Originally Posted by
rog747
OzzyOzBorn
quote =
The overriding impediment to the leisure market is quarantine restrictions, both in other countries and here in the UK upon return home. bookings will remain utterly depressed
Jet2 and others must plan around this, and lobby to ensure that government-imposed restrictions do not linger even one day longer than absolutely necessary.
= unquote
Here's the thing - How can they plan around this?
It is not just the problem of Jet2's or TUI's holiday pax having to quarantine when arriving or returning from their holidays when travelling against FCO travel advice, the overwhelming problem is that one's Travel Insurance becomes null and void once HM's FCO adds a Country to the no-go/non-essential travel list.
Thus Jet2, TUI et al, have then to cancel all of their upcoming package holiday flights from that moment on, until such time the FCO advice lifts.
(And advance bookings will also obviously dry up or dwindle, as pax will in the main, be reluctant to book a destination on the 'list')
The Tour Operator has a duty of care to its clients and therefore it would be reckless for them to continue to undertake any such travel against FCO advice and where Travel Insurance provision is nullified.
Folk that are still going away independently now against FCO advice who are flying on say RYR or EZY etc, airlines which are still flying to various no-travel destinations that are on the FCO list (Such as TFS LPA MLA DLM or FAO) are of course, supposed to self isolate upon their return, and be aware that their Travel Ins is null & Void.
Your EHIC card will still provide basic medical and emergency treatment however.
There are now some Travel Ins Policies that do provide some holiday cover if you wish to still travel against FCO advice, but Tour Operators will not buck this and will not fly their planes.
Jet 2 are now offering single trip travel insurance to their customers which gives the customer cover whilst abroad if the FCO advise against travel due to Covid 19, and covers them for medical treatment due to Covid whilst they’re abroad. If they’re not already doing it I imagine it won’t be long before other tour operators and low cost airlines start to do the same, so that solves the insurance problem.
The major issue remains the strange concept that if you live (for example) in Manchester where there are over 500 cases per 100,000 of the population you have to quarantine for 14 days if you return from a country where there are 21 cases per 100,000, although I suppose that whilst it’s good that it protects returning travellers from catching the disease in the street outside their house, it does nothing to slow the spread in Manchester.
Until there is a vaccine or governments in places like the U.K. stop trying to blame someone else for what’s happening in their own country people are still going to be reluctant to travel, unless they are retired or can work from home during the 14 day quarantine.