Two-thirds of British adults are now fully vaccinated but still face prohibitive PCR test costs in order to travel with family of four still be paying up to £400 for Covid tests – even to Green list countries
Being able to travel was a key driver (47%) for many to get the vaccine
Nearly nine-in-ten (88%) Brits believes the UK Government travel policy advice over the past 18 months has been confusing according to this research
UK holidaymakers could be priced out of their first holiday abroad for first time in two years if test costs and rules remain
easyJet is calling for the Government to bring an end to unnecessary and expensive testing for flying abroad, in line with much of Europe
New research reveals that over four-in-five Brits (83%) believe that they should be able to travel freely to Green and Amber list countries without needing to take Covid tests to return to the UK if they are double vaccinated.
Despite the removal of quarantine for Amber list destinations, there is still a requirement for all travellers including fully vaccinated Brits to take an in destination pre-departure lateral flow test before returning to the UK followed by a PCR test two days after returning to the UK costing around £400 per family of four.
The study also revealed a huge 88% of us have found the government’s travel policies and advice confusing when it comes to travelling abroad this year, with a further 83% of Brits thinking there has been a lack of transparency on the government decision-making around the country traffic light travel lists.
And even though the Government has now removed the need to quarantine when returning from destinations on the Amber list with the exception of France, well over half (58%) of double vaccinated Brits think it has taken too long to get the benefits of their double vaccine with 63% of the country believing we have lagged behind Europe in opening up travel for UK citizens, with over two thirds (68%) finding this unfair.
There are signs that confidence is returning to travellers with 61% of Brits saying they are much more likely to want to travel abroad once they have been double jabbed, with the research showing that travel was a major reason in driving the decision to get vaccinated. Almost half of the country (47%) say that one of the main reasons they got or would get the COVID-19 vaccine was to travel abroad.
Johan Lundgren, easyJet CEO commented:
“The roll-out of the vaccine has been a true success story for the UK and being able to travel was a big driver for many to decide to get vaccinated. The government has shifted its focus on living with Covid and opened up the domestic economy. We now need to take the same next step for travel and recognise that those who are fully vaccinated do not need to be tested when they are travelling from countries which are not on the Red list.
“This study shows that the overwhelming majority of people see no justification for the fully vaccinated having to do tests when they travel to approved countries. The government’s own data shows that testing travellers coming from Europe is not necessary.
“We do not want to see a return to flying being a preserve of the rich and so, we urge the government to quickly remove these unnecessary tests for low risk countries and for the fully vaccinated otherwise they risk turning back the clock.
“easyJet is looking forward to taking as many people as we can on that long-awaited and well-deserved trip, or to reunite them with their loved ones.”
ENDS
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About easyJet:
easyJet is Europe’s leading airline offering a unique and winning combination of the best route network connecting Europe's primary airports, with great value fares and friendly service.
easyJet flies on more of Europe’s most popular routes than any other airline and carried more than 96 million passengers in 2019 – more than 16 million travelling for business. The airline has over 300 aircraft on nearly 1000 routes to more than 150 airports across 35 countries. Over 300 million Europeans live within one hour's drive of an easyJet airport.
easyJet aims to be a good corporate citizen, employing people on local contracts in eight countries across Europe in full compliance with national laws and recognising their trade unions. The airline supports a number of local charities and also has a corporate partnership with UNICEF which has raised over £14m for the most vulnerable children since it was established in 2012.
The airline takes sustainability seriously and is the first major airline to offset the carbon emissions from the fuel used for all of its flights. The airline sees this as an interim measure until new technology becomes available to de-carbonise aviation. In the meantime, easyJet will continue to support innovative technology, operate efficiently and aim to fill most of its seats. Since 2000, we have improved our carbon emission per passenger kilometre efficiency by over one third and we have a target to reach a 38% reduction by 2022.
Innovation is in easyJet’s DNA – from our launch over 25 years ago when we changed the way people fly to the present day where we lead the industry in digital, web, engineering and operational innovations to make travel more easy and affordable for our passengers.
The airline was named as Britain’s Most Admired Company of 2020 in the transport sector, retaining the leading position for a second year running. Britain's Most Admired Companies study is the longest-running annual survey of corporate reputation in the UK.
