Can I travel from Manchester Airport right now?
Manchester Travel Shop are receiving lots of calls asking about the possibility of travelling from Manchester Airport right now, during the lockdown.
The government guidance is that travel is not permitted unless absolutely necessary. Valid reasons for travel would be for essential business or for compassionate reasons, however simply saying “I have family member sick abroad” would not be sufficient evidence.
Both police & airport staff are asking for concrete evidence on the reason for travel, and failure to provide would mean that you are refused travel without a refund for any travel costs.
What evidence do I need to show to fly?
You need to prove that your travel is essential and cannot be avoided. Airport staff and Police are unlikely to just take your word for it or a text message on your phone, so best to obtain letter headed evidence from a business or doctor (if travelling on compassionate grounds).
When will normal travel resume?
The government has not yet given the travel industry an indication yet when travel will resume. Many industry insiders are guessing that travel will be permitted from July once all adults have been offered a UK vaccine, however this is just a guess at present.
Once the UK government allows us to travel, there may still be restrictions in other countries that we want to travel to.
If I travel now from Manchester do I need to quarantine on my return?
At present, anyone arriving into Manchester Airport from ANY country outside of the UK needs to self isolate for 10 days, more information on this can be found on this here. This is unlikely to change any time soon.
There are currently no travel corridors at all – so self isolation is required from ANY country.
In addition to this, if you are a British National arriving from a country on the Red List Travel Ban – you will need to go into Quarantine in a Government Approved Hotel
If you are not a UK national you will not be allowed to enter from a Red List country.
Failure to disclose that you are travelling from a red list country can result in a substantial fine or even prison sentence.
The red list counties are constantly updating, so no matter where you travel to and for what reason, you do risk having to pay £1750 for the quarantine hotel on your return to Manchester Airport if the country you have visited OR transited is added to the list.
Are there flights going from Manchester Airport at the minute?
Whilst most of the holiday destination charter flights have obviously been cancelled, there is still a skeleton selection of flights going from Manchester Airport. You can check out live departure today from Manchester airport here.
It is likely even for destinations that are usually serviced well with direct flights, for example Manchester to Malaga, you will need to fly indirectly. If you do have an essential reason for travel you can search and book the cheapest flight from Manchester to your destination here.
Is it safe to book a holiday for Summer?
Manchester Travel Shop would advise you to wait until there has been an official announcement on Summer holidays from the UK government before booking a holiday. If you do want to book now ensure it is with an ATOL bonded supplier. You can contact Kevin at Travology Travel on 01617101607 to book any ATOL bonded holiday. If you book with an ATOL bonded supplier and your travel is cancelled, you will receive the ability to amend or cancel.
Is it safe to book a holiday for winter or 2022?
With the vaccine program and advances in testing it’s very unlikely that a holiday travelling in winter or 2022 will be cancelled due to covid, but once again, make sure you book an ATOL bonded package as if Covid-19 has taught us anything, it is to expect the unexpected!
