Travel news – live: Thousands benefit from eased restrictions as pre-departure tests axed from today

The transport secretary Grant Shapps has emphasised that travel testing is no longer useful now that “widespread and worldwide”, saying the extra test requirement from December has “outlived its usefulness”.

“We have to get away from the idea that within the UK we’re a safe haven but the rest of the world is dangerous - that’s not the case,” the transport secretary told the BBC.

“We’re an international country, people need to be able to travel - we need to travel to be able to see family, do business, and keep the economy going.

“Seeing [that] Omicron is everywhere, Omicron testing has really outlived its usefulness, and we don’t keep things in place when there’s no point to having them there.”

France is set to ease its strict travel ban on the UK, according to the French authorities.

French government spokesperson Gabriel Attal confirmed on 5 January that it would soon become a “bit easier” to travel between the two nations.

A near-total ban was imposed on travellers from the UK last month in response to the growing threat of the Omicron coronavirus variant.

Only French citizens and residents were allowed to enter the country from Britain, along with those who met the criteria for a slim handful of “compelling reasons”.

Read the full story:

Travel businesses are demanding clarity on if and when a booster jab will be needed for travel, says Gary Lewis, CEO of The Travel Network Group, which represents more than 1,200 travel businesses in the UK.

At a Tuesday press conference Boris Johnson mentioned needing a booster jab to travel to certain countries, saying “within weeks this will increasingly become the norm.”

“The scrapping of pre-departure tests to secure entry into the UK and the option to take a cheaper day two lateral flow test is fantastic news for the travel industry but the government is seemingly giving with one hand and threatening to take away with the other – on Tuesday we heard the Prime Minister suggest that a Covid booster vaccine will be required for international travel,” said Lewis in a statement.

“Consumers will be delighted with the extra savings to be made from today’s announcements, and it will certainly give a confidence boost to those pondering a holiday booking this month, but the uncertainty of a triple-jab ‘travel passport’ is going to cause more confusion.

“We are in favour of vaccinations and we’re asking the government to give us clarity on whether travel will be completely ruled out for those who can’t have a booster jab for whatever reason.”

As holidaymakers get their heads around the latest changes to the UK’s travel rules, there’s a sense of optimism in the air for travel fans and industry figures alike.

Yet some may still be nervous about booking trips, with the possibility of new variants and red list additions still a reality - not to mention other countries’ restrictions on UK travellers.

If you need some reassurance, Simon Calder will be answering as many reader travel questions as he can later this afternoon.

Simon will be answering live on the article below between 4pm and 5pm today.

To submit your question, you must register to be able to write in the comments box under the article below. If you’re not already a member, click “sign up” in the comments section to leave your question.

Submit your question here:

The first passengers to benefit from the reversal of the UK’s Omicron travel testing rules are already en route for London Heathrow.

Qantas flight QF1 took off from Darwin in Australia’s Northern Territory at 11.45am GMT (9.15pm local time).

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is scheduled to arrive at Heathrow at 5.05am GMT on Friday – barely an hour after the relaxed travel testing rules take effect.

Read the full story:

Vodafone and EE have announced that their roaming charges for Europe will not rise this week as planned.

Vodafone will now bring in the higher post-Brexit charges from the end of January, while EE has delayed its change in roaming charges until March.

Until Brexit, UK customers were able to stay on their home tariffs while travelling in European countries, but the EU trade deal made in December 2020 has allowed networks to reintroduce charges.

Vodafone said its delay was due to the need for further testing before roaming bundles are launched.

“We have pushed back the introduction of roaming charges to the end of January, giving time for further testing to ensure the best possible experience for customers purchasing our £1 per day bundles. Until then, customers will continue to be able to roam without charges,” said a Vodafone spokesperson.

Meanwhile EE attributed its delay to technical issues.

Every passenger cruise currently sailing in US waters has reported Covid-19 cases onboard.

All 92 ships have now met the threshold for investigation by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), reports the Washington Post.

More than 5,000 infections were recorded on passenger ships in the last two weeks of December 2021, compared to just 162 in the first two weeks of the same month.

“The virus that causes Covid-19 spreads easily between people in close quarters on board ships, and the chance of getting Covid-19 on cruise ships is very high, even if you are fully vaccinated and have received a Covid-19 vaccine booster dose,” the CDC warns in its official guidance.

Read the full story:

The Department of Health in Northern Ireland has confirmed that the nation will join England and Wales in easing international travel testing measures for fully vaccinated arrivals from this weekend.

A statement reads: “A number of travel rules previously introduced to prevent the spread of the Omicron variant will be removed.

“From 4am on Friday 7 January, fully vaccinated passengers and under-18s will no longer need to take a pre-departure test or self-isolate on arrival.

“However, fully vaccinated passengers are still required to complete a passenger locator form and take a test on or before day 2 of their arrival. From Sunday 9 January, this can be either a lateral flow (LFD) or PCR test.

“NHS Test and Trace tests cannot be used for international travel, LFDs for this purpose must be purchased from a private provider.

“Anyone with a positive lateral flow test will be required to book a free confirmatory PCR test and isolate. If the subsequent mandatory confirmatory PCR is negative, then the isolation period can end.”

Thailand has this morning raised its Covid alert from three to four, a senior health official confirmed, with new domestic restrictions likely to follow.

“Thailand has entered a new wave of infections, where new cases will be rising fast,” said Kiattiphum Wongrajit, permanent secretary of the country’s health ministry.

“Level four means we may close high-risk places and announce more measures.”

It means possible travel disruption for holidaymakers to the Southeast Asian country, who have been allowed back in through certain hotel quarantine and “Sandbox” schemes since November.

It is unclear whether Thailand will impose any entry restrictions on countries seeing a surge in Omicron cases.

Just before Christmas, the country reintroduced mandatory hotel quarantine for international visitors, suspending its “Test and Go” quarantine waiver scheme for arrivals.

Gatwick airport is experiencing problems this morning, with three flights diverted so far.

A Gatwick spokesperson said: “We have been experiencing IT issues in the Air Traffic Control tower this morning, resulting in three diverted flights.

“We are continuing to experience delays with both arrivals and departures. We are working to fully resolve this as soon as possible.”

Until the coronavirus pandemic, Gatwick was the busiest single-runway airport in the world.