crackdown has also led Jet2 to suspend all flights from Stansted, which sits just outside Tier 4, up to and including 31 December. The operator said the suspension “follows the date the government had said that these restrictions will be reviewed”.

It will contact clients to detail their options, which include amending bookings to a later date, or a full refund. Inbound flights will operate as normal.

EasyJet is offering passengers affected by regional or national lockdowns the same options whether or not their flight is cancelled.

Passengers can claim a full refund or switch to another flight from a different arrival and departure point within the same country of the original booking. They can also choose a voucher valid for 12 months.

Airlines face restrictions on where they can fly. The Dutch government is advising against all leisure travel to the Netherlands until mid-March. EasyJet said it would “continue to review” its flying programme.

Portugal has closed its borders to UK nationals, with Tui cancelling Madeira departures on 21 and 24 December.

The operator said impacted customers “will be contacted and offered the option to amend with a booking incentive or cancel their booking and receive a full cash refund”.

It added: “Customers due to travel on 24th December will be updated as soon as possible about their holiday, but can amend their booking free of charge to an alternative holiday.”

Eurostar has cancelled all services on 21 and 22 December except departures from Paris to London. “The plan is to resume all our train services to and from the UK on Wednesday 23rd December,” it said.