Flight Prices To Ibiza And Mallorca Treble After Inclusion In Green List Announced

Flight Prices To Ibiza And Mallorca Treble After Inclusion In Green List Announced.

THE cost of flights to Ibiza and Mallorca have almost trebled after the Spanish islands were added to the UK’s ‘safe to travel’ green list on Thursday, June 24. However, the travel industry is warning there is still far too much uncertainty to save the summer.

Spain’s Balearic Islands, which also includes Menorca and Formentera, were among 14 new destinations added to the all-important list last night.

Spain’s tourism industry welcomed the news as it means holidaymakers can freely visit without the need to self-isolate when they return back to England.

However, Malta was the only one of the 14 not also put on a watchlist, which means they are at risk of returning to the amber list. And mainland holiday spots including France, Greece, Italy and Spain also missed out on a spot.

Meanwhile, German Chancellor Angela Merkel wants the EU to impose quarantine rules on Brits across the bloc, which would scupper any chances of trips abroad this summer. Currently, Malta and the Balearics are allowing people in from the UK if they can show evidence of a negative test or vaccination.

But Ms Merkel feels the risks are too high, given the spread of the Delta variant in the UK and the falling cases on the continent.

She told the German parliament on Wednesday: ‘We have not yet managed to ensure that all 27 Member States have the same entry requirements for people arriving from virus variant areas, in this case, Great Britain, but in other countries also.

‘With us, you have to be in quarantine when you come from the UK. This is by no means the case in every European country. But I would like that.’

The EU can set overall directions on travel rules but it remains up to individual countries whether they enforce them or not. Popular destinations like Spain rely very heavily on tourism and are likely to favour more relaxed rules.

The Airport Operators Association chief executive Karen Dee said the government’s ‘overly cautious approach would continue to have ‘major financial impacts’ on the sector.

‘Any extension of the green list is welcome, however small, but we also have to be realistic: this is not yet the meaningful restart the aviation industry needs to be able to recover from the pandemic,’ she said.

CBI chief UK policy director Matthew Fell said: ‘While welcoming, these limited movements on green list countries won’t be enough to salvage the summer season for the international travel sector.

‘International connectivity extends far beyond tourism and underpins our whole economy. The UK’s successful vaccine rollout means we should be in the vanguard of safely restarting international travel.’

British holidaymakers, desperate for a getaway, seemed undeterred and snapped up flights and deals in the immediate aftermath of the announcement, with flights to Mallorca trebling in price as soon as Mr Shapps tweeted the news.

The changes come into play in the early hours on Wednesday, June 30 – prices for Thursday have already increased dramatically.

For example, a passenger could have flown to Ibiza on Ryanair for £155 (€180.47) on Thursday morning previously, however, the same flight now costs £309 (€359.77), while journeys on the same day to Mallorca leapt from £153 (€178.14) to a hefty £478 (€556.54)!

Holiday company On the Beach said it would not be taking new bookings for July and August while so much uncertainty remained about countries on the watchlist.

Chief executive Simon Cooper said: ‘Booking a holiday to these destinations is not a guarantee that you won’t have to self-isolate when you return home. While this uncertainty continues, we will continue to not sell holidays for July and August until we have greater confidence these holidays will go ahead with minimal disruptions.’

However, Thomas Cook chief executive Alan French was much more upbeat saying he expected a ‘bumper weekend’ of bookings and adding that the announcement was ‘fantastic news for our customers who are desperate for a holiday and have been waiting with bated breath for this latest update’.

Related:

Balearic Islands Added To Britain’s Green List!

Northern Ireland Adds Balearics To Green List, UK Likely To Follow Suit

Latest On Ryanair, easyJet, TUI And Jet2 Travel Green List

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