Meanwhile, a House of Commons committee has found that Brexit-related red tape has been damaging trade between the UK and the EU.

In other news, a former Virgin Atlantic pilot has won a payout from an employment tribunal after losing his job over “unfounded” rumours that he had fallen asleep on a flight.

Here are the national news headlines travel woke up to on Wednesday (8 February). 

UK families avoid Spain over jab rules

Many UK families have cancelled planned half-term trips to mainland Spain and the Canary islands because of rules requiring children over 12 to be double vaccinated. Hotel owners say the restrictions have cost them millions of pounds in lost bookings and have called on the Spanish government to relax these restrictions. (BBC News)

Brexit damaging trade with EU, says public accounts committee

Brexit-related red tape has damaged the UK’s trade with the EU as businesses have faced increased costs and paperwork, according to the House of Commons’ spending watchdog. The situation could get worse later year unless the government works with Brussels to reduce delays at UK ports. (The Guardian)

Sacked Virgin Atlantic pilot wins £90,000 payout from tribunal

Former Virgin Atlantic pilot Mike Lawson who was sacked over “unfounded rumours’” that he fell asleep during a long-haul flight to Hong Kong has won a £89,000 payout after an employment tribunal. The airline said the reason for Lawson’s dismissal was because he had failed flight simulator tests. (Daily Mail)

Johnson pins hopes on summer reshuffle to cement position

Prime minister Boris Johnson is planning a full reshuffle of his cabinet this summer as he tries to fight off an attempt by some Conservative MPs to remove him from office. Johnson carried out a mini-reshuffle on Tuesday (8 February) with Jacob Rees-Mogg becoming Brexit opportunities minister. (The Times)

Sturgeon to publish ‘return to normal’ plan but some restrictions remain

Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon is to unveil a new plan for Scotland to “return to normal” post-pandemic later this month. But the SNP leader resisted calls to further ease Covid restrictions this week despite failing infection rates. (The i)

UK’s small business support scheme suffers slow take-up

The government’s flagship Help to Grow scheme, which is designed to boost productivity among small businesses, has signed up less than 10% of its 30,000 target, leading to criticism that the programme excludes many of the companies it aims to support. The initiative offers training to smaller firms in areas such as financial management and marketing. (Financial Times)