UK Travel Agents Demand Air Bridges to Spain and Portugal Plus Scrapping of Quarantine Plans

A UK travel agents group is demanding air bridges to Spain and Portugal, plus the scrapping of government quarantine plans.

The Scottish Passenger Agents’ Association says that the quarantine would be “devastating” on the whole of the travel industry.

The SPAA also wants air bridges to be set up with two of the biggest European markets in Spain and Portugal, which would exempt travellers from the quarantine regulations.

Spain is welcoming back international tourism from July, but there’s a cloud of uncertainty over whether British tourists returning home will be forced into a 14-day isolation period, if the quarantine rules continue into July.

SPAA president, Joanne Dooey, said: “The travel industry is facing virtually unsurmountable hurdles to getting back up and running. The sector is already facing the loss of virtually the whole of the Scottish schools’ main holiday season.

“There is an appetite for Scots to travel as soon as they are able to, and our recent survey shows that 60 per cent of our members have made new bookings during the lockdown period for their clients for the Summer 2020 season.”

“If travellers have to take a whole month off work in order to take the two-week holiday they have booked and paid for, it’s highly unlikely that they will be able to take these holidays.”

Dooey also expressed concern that budget carriers like Ryanair who are launching a reduced schedule to key European holiday destinations on July 1, may roll back their plans if the quarantine is still in place, despite the likes of Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary believing that the isolation rules cannot be enforced.

“Airlines won’t restart flight routes and the impact on the hundreds of thousands of jobs which the aviation and travel industry support will be devastating,” Dooey warned.

Her comments came after 70 travel industry leaders wrote to the Home Secretary Priti Patel asking her to drop the quarantine plans.