Live travel news: France set to lift UK travel ban imminently

France is expected to announce imminently that it is lifting the general ban on British travelers.
Speculation, already rife, was further fueled last night when French politician Alexandre Holroyd tweeted: “Following numerous discussions with the government, significant reductions in border health measures will be announced very soon.
“More details here in the next few days.”
The encrypted tweet followed several vacation companies telling guests they believed the French ban on all Britons, except those who had a handful of “compelling” reasons to travel, was about to be rolled out. be deleted.
London-based Skiline.co.uk sent a marketing email saying: “We are expecting the French government to make an announcement on Wednesday to confirm that vaccinated British skiers can enter France from this Saturday 15th January. “
However, it now seems unlikely that an update will take place today, with French government spokesman Gabriel Attal only confirming that an announcement will be made “by the end of the week”.
Follow the latest updates below:
Mexico suffers flight cancellations amid Omicron wave
Mexico City is the latest destination to suffer a wave of flight cancellations, due to staff absences amid the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.
Mexico City International Airport (AICM) cut 235 flights in five days from January 6-9, reported The Day.
Of these, local carrier Aeromexico canceled the most with 210 flights; Aeromar removed 21; Vive Aerobus canceled two; and Volaris just one.
In a statement, AICM Airport called on customers “to understand that the pandemic affects all activities and that we are doing our best to keep the airport running.
“Your collaboration is very important to reduce the risks. Please heed the guidance of the airline and airport staff and confirm your flight status through the respective official channels.
(Getty Images/iStockphoto)
Lucy thackrayJanuary 12, 2022 6:07 p.m.
Meat grinders, bullets and ‘meth burrito’ all found in US luggage
The US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has released a video of its “Top 10 Catches” of 2021 – the weirdest or weirdest objects found in US passenger luggage.
Items include a number of guns, bullets wrapped in roll-on deodorant, a meat cleaver and a “meth burrito”.
Fireworks, bear spray and a chainsaw were also on the list.
The TSA was created in November 2001, shortly after 9/11, and is responsible for the security of air travel and the screening of passengers across the United States.
Lucy thackrayJanuary 12, 2022 5:27 p.m.
Meat grinders, bullets and ‘meth burrito’ all found in US luggage
The US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has released a video of its “Top 10 Catches” of 2021 – the weirdest or weirdest objects found in US passenger luggage.
Items include a number of guns, bullets wrapped in roll-on deodorant, a meat cleaver and a “meth burrito”.
Fireworks, bear spray and a chainsaw were also on the list.
The TSA was created in November 2001, shortly after 9/11, and is responsible for the security of air travel and the screening of passengers across the United States.
Lucy thackrayJanuary 12, 2022 5:27 p.m.
Miami is the best city break in the United States, according to a study
To rank the cities, Bounce evaluated US cities on criteria such as affordability, number of things to do, average hotel price, weather, and how long it takes to get from there. airport to downtown.
Florida’s cultural capital, Miami, came out on top with a score of 7.13 out of 10 thanks to its sunny weather and largely affordable hotel scene (the average price of a hotel for a weekend night was of $164).
He was closely followed by San Francisco, which scored 7.07; while in third place was Boston, which scored 5.54.
Denver was ranked the worst destination to stay in town, scoring 3.19 for its low number of attractions and green spaces, and long transfer time to the airport.
(Getty Images/iStockphoto)
Lucy thackrayJanuary 12, 2022 4:52 p.m.
Scotland confirms £9m domestic tourism package
Scotland has confirmed a £9million domestic tourism financial package, to tackle the effects of the Omicron variant on the country’s travel industry.
The money will be distributed by VisitScotland to businesses in the domestic tourism sector, reports Weekly trip.
However, there will be no financial support for travel companies focusing on overseas travel from Scotland.
“We recognize that the public health measures necessary to limit the spread of Omicron have had a serious economic impact, particularly for affected businesses in the hard-hit tourism sector,” Tourism Minister Ivan McKee said.
“We have now allocated up to £9million to help mitigate the effects of the pandemic on Scotland’s world-class tourism sector and ensure affected businesses can survive what is clearly a particularly cold winter period. difficult and be ready to trade fully in the spring and summer months.
“We know this will not cover all losses and we will continue to press the UK government for more comprehensive support.”
Lucy thackrayJanuary 12, 2022 4:22 p.m.
Reduced rail services on South Western Railway
Rail travelers who rely on South Western Railway (SWR) are facing significantly reduced services from Monday 17 January.
The train operator serving the UK’s busiest station, London Waterloo, has just announced ‘a new temporary timetable, which will continue to ensure reliability for our customers and meet the needs of key workers, pupils and those who cannot work from home”.
The company states: “The spread of Omicron necessitated the need for a new schedule, with staffing shortages in SWR resulting in short-notice cancellations.”
But SWR was far less affected than other operators by the absence of train staff. Rather, it is an economic decision that reflects the collapse in passenger numbers since the last ‘work from home’ advice was announced.
Mainline services from Waterloo to Weymouth will drop from 10 cars to five at Bournemouth, while trains from Exeter will do the same at Salisbury.
Trains from Waterloo to Alton will be halved every hour, along with services on the Shepperton branch.
Additionally, SWR warns: “The last train of each day will be earlier than currently.”
Simon calderJanuary 12, 2022 4:02 p.m.
World Health Organization says travel bans ineffective
After the French government said borders would remain closed to British travelers for a while, you might be interested in the World Health Organization’s (WHO) take on the travel bans.
Frankly, the UN body doesn’t think they’re doing much good. On November 30, 2021, as concern grew over the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, the body said:
“Blanket travel bans will not prevent international spread, and they place a heavy burden on lives and livelihoods.
“Furthermore, they can negatively impact global health efforts during a pandemic by deterring countries from reporting and sharing epidemiological and sequencing data.”
Simon calderJanuary 12, 2022 3:14 PM
French government confirms travel announcement will be made by ‘end of the week’
A French government spokesman, Gabriel Attal, has confirmed that the current travel ban on arrivals from the UK will soon be lifted – but gave no idea when it will be announced or the requirements.
After the last meeting of the Defense and Security Council in Paris, M Attal only said that an announcement on the easing of restrictions will be made by the “end of the week”.
The news will disappoint many would-be travelers who were hoping an announcement would be made today, paving the way for holidays and family travel to resume by the weekend. This now appears unlikely.
Simon calderJanuary 12, 2022 2:48 p.m.
British Airways launches new routes from London City
Barcelona, Luxembourg and Thessaloniki will receive flights from London City Airport this summer, on British Airways subsidiary CityFlyer.
The routes will be operated by Embraer E190 regional jets – which are popular among travelers as they have 2 x 2 seats.
The Luxembourg link begins on March 27, with several services each day. The Barcelona route begins on June 19 with daily flights except Saturdays.
Thessaloniki is a strange destination as the weekly flight will depart on Saturday afternoon from June 18 and return early Sunday morning. The crew and the aircraft will spend the night in the city in northern Greece. The current curfew in London City prohibits take-offs and landings between 1pm Saturday and 12.30pm Sunday, to give local residents a break.
In addition, flights start to Milan Malpensa airport (replacing Linate, closer to the center). Services to Jersey and Guernsey are also back, on Mondays and Fridays from June 20 to September 2.
Tom Stoddart, Managing Director of BA CityFlyer, which will operate the new services, said: “As customers start planning their next summer getaway, we wanted to offer new routes to some of Europe’s most popular destinations.”
(Simon Calder)
Simon calderJanuary 12, 2022 2:22 p.m.
French announcement expected by “the end of the week”
Although speculation was rife that the French government would make an announcement regarding the lifting of the UK travel ban today, the latest reports suggest this may not happen until later in the week. .
Time travel correspondent Ben Clatworthy tweeted: ‘Now hear no decision on French border measures today but by the end of the week…’.
Anxious travelers are waiting for news to see if planned trips can take place.
“Oh no. Booked for Sunday,” Twitter user Jeff Whitton commented.
Helene coffeyJanuary 12, 2022 1:59 p.m.