Disease

WTTC: 'UK govt has 30 days to save the travel industry'

End of furlough and failure to simplify UK’s travel rules likely to create perfect storm for travel businesses at the end of the month, council warns

Wizz Air latest to require vaccination for flight and cabin crew

All members must be inoculated by 1 December

Unite union urges govt to retain furlough for aviation

Assistant general secretary Diana Holland said a failure to safeguard aviation jobs would ‘dramatically damage’ the sector’s long-term recovery

Mauritius reaches vaccination target ahead of 'full reopening' in October

The country’s herd immunity threshold of 60% vaccination in adults was passed on Monday (30 August)

Domestic breaks pose 'bigger Covid risk' and furlough plea

Covid test firm outlines greater risk of staying in the UK than going abroad as union makes fresh bid for greater furlough support – Wednesday’s national headlines

Welsh ministers consider private travel test U-turn

Travellers are currently required to use NHS PCR tests when returning from abroad at a cost of £68 each

PCR tests for travel 'here to stay', health minister warns

Health minister Lord Bethell has reportedly indicated to testing providers the government is unlikely to scrap the requirement for travellers to take PCR tests upon arrival in the UK

EU removes US from Covid safe travel list

Israel, Kosovo, Lebanon, Montenegro and North Macedonia have also been struck off the list

Heapy: 'Governments must do more to bring testing costs down'

"When you compare taking a holiday to practically any other area of life, there simply isn’t a level playing field" - Jet2 chief Steve Heapy

UAE cuts PCR test pricing to less than £10

Tests provided in all national medical establishments reduced to AED $50 (£9.88); results must be provided within 24 hours

Italy scraps quarantine requirement for fully vaccinated Brits

Tough entry rules originally introduced on 21 June to end so long as arrivals can show proof of full vaccination and evidence of a negative test for Covid-19

'Staycation boom' to continue and PCR testing 'here to stay'

UK accommodation and holiday providers are already reporting healthy interest for 2022 according to Tuesday’s national press headlines (31 August)

What has happened to the transatlantic travel taskforce?

The taskforce was set up in June to explore ways and means of restarting travel between the UK and the US, but silence has fallen over its progress

Agents welcome traffic light update but condemn govt decision making process

’The growing safe list of green and amber destinations is really helping boost the recovery of the travel industry and we are already seeing a frenzy of activity from both travel consultants and customers’ - Not Just Travel co-founder Steve Witt

Ministers 'doing bare minimum to stop travel testing 'rip-off'

Labour urges transport secretary Grant Shapps to take tougher action on firms "exploiting" the testing system

Barrhead: 'October could be extremely busy for departures'

Barrhead president Jacqueline Dobson said an influx of business in October "would be a crucial part of recovery" ahead of winter

Aviation sector calls for end of traffic light regime

’Too many families are having to look over their shoulders for rule changes, and pay through the nose for tests,’ said Airlines UK chief Tim Alderslade

Govt travel policy threatening an industry 'on the precipice'

Industry welcomes stability of travel rules provided by latest traffic light update, but calls for solutions to ’structural issues’ delaying the sector’s recovery

Stark new figures highlight collapse in UK air passenger traffic

Arrivals by air down 90%, on average, between April 2020 and July 2021

Iata calls for EU Covid Certificate to be made global standard

Association says in the absence of a global standard, the EU DCC should ’serve as a blueprint to other nations’

Traffic lights changes draw muted reaction; Covid surge expected

Friday’s national press headlines address the reaction to the latest changes to the UK’s traffic lights regime, and also highlight an expected spike in Covid cases owing to the bank holiday weekend

James Thornton: 'We're coming out of survival into revival'

Intrepid Travel chief chats to James Chapple about enduring Australia’s tough lockdowns, trading through adversity and Intrepid’s vaccine equity initiative

Airlines set to insist on mandatory Covid-19 vaccination for staff

Air Canada, Delta, Swiss and United Airlines are set to follow in Qantas’s footsteps in making staff vaccines compulsory

New app launched to verify pre-travel lateral flow tests

Sample quality is judged against a professional scoring system using self-swab videos