Flight bookings double after red list cut

The change of rules means that from 4am Monday 11 October, 47 countries and territories will be removed from the governement's red list, making it easier for more people to travel abroad and no longer no longer be required to enter hotel quarantine on their return to the UK.

Steve Heapy, CEO of Jet2.com and Jet2holidays said: "Holiday bookings have doubled since the Red List was cut, which shows just how assured customers now feel. After so much uncertainty, the cutting of the Red List, on top of recent positive news, has clearly given customers the confidence to book the well-deserved holiday that they have been waiting for.

Bookings are up across all seasons with the rest of October, half-term, Winter and Summer 22 all seeing strong growth. That is an extremely encouraging trend which tells us that the enormous pent-up demand is translating into bookings."

The change of rules will also mean that eligible travellers vaccinated in over 37 new countries and territories including Brazil, Ghana and Hong Kong, will be treated the same as returning fully vaccinated UK residents, so long as they have not visited a red list country or territory in the 10 days before arriving in England.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said:"Restoring people’s confidence in travel is key to rebuilding our economy and levelling up this country. With less restrictions and more people traveling, we can all continue to move safely forward together along our pathway to recovery."

From late October, eligible fully vaccinated passengers including under 18s returning from a rest of world country will have the option to replace their day 2 test with a cheaper lateral flow test, followed by a free PCR test if positive, reducing the cost of tests on arrival into England.