The red list needs to go
The next review of the UK's travel restrictions is due next week. What changes will be made to the red list? Will we get minor adjustments only, or could the government take the more radical step of abolishing it completely?
The US reopens its borders to Europe
In a major boost to travellers, airlines and airports alike, the long-awaited reopening of the US border was finally announced today. Fully vaccinated travellers will be free to travel to the US from early November, in time for long separated families to be reunited for Thanksgiving.
A new travel restrictions framework
The UK’s much derided traffic light system of travel restrictions was consigned to the dustbin today. Who are the winners and losers from the new system?
What is the red list for?
Getting added to the UK's red list for travel is a death sentence for travel volumes. With 62 countries currently languishing on the list, I examine the question of what the government is trying to achieve and whether it makes any logical sense.
Time to rethink the UK’s testing regime for international travel
The UK’s system of testing for travellers is hugely more burdensome than other comparable countries. Is it doing an effective job of reducing risk in return for this massive cost?
What did we learn from the latest update of UK travel restrictions?
Mexico to red, France back to amber, Germany and Austria to green. What does it all mean?
Will we get a big revamp of the UK’s traffic light system on Thursday?
The next installment of the UK’s regular three weekly “travel restrictions drama” is due on Thursday. Will we get the usual handful of moves between categories, or is there a chance of a more dramatic set of revisions?
The whys and wherefores of the UK’s new amber plus list
Amber Plus. Sounds like a new beer brand, but in fact it’s the latest addition to the UK's set of travel restriction categories. Why was it created? Will more countries get added to it? And does it make sense anyway?
The true cost of travel test packages
The current UK policy for testing of travellers coming to the UK comes at a significant cost for consumers. Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps thinks that prices have come down and downplays the issue. I did a reality check.
Top tips for the next changes to country travel classifications
Predicting upcoming changes to the UK's traffic light travel ratings has always been rather challenging, as the rationale for the decisions has never been very clear. With another revision due on July 15, I gave it another go.
Travel freedom for fully vaccinated Brits and more testing data published
From July 19, amber list countries will turn green for fully vaccinated Brits and the under 18s. We also got another dump of arrivals testing data. I took a look at what it all means for the travel industry.
Revised arrivals testing figures reveal the staggering cost of every sample sent for sequencing
The UK government has retrospectively revised the data it published for the UK arrivals testing programme. The new data reveal the staggering cost to travellers of every test result sent for sequencing.
Reverse engineering the travel restrictions algorithm
More countries got added to the UK's green and red lists this week. Can we work out what the secret rules are that are driving the decisions?
Will the UK allow its aviation industry to take flight again?
UK travel workers and leaders are urging the government to "save the summer". With time running out, will the government respond in time? Or if not, will they provide financial assistance to save the industry?
Crunching the data from England’s arrival testing programme
The latest figures have just been released from England's international arrivals testing programme. I crunched the data to see what it tells us about how the system is performing.
Travel freedom for the “double-jabbed”?
The UK's traffic light system for setting travel restrictions is widely perceived to be broken. Is there a better way?
Has the time come for a return to supersonic travel?
United Airlines has placed a $3 billion order for 15 Overture supersonic jets. After a more than 17 year gap, has the time finally come for a return to supersonic travel?
Low-cost airline hibernation skills
The last few months have been a truly terrible period for airlines in Europe. Which of the three big low-cost airlines did the best job of keeping losses to a minimum?
Grant Shapps shocks the UK travel industry
Grant Shapps stuns the travel industry with a policy U-turn on reopening UK travel
Final predictions for the second iteration of the UK’s green and red lists
Tomorrow, the UK government is expected to update the green and red lists which govern its travel restrictions. I’ve done a final polish of my predictions for the changes, using the latest data.