Travel companies have seen a sharp surge in bookings as the government announced the current traffic light system of red, amber and green countries will be scrapped for England from 4 October.
Thomas Cook’s chief executive said customers are “already booking in their droves” following the latest travel changes, with the holiday company experiencing its second best day of bookings alone this year on Friday and expecting its “best weekend yet”.
Airlines including British Airways and easyJet also welcomed the major relaxing of travel rules for people coming in and out of England – but increased the pressure on the government to remove testing requirements altogether.
Image: From early October, anywhere not on the red list will be considered green and clear for travel
On Friday, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced that from early October, anywhere not on the red list will be considered green and clear for travel– with the amber list set to be removed.
Also from that date, travellers who are fully vaccinated will no longer need to take pre-departure tests for travelling into England from non-red list countries.
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Then, from the end of October, they will be able to replace their day-two PCR test with a cheaper lateral flow test.
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Those unvaccinated will still have to pay for PCR tests.
The travel changes will kick into effect for the end of the school half term holidays, offering families more freedom to travel internationally during the break and in the lead up to Christmas.
Those returning from red countries will still have to quarantine in a government-approved hotel for 10 days.
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Transport sec explains reason for new travel system
Responding to the changes, which Mr Shapps said will create a “simpler system”, Thomas Cook boss Alan French said it is “a shot in the arm for both the travel industry and families up and down the country who are crying out for some much-needed late summer sun”.
Mr French said bookings for October half-term “are up more than 200% compared to August”, adding: “Based on our bookings already today, I would expect this weekend to be the biggest of the year so far as people take advantage of the great deals on offer, the new easier rules on testing and the simplified system for international travel.”
Managing director of TUI UK Andrew Flintham agreed that the latest travel changes are “a positive step forward” and will “provide much-needed reassurance for customers looking to book ahead”.
Mr Flintham added: “We’ve already seen an uptick in bookings for Turkey in October and a big increase in bookings for those looking to enjoy some winter sun.”
The chief executive of Virgin Atlantic, Shai Weiss, said “the overdue simplification” of the government’s rules for international travel “will deliver a significant boost to consumer confidence and UK economic recovery”.
But others have suggested the changes do not go far enough.
Image: The managing director of TUI UK, Andrew Flintham, said the latest travel changes are ‘a positive step forward’
Some, including Karen Dee, Airport Operators Association chief executive, noted that England has “a more onerous approach to travel than our European competitors”.
Ms Dee said the change is “a good step forward”, but added: “Ultimately, we need to return to a situation similar to prior to the pandemic, in which people can travel without further tests or forms to fill out. The UK and devolved governments should aim for this as soon as is safely possible.”
Heathrow boss John Holland-Kaye added: “This simplification of the travel rules is very welcome for businesses and families across the country but the decision to require fully vaccinated passengers to take more costly private lateral flow tests is an unnecessary barrier to travel, which keeps the UK out of step with the rest of the EU.”
Similarly, easyJet chief Johan Lundgren said the announcement was “welcome”, but added: “However, vaccinated travellers and those from low-risk countries will still have to do an unnecessary test after arriving in the UK, making travel less affordable for all.”
British Airways chief executive and chairman Sean Doyle also urged the government to go further and sweep away all testing requirements for fully vaccinated travellers.
Meanwhile, Stewart Wingate, Gatwick Airport chief executive, said passenger locator forms should also be discarded.
UK car production fell by more than a quarter (27.1%) last month as a cyberattack at Jaguar Land Rover halted manufacturing at the plant, industry figures show.
The total number of vehicles coming off assembly lines – including cars and vans – fell an even sharper 35.9%, according to September data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
“Largely responsible” for the drop was the five-week pause in production at Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) due to a malicious cyber attack, as other car makers reported growth.
JLR’s assembly lines in the West Midlands and Halewood on Merseyside were paused from late August to early October as a result.
During this time, not a single vehicle was made. Production has since restarted, but the attack is believed to have been the “most financially damaging” in UK history at an estimated cost of £1.9bn, according to the security body the Cyber Monitoring Centre.
It was the lowest number of cars made in any September in the UK since 1952, including during the COVID-19 lockdown.
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3:53
Are we in a cyber attack ‘epidemic’?
Despite the restart, the sector remains “under immense pressure”, the SMMT’s chief executive Mike Hawes said.
The phased restart of operations led to a small boost in manufacturing output this month, according to a closely watched survey.
Of the cars that were made, nearly half (47.8%) were battery electric, plug-in hybrid or hybrid.
The vast majority, 76% of the total vehicles output, were made for export.
The top destinations are the European Union, US, Turkey, Japan and South Korea.
JLR was just the latest business to be the subject of a cyberattack.
Harrods, the Co-Op, and Marks and Spencer, are among the companies that have struggled in the past year with such attacks.
Championship club Sheffield Wednesday have filed for administration, according to a court filing, which will result in the already struggling side being hit with a 12-point deduction.
The South Yorkshire club currently sit bottom of the Championship, the second tier of English football, with just six points from 11 games.
Known as The Owls, Wednesday are one of the oldest surviving clubs in world football, with more than 150 years of history.
Court records confirm the club have filed for administration. A notice was filed at a specialist court at 10.01am.
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2:58
Sky’s Rob Harris reports on the news that Sheffield Wednesday have filed for administration
What has happened?
The Owls, who host Oxford United on Saturday, have been in turmoil for a long time.
On 3 June, owner Dejphon Chansiri, a Thai canned fish magnate who took over the club in 2015, was charged with breaching EFL regulations regarding payment obligations.
Image: Sheffield Wednesday fans protest the ownership at a game away to Leeds United in January. Pic: Reuters
Weeks later, Mr Chansiri said he was willing to sell the club in a statement on their official website.
Image: Sheffield Wednesday’s troubles have sparked furious protests from fans. Pic: PA
Their crisis deepened just days later when another embargo was imposed on the club relating to payments owed to HMRC, before players and staff were not paid on time on 30 June.
In the months that followed, forwards Josh Windass and Michael Smith left the club by mutual consent. Manager Danny Rohl, now at Rangers, also left by mutual consent.
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2:12
Frustrated Sheffield Wednesday supporters have targeted their embattled club’s owner in a highly-visible protest during their opening match of the season.
The Owls were forced to close the 9,255-capacity North Stand at Hillsborough after a Prohibition Notice was issued by Sheffield City Council.
‘Current uncertainty’
On 6 August, the EFL released a statement, saying: “We are clear that the current owner needs either to fund the club to meet its obligations or make good on his commitment to sell to a well-funded party, for fair market value – ending the current uncertainty and impasse.”
On 13 August, the Prohibition Notice was lifted, but a month later, news emerged of a winding-up petition over £1m owed to HMRC.
Last season, Wednesday finished 12th. They had already been placed under registration embargoes in the last two seasons after being hit by a six-point deduction during the 2020/21 campaign, for breaching profit and sustainability rules.
With a 12-point deduction, the Owls would be 15 points away from safety in the Championship.
Doing well were computer and telecommunications retailers as the iPhone 17 launched in the month, while online jewellers reported strong demand for gold despite the price hovering around record highs.
Gold has been in demand, and in recent days reached a record high, as some investors moved money out of the US dollar and government bonds amid the ongoing government shutdown.
It came despite a rainy month – which typically keeps shoppers at home – and a five-day tube strike in London.
The impact of the rain could be seen, however, in the boost to online spending, which rose to one of the highest levels since the end of the pandemic.
A fall was recorded in food shop sales from August to September, signalling a response to high food price inflation.
A good week for the economy?
Retail sales figures are significant as they measure household consumption, the largest expenditure in the UK economy.
Growing retail sales can mean economic growth, which the government has repeatedly said is its top priority.
Earlier this week, another key economic measure came in better than expected.
Inflation remained at 3.8% rather than rising to the widely expected 4% – double the target rate set by the interest rate-setters at the Bank of England.
Consumers were feeling better about their finances, a closely watched measure of consumer confidence showed on Friday.
Buying sentiment is up from last month, according to market research company GFK, as intentions to buy big-ticket items like electrical goods and furniture rose.
Combined, it suggests people are not feeling too gloomy in the run-up to the November budget.