Travel updates: EasyJet to resume flights to hundreds of destinations

EasyJet grounded all its flights in mid March, but is preparing to take to the skies in July
EasyJet grounded all its flights in mid March, but is preparing to take to the skies in July Credit: Getty

EasyJet has announced it will be resuming flights to almost three quarters of its network by August.

The low-cost airline has also launched its biggest ever summer sale, with over one million flights to European destinations going for £29.99 between July 1 and October 31.

EasyJet plans to fly 50pc of its 1,022 routes in July and 75pc in August, although with a lower frequency of flights equating to around 30pc of normal July to September capacity. Passengers will be required to wear face masks on board.

Robert Carey, Chief Commercial and Planning Officer at easyJet said:

“We are delighted to announce that we will be flying the majority of our route network across Europe, meaning customers can still get to their chosen destination for their summer holidays this year. 

“We’re passionate about helping our customers get back flying, which is why we’re offering one million seats at £29.99 for those planning on booking a holiday this summer.  Travel restrictions are being lifted and demand is starting to return, so there’s no better time for us to introduce this sale.”

This could be meaningless to British holidaymakers, of course, if the FCO continues to advise against all but essential travel, and if the government goes ahead with plans to quarantine arrivals, including returning holidaymakers, for 14 days.

Tory MPs and tourism industry chiefs have spoken out against the quarantine plans, which are due to be laid out in Parliament this week and rolled out from June 8.

                                                                                                    

Are we closer to going on holiday?

As travel industry chiefs and Tory MPs pile pressure on the government to scrap its proposed 14-day quarantine, let's take a look at the other lead stories from today:

  • No travel to South Africa until February 2021
  • EasyJet to resume flights to hundreds of destinations
  • Warwick Castle to reopen to the public this weekend
  • France returns to a 'new normal'
  • Greece to welcome back British tourists on June 15
  • More destinations are paying for you to visit

Scroll down to see all the top travel stories from around the world.

A glimpse of the first socially distanced cruise

As Telegraph Travel reported yesterday, European river cruising got off to a gentle restart when NickoVision set sail from Passau, Germany, bound for Düsseldorf. The sailing is the first since the global pause of all cruise lines, with CEO of Scylla, which owns the boat, telling The Telegraph: "We have been working for months to adapt our operations to the ‘new normality’."

Although the cruise is off-limits to Britons at the moment, pictures have come in from embarkation and onboard, and they give an idea of how the cruise experience has changed.

Passengers should expect crew behind screens or dressed in protective gear

Luggage is disinfected before it's loaded on the ship

And a one-way system allows for social distancing.

President Trump hints that some Europeans will be able to visit USA before others 

Since March 13, non-US citizens have been barred from entering the United States if they have been present anywhere in the Schengen Area within two weeks preceding their entry, Lizzie Frainier reports.

So far there has been no sign of that specific travel restriction being lifted, nor any of the others in place regarding other countries around the globe.

At a recent press conference, however, President Trump said:

We’ll be doing certain announcements on other countries, including Europe as we move along. And where they’re making progress, we’ll start to open it up. But only where they’re making progress. They’re making good progress. I think we’re making very good progress.

His statement implies that the ban will not be lifted fully in the first instance, but that Europeans from countries with low rates of coronavirus infections may be eligible to enter before others. There is no official statement on the USA's timeline to lift international travel restrictions as of yet.

Are swimming pools safe, and will they reopen this summer? 

It’s been a while since most of us have taken a refreshing dip and, with temperatures rising, many will want to grab their swimming costume and head for a pool.

However, in this new world order nothing seems straightforward and keen swimmers have been left confused as to what is currently allowed and, indeed, what going for a swim will look like in the future. 

Pools in Orlando, Florida have reopened – when will that happen in the UK? Credit: Getty

Emma Beaumont explains where you can (and cannot) take a dip.

Travel books to lift you out of lockdown

Looking for some travel literature to lift you out of lockdown?

West With The Night by Beryl Markham (North Point Press/Macmillan)

Beryl Markham (1902-1986) grew up in Kenya, hunted with the Maasai, worked as a bush pilot and became the first woman to fly the Atlantic solo from east to west. Her memoir culminates with that feat and her Zen-like response when, somewhere over Cape Breton, her engine cut out. Hemingway, who was no fan of hers, said: “[She] can write rings around all of us who consider ourselves as writers… it really is a bloody wonderful book.”

Aloft by William Langewiesche (Penguin Modern Classics)

Before he was a writer for Atlantic Monthly and Vanity Fair, Langewiesche worked as a pilot for 15 years from the age of 18, so editors have pushed him towards aviation. In this collection of essays, he considers how we move about the earth and how we view our place within it. Some are frightening, some reassuring, but all are “suffused with the wonder I still feel that as a species we now find ourselves in the sky”.

Skybound  by Rebecca Loncraine (Picador)

Two years after being diagnosed (at 35) with breast cancer, Rebecca Loncraine booked a lesson at a gliding club and fell in love with flying. Her “private love letters to the wind” were the beginnings of Skybound, which appeared in 2016, a couple of years after her death. It’s an extraordinary book, one in which the writer, for whom the world had closed down, feels it reopen, and carries the reader up on the thermals with her.

Wind, Sand and Stars by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (Penguin Modern Classics)

Saint-Exupéry (1900-1944) might not have been a model pilot, prone as he was to ­daydreaming at the controls and near-fatal crashes, but he made poetry of his experience. This book recounts his years flying airmail routes across the Sahara and the Andes; it culminates with the story of his miraculous survival following a crash in the Libyan Desert in 1936 while he was trying to break the Paris-Saigon record.

​Read all our recommendations here.

A postcard from Budapest

Alia Akkam has sent us a postcard from Budapest, where things are slowly getting back to normal.

After nearly two months of lockdown living in Budapest, a time when I left my apartment only to take walks by the Danube (eerily empty of Viking cruise ships) and to buy necessities, the city began easing restrictions around two and a half weeks ago. Shopping at supermarkets and drugstores between the hours of 9am and noon remains the domain of those 65 and over, but terraces, a lively staple of Budapest summers, beckon to the rest of the city residents once again. Even indoor dining and imbibing is now possible at restaurants and bars. 

On one of my inaugural social outings, I paid a visit to District 7 in the evening. Without the standard crush of tourists, it was delightfully bewildering.

Read the full article here.

Norwegian Cruise Line reveals plans to combat threat of Covid-19 

Norwegian Cruise Line is inching closer to being back in service as it reveals new health and safety measures, reports Benjamin Parker.

As part of Norwegian’s new fleet-wide ‘Sail Safe’ policy, passengers can expect medical-grade air filters, regular temperature checks (including on embarkation, before debarkation and before meals) and social distancing. The capacity of each vessel will be reduced so there will be more space for those in board, and staggered embarkation and online check-in will be implemented to allow required physical distancing. On board activities will still take place but in smaller numbers.

Chief executive Frank Del Rio said: “I want to do whatever I have to do to be able to look my grandchildren and my 88-year-old mother in the eye and say ‘come on board; it’s safer than ever'."

Read the full story.

Toilet access on flights should be limited, says UN body

New guidance from the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) suggests passengers should have restricted access to toilets as airlines start to relaunch flights.

One toilet should be set aside for crew, the UN body advises, while passengers should be assigned a toilet based on their seat number.

The ICAO has also suggested food and drink services should be suspended on short-haul flights or served in pre-sealed packs, magazines and newspapers be removed from flights, and hand luggage should be limited to one small bag per passenger.

Quarantine is 'ludicrous ill-judged fudge' says tourism chief

A tourism industry chief  has spoken out against the government’s proposed 14-day quarantine on people arriving in the UK, amid growing pressure for the plans to be dropped.

Kane Pirie, founder and managing director of VIVID Travel and campaign leader of Right To Refund, sent round a scathing attack last night: “It is the kind of ludicrous ill-judged fudge you might expect at the start of a crisis but not forgive at the end,” he wrote.

This comes after more than 200 tourist and aviation business chiefs signed a petition warning that quarantine will devastate the £200 billion industry that accounts for four million jobs in the UK.

Under the proposed rules  – due to come into effect on June 8 – all UK arrivals will be asked to stay at home for 14 days to stop the spread of coronavirus and could be fined £1,000 if they fail to stick to the rules.

There is growing revolt from within the Conservative party, too; 20 Tory MPs including at least seven former ministers are demanding a rethink of the plans. Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, will today lay out the regulations in Parliament that enact the quarantine under which all arrivals into the UK, including Britons returning from holiday, must self-isolate for 14 days.

There is still hope for holidaymakers, however. The Telegraph understands there are government officials working behind the scenes to strike multiple “air bridge” deals with foreign countries to make them exempt from the quarantine.

Wales will be 'left behind' if it doesn't ease lockdown

A letter from the Welsh Association of Visitor Attractions to First Minister Mark Drayford, signed by more than 40 industry bosses, explained that Welsh tourism risks falling behind that of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland where conditional reopening dates have allowed businesses to plan for the future.

The letter states:

“As a highly seasonal industry, the impact of coronavirus has hit the attraction sector (as part of the wider hospitality sector) exceptionally hard; the timing was after five months of closure and negative cash flow and the window of opportunity to salvage any net cash inflow is during the summer months. After this, the remaining trading months of September and October are borderline even in a normal year. Some areas of hospitality, such as restaurants, can still trade into the winter months with strong Christmas potential – this is not the case for most attractions.

“We need clear dates when the various sectors of the economy can open and under what terms, and also when Wales will open itself up to tourism and the leisure market. Without this imminently, then decisions will have to be made now to protect the business assets, even if this has a negative impact on staff numbers, local community/businesses and potential to open during 2020 or even 2021."

Read the full story here.

Jamaica plans to reopen to tourists

Matt Hancock may have ruled out “big, lavish international holidays” for Britons this summer – but once FCO advice changes to permit non-essential travel, avid travellers might be able to make it to Jamaica before too long, Kaye Holland writes.

The Caribbean island of reggae and rum is dependent on tourism – it receives more than 4.3 million visitors every year, with one in 10 Jamaican workers directly employed in the industry – and the government is keen to get the ball rolling as soon as possible and salvage the summer.

Jamaica is gearing up for the return of tourism Credit: Getty

Berlin Brandenburg Airport opening date confirmed for October 31 

German officials have confirmed that despite the coronavirus pandemic, the long-delayed Berlin Brandenburg Airport will finally open this year, as scheduled on October 31, Adrian Bridge reports.

“The planning and preparation goes on. At the moment there are no foreseeable obstacles to this opening date,” Oliver Schramm, Head of Economic Affairs at the German Embassy in London said today (Tue).

“The pandemic may have slowed down some of the final bits of construction, but not a lot – as in Britain, construction work has been going on in Germany. All the necessary permissions have been granted.”

The new airport – also known as the Willy Brandt Airport – was originally slated to open in late 2011. It has been beset by a series of scandals involving corruption, poor design and spiralling costs and has missed scores of later scheduled opening dates.

It has been a source of considerable embarrassment to the city authorities and has hurt national pride, making a mockery of the much-vaunted Teutonic propensity for good workmanship and efficiency. The new airport is located in the eastern part of the city adjacent to Schönefeld Airport, which together with Tegel Airport in the western part of of the city has had to cope with what until earlier this year was an ever expanding number of visitors to Berlin. With the collapse in travel caused by the coronavirus pandemic, Tegel Airport was closed this week (June 1), initially for a period of two months, though it may be more permanent barring any last minute further hitches with the new airport.

Confirmation of the Berlin-Brandenburg opening date was welcomed by Andreas Koester, the director of Lufthansa UK.

“We are much looking forward to it,” he said “ Tegel Airport in particular has been operating at its limit for a very long time.” For the German embassy, Mr Schramm allowed himself a wry: “It’s been a long road.”

UK's leading hospitality businesses to lay off 60% of staff if quarantine introduced 

A group of more than 300 business owners in the travel and hospitality industry say they expect to lay off nearly two thirds of their staff if the Government's planned quarantine measures are introduced next week. 

The policy, if given the go-ahead for June 8, will mean that anyone entering UK airports, ports or via the Eurostar, will have to quarantine at home for 14 days after their arrival, or face £1,000 fines.

In a survey of the travel industry, 94 per cent of business leaders said they expect their summer bookings to disappear if quarantine plans are introduced; 50 per cent of those who responded expect their future bookings to fall by between 80 and 100 per cent, while 71 per cent of CEOs said they expect to make almost two-thirds of their staff redundant. 

In an even more worrying sign, 28 per cent of companies said they may cease trading altogether if quarantine plans proceed.

Nearly four million people are employed in the tourism sector in the UK, some 11 per cent of the country’s entire workforce.

Jade Conroy has the full story.

The French are open for business

Across France today, bars, cafes and restaurants were able to reopen, including in Paris, where tighter restrictions mean only outdoor terraces are allowed to welcome customers again. 

There will be no more than 10 to a table, which must be a metre from the next one. Staff must wear masks, as must customers until they are seated. Hand washing and disinfecting will be pretty much permanent. One huge pizzeria in Paris 13th arrondissement will be using only disposable plates and cutlery. Others will supply menus direct to your phone by QR code menus.

Preparations are under way in Paris Credit: Christophe Ena/AP

Searches for flights to France are up a third compared to last week as the country enters the next phase of easing its lockdown, according to Skyscanner. 

The flight comparison website said it was already seeing reduced fares on some routes but warned that passengers should use airlines that offer flexible booking policies, as it is not yet clear when leisure travel will resume between the two countries. 

Meanwhile, DFDS and Brittany ferry companies and Eurotunnel are due to meet with the French Minister for Europe today to lobby for the reopening of cross-Channel links ahead of air travel.

The hotel buffet isn't dead

... so suggests John O'Ceallaigh, who spoke to some of Hong Kong's hospitality leaders about how they are adapting hotels and restaurants for the new age of Covid-19 regulations. Being several leaps ahead on the lockdown timeline, restaurants in Hong Kong currently operate at 50 per cent of their capacity, with tables separated by partitions or set at least 1.5 metres apart, but a liveliness is returning: previously only up to four diners could be seated at a table; that recently increased to eight.

Langham Hospitality Group CEO Stefan Leser has good news, too. His company is trialling a new buffet system that sees staff retrieve guests’ items for them; resulting in an immediate reduction in food waste.

Read the full story here, for a glimpse at what might be store elsewhere around the world.

Meet the couples with cancelled weddings who are taking a honeymoon anyway

Away with the rules (no, not those ones). For disappointed couples who have had to put off their weddings thanks to the pandemic, and been cooped up at home for months, some are looking to defy convention and take their honeymoons first. Emma Beaumont spoke to four of them about their plans.

Laura, whose summer wedding has been postponed, remarked:

“Life’s too short, and we’re keen to make the most of our ability to travel flexibly before we have any dependents”

Read what the rest had to say here.

The Telegraph's view on proposed quarantine

"There is simply no clear rationale for a policy that would devastate the UK's vital tourism industry."

Read the Telegraph's view on the government's proposed 14-day quarantine, here.

Things are opening up in Spain

Nearly all beaches are now open in Spain, as the government takes steps to revive the country's struggling tourism economy. So what else is opening up in Spain?

Now open

  • Beaches (as long as two-metre rule is obeyed, in groups of no more than 15)
  • Restaurants 40% capacity 
  • Terraces of restaurants/cafés at 50% capacity 
  • Hotels, including public areas at 50%
  • Swimming pools (30% capacity by appointment only) 
  • Cinemas 30%
  • Theatres 30%
  • Schools (primary, some secondary)

Note: Madrid and Barcelona are still in phase 1, meaning hotels are open at 30% (with no public areas available) and terraces are open at a reduced capacity.

The Guggenheim Bilbao reopened on Monday June 1 Credit: Getty

Open as of June 8 (for most of Spain)

  • Bars (so long as they can obey the two-metre rule) 
  • Outdoor terraces increase to 75% capacity
  • Summer day camps and outdoor activities will be permitted for children (with limited numbers).
  • Social meetings of up to 20 people.
  • Casinos, betting houses and bingo halls with capacity limited to 50% and an overall limit of 50 people. 
  • Timetables for exercise (originally split by age group) eliminated
  • All shops at 50% capacity 
  • Shopping centres 40% capacity 
  • ‘Cultural activities’ will be allowed in libraries and museums with a cap on people 
  • Zoos/aquariums 50% capacity 

Wondering when you'll visit Spain again? Here's our latest advice.

Exclusive: Warwick Castle to reopen to the public this weekend 

Warwick Castle is set to heave up the portcullis this weekend in what will be a gradual reopening of the popular visitor attraction, Penny Walker reports.

While the castle itself will remain closed owing to the small, narrow spaces and steep stairs that are incompatible with our new socially-distanced world, the 64 acres of grounds and Capability Brown landscaped gardens will be open to visitors keen to enjoy a change of scenery.

Tickets will go on sale later today, with bookings for this weekend (June 6-7) only available to Warwick Annual Pass and Merlin Annual Pass holders. The wider general public will be able to visit from Monday June 8, with the online pre-booking window initially available for seven days.

Warwick Castle's grounds will soon reopen

“We are very excited and very pleased to be able to open up to the general public once more,” Nick Blofeld, General Manager of Warwick Castle, told Telegraph Travel. “I’ve had the Castle pretty much to myself during lockdown so we’re really pleased to be able to welcome people back.”

In line with government guidelines, all staff will be wearing PPE and temperature checks will be taken at the entrance. 

Read the full story here.

The countries paying for you to return 

As countries begin to reopen their borders to tourists this summer, some locations are hoping to lure visitors back with discounts, and in some cases, even offers of a partially paid-for holiday. 

Japan, Mexico, Sicily and Bulgaria have all made offers.

Sicily's beaches reopened on May 18 Credit: Igor Petyx/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock/Shutterstock

When will we cruise again?

The global cruise industry has taken an unprecedented break from operations. However, there's light at the end of the tunnel.

Here’s a summary of the lines that are resuming operations in the coming months, including Carnival, Fred Olsen and Cunard.

EasyJet to resume flights to hundreds of destinations

EasyJet has announced it will be resuming flights to almost three quarters of its network by August.

The low-cost airline has also launched its biggest ever summer sale, with over one million flights to European destinations going for £29.99 between July 1 and October 31.

EasyJet plans to fly 50% of its 1022 routes in July and 75% in August, although with a lower frequency of flights equating to around 30% of normal July to September capacity. 

Robert Carey, Chief Commercial and Planning Officer at easyJet said:

“We are delighted to announce that we will be flying the majority of our route network across Europe, meaning customers can still get to their chosen destination for their summer holidays this year. 

“We’re passionate about helping our customers get back flying, which is why we’re offering one million seats at £29.99 for those planning on booking a holiday this summer.  Travel restrictions are being lifted and demand is starting to return, so there’s no better time for us to introduce this sale.”

EasyJet grounded its entire fleet in mid March Credit: Getty/Getty

Greece to welcome back British tourists 

With just under 3,000 cases of Covid-19 and relatively few deaths compared to other European countries, Greece is currently perceived as one of the world’s safest destinations for a summer holiday – and the country, which owes around 20 per cent of its GDP to tourism, is understandably eager to open for business. 

And the good news is that UK travellers will now be welcomed from June 15 under certain conditions, including random Covid-19 testing on arrival. 

Greece will reopen to tourists on June 15 Credit: Getty/Getty

Overseas holidays will be "very difficult", says minister

It is going to be "very, very difficult" for people to take summer holidays this year, a Government minister has said, despite confirming that air bridges are still part of a "live" debate.

Simon Clarke, the Housing Minister,  told BBC Breakfast that the two-week quarantine, which comes in from June 8, was "absolutely vital" and would last "for as long as is needed".  

Asked about air bridges, he added: "Clearly we will keep policy under review. I can’t comment on live policy questions, and I am not going to speculate on how we might address this scheme."

But speaking to Sky News later, the minister noted that "summer holidays abroad will be very, very difficult". 

Mr Clarke said he hoped the UK's tourism sector can benefit instead. 

Should you risk booking a holiday now? 

Is now a wise, or foolish, time to book a holiday? Our consumer expert, Nick Trend, has his say.

“The mood music around the possibilities of travelling this summer is beginning to feel more upbeat. If, after weeks in lockdown, your wanderlust is starting to get the better of you, you might even feel tempted to book something. 

“Wizz Air is gearing up its operations, Ryanair is promising rock bottom prices. In Italy, foreign tourism is planned to resume from this Wednesday and Cyprus from next week. In Portugal, the Algarve is reopening its beaches from Friday and 75 per cent of its hotels will open their doors this month. And on Sunday Greece announced that British visitors would be allowed to visit from the middle of June.

France and Spain are being more cautious. Restrictions won’t be lifted across the Channel until at least July 24, and for British visitors it may be August before we can holiday on the Costas. But it’s perfectly possible to book flights and holidays after those dates. 

“So, should you be tempted to jump in and book now – to bag one of the early deals? The short answer is quite straightforward. Unless you are planning well ahead for, say, October onwards, be very very wary of making a commitment just yet. A better strategy I think, is to keep alert and be ready to jump in as soon as some of the key uncertainties have cleared up."

Read Nick's six-point checklist,  here.

No travel to South Africa until February 2021 

South Africa has announced international tourism will not commence until February 2021.

Business travel restarted yesterday (June 1) while domestic travel is due to begin once again in December; however, Britons hoping to visit South Africa will need to wait.

Yesterday liquor shops reopened in South Africa Credit: Getty

A Tourism Recovery Plan is being drafted by the Portfolio Committee on Tourism, to help local economies survive a summer and autumn without tourism. 

This is one of the latest reopening dates given by any country. Argentina has officially banned all international commercial flights until September 1, while the Indonesian government has said the holiday island of Bali could reopen to tourists by October at the earliest. 

See the full list of when countries will reopen, here.

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