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The Daily Express can reveal bookings to France with easyJet almost doubled compared to last week in the hours after the Government eased restrictions on many favourite hotspots. But the decision to move Mexico to the red list sparked chaos yesterday as passengers discovered mid-air they could face bills of thousands of pounds to quarantine when they return to Britain. 

It left distraught holidaymakers desperately trying to make “arrangements to come home” before the rule changes come into force at 4am on Sunday.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps fired the starting gun for many to book last-minute getaways on Wednesday.

He announced fully-vaccinated arrivals from France will no longer need to self-isolate. Austria, Germany and Norway were all added to the green list.

And major transport hubs, such as Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, were moved off the red list, paving the way for fully-jabbed holidaymakers to book long-haul flights again.

Mr Shapps said: “We intend for these rules, barring something completely unforeseen, to remain in place throughout August so people can just go away and enjoy their breaks, or see family or friends or go on business.”

A Brittany Ferries spokesman said phones had been “ringing off the hook” since Wednesday.

They said: “There’s been a huge spike in interest and bookings. At last there is some good news and some certainty ‑ it’s a silver lining to the dark clouds that have been hanging over us.

“We suspect it’s a lot of second homeowners who were waiting to book, as well as last-minute holidaymakers.”

New figures from Jet2.com and Jet2holidays revealed bookings to green and amber list destinations rocketed by more than 250 percent after the rules were relaxed.

The firms’ chief Steve Heapy said: “It is no surprise to see a sudden spike in bookings to destinations on the green and amber lists, as we know there is enormous demand out there from holiday-makers.The extension to the Green and Amber Lists has increased customer confidence and given them the reassurance to book.

“With customers continuing to be able to plan and look forward to flights and holidays across more than 40 green and amber list destinations, this summer is a much brighter one for holidaymakers.”

He added: “We hope this is just the beginning of even sunnier times ahead, as the Government continues to recognise the protection our successful vaccination programme provides when it comes to opening-up international travel.”

A spokesman for Eurotunnel Le Shuttle said: “We’re delighted with the news that France returns to the amber list and can’t wait to welcome holidaymakers back on board our shuttles.

“We’re prepared for what we anticipate will be substantial demand for last-minute summer holiday trips.

“We saw a 400 percent increase in sales immediately following the announcement with most of those being made for the summer.”

Villa holiday specialist Oliver’s Travels, saw a 43 percent rise in bookings on Thursday.

And airline Emirates said it has received a “huge surge in queries” due to the decision to remove the UAE from the red list.

Mr Shapps has denied claims Dubai was taken off the travel red list so it could more easily act as an international “transport hub” and said the decision was based solely on advice from scientists.

He said: “This time they have come back and said Dubai and Qatar, the UAE and in fact India ‑ which will surprise some people ‑ are all fit to come from the red list and come onto the amber list.”

“We will always do whatever is required and you have seen us do this so far with the red list to make sure that countries ‑ even from destinations where there are a lot of people ‑ would go on that red list if that is what is required.”

But doing what is required was bad news for up to 6,000 British tourists in Mexico. Robin and Viv Silverthorne, of Worthing, Sussex, were flying to Cancun yesterday when they found out the country was being put on the red list.

They decided to come home to avoid paying for quarantine. Robin told the BBC: “We have paid £8,000 for a day trip to Mexico.”

British Airways said its teams had been “working through the night to arrange additional seats out of Mexico to help get people get home before the rules kick in. It added customers could re-book flights from Mexico “at no additional cost” and customers with a booking there in the next four weeks will be refunded.

Mr Shapps has defended the decision to raise the price of quarantine hotels, mandatory for travellers arriving from red list locations.

He said: “It is necessary to cover the costs of the quarantine hotels and at the moment the system hasn’t been doing.”

From August 12 the rate for solo travellers rises from £1,750 to £2,285 and the rate for additional adults jumps from £650 to £1,430.

Comment by Tim Alderslade

The latest changes to international travel rules were announced to great fanfare and, although ministers touted them as a great leap forward, it was clear this was yet another missed opportunity for the UK.

As the summer season nears its end, international travel will not have had anything like the reopening it had been hoping for.

This put us at odds with not only other parts of the domestic economy, but the rest of Europe too who have used their vaccination programme to open their borders more quickly and more comprehensively. The rules, when announced in April, were supposed to enable safe and reliable travel to begin.

Instead, there have been frequent last-minute changes seemingly at the whim of ministers. All this has achieved is added huge uncertainty for travellers without any obvious safety advantages. The daily drip-feed of stories has done nothing but damage public trust in travel ‑ and it is no surprise bookings have not picked up in any meaningful way.

What needs to happen now? Well, we need an approach to aviation based on science and a balanced risk appetite, where travel is encouraged when it is safe to do so and we do not try to adopt a zero-Covid approach.

This means adding many more countries to the green list and removing expensive testing requirements. But we also need a recognition that if this proves impossible, further targeted support from the Treasury will be required, to protect more than half a million direct jobs.

Many jobs have already been lost and many more remain on furlough. Their future depends on decisions taken now.

Without reopening, ministers will face the choice between presiding over a smaller and scarred aviation sector ‑ with many more jobs lost ‑ or providing the support that can see us through to better days.

Tim Alderslade is Airlines UK chief executive

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