Meanwhile, ministers’ comments seeking to dissuade people from travelling abroad this summer gain a lot of coverage throughout the national press.
Elsewhere, the US has reclassified some countries as safe to travel to, although the UK remains out of bounds owing to an ongoing effective travel ban.
Travel leaders are hoping US president Joe Biden and prime minister Boris Johnson will be able to thrash out an agreement on a resumption of UK-US travel at this week’s G7 summit in Cornwall.
CMA launches airline refunds probe
The Competition and Markets Authority is to investigate whether British Airways and Ryanair broke the law by not refunding customers whose flights were cancelled due to the pandemic. The CMA has opened “enforcement cases” to see if consumers were left “unfairly out of pocket”. (The Mirror)
Government accused of killing travel
The government has drawn criticism for its U-turn over foreign holidays after several ministers urged people to remain in the UK this summer. Whitehall sources have denied any change of policy and said the green list will be expanded when conditions allow. (The Times)
US lowers travel restrictions for 61 countries
US citizens who are fully vaccinated may now visit France, Spain and Italy, but not the UK. A total of 61 countries were lowered from a Level 4 rating to Level 3. The UK is Level 3, but a presidential decree introduced last March placing restrictions on it is still in place. (BBC)
Call for restrictions to remain in place for an extra month
There is pressure from some ministers to delay lifting lockdown until the start of the English school holidays. Some within government want restrictions to remain until 23 July to combat the spread of the Delta variant. (Daily Mail)
Qatar Airways in paint row with Airbus
Qatar Airways has stopped delivery of any new Airbus A350 aircraft in a dispute with the manufacturer. The airline says the surface of the long-haul jet below painted areas “has been degrading at an accelerated rate”. (The Times)
Turkey launches ‘sea snot’ clean up
Turkey has vowed to clean up a slick of slimy bacteria south of Istanbul that has accumulated due to sewage pollution. Barriers have been laid to collect the mucus and the area will be declared protected by the end of 2021, including a crack down on illegal fishing. (The Independent)
