Jonny Bealby, founder of Wild Frontiers:
On Monday, Boris must give us some hope. Having ministers stating it is illegal to book summer holidays (which is plainly wrong) and others saying it’s too early, is driving an unreasonably negative message which might be hard to rebound from.
This week saw the launch of a campaign called Save our Summer, in which more than 600 UK travel companies vowed to allow free transfers or give prompt refunds for anyone booking a holiday that then can’t be taken due to the Covid pandemic. There is therefore almost no risk whatever to the customer and yet this not only gives us in the industry hope, hope we can pass on to our friends and partners around the world, it also gives our customers something to look forward to: a positive impact on our mental health that should not be overlooked.
Airlines hit more turbulence as watchdog probes unrefunded flightsÂ
Ben Marlow writes that the timing of regulatory scrutiny is terrible for the aviation industry â but carriers only have themselves to blame.
Airline bosses have been unable to get out of the brace position since the start of the pandemic. The crisis has ravaged the industry, grounding flights and holidays, and leaving major airports resembling ghost towns. Ham-fisted government policy hasnât helped either. The sectorâs misery has been compounded by nonsensical quarantine rules and confused messaging from the Department for Transport, or the âDepartment for Idiotsâ as Ryanairâs Michael OâLeary has taken to calling it.