The Week In Travel

Following recent delays to the easing of restrictions, this week has seen travel and transport leaders criticise the UK government’s “shambolic” response to COVID travel restrictions.

Ahead of the Travel Day of Action on 23rd of June, the Save Future Travel coalition has organised to lobby for the safe restart of international travel. In related news, a recent survey by Abta reveals that more than half of independent travel agents fear for the future.

In airline news, American Airlines and Virgin Atlantic are amongst the list of companies placing orders with eVTOL (electrical take-off and landing) vehicle manufacturer Vertical Aerospace. Both companies have ambitions to implement the revolutionary technology as soon as 2024. Meanwhile, British Airways and EasyJet have both increased UK domestic flights with multiple new routes between England, Northern Ireland and Scotland added to support increased demand.

A joint report by the US Travel Association and Tourism Economics has highlighted promising developments in business travel. While projections suggest that business travel won’t fully recover until 2024, there is a glint of hope, with approximately 35% of US-based businesses now engaging in business-related travel. In similar news, half of Americans have indicated an inclination to travel during the 2021 summer period, with a greater percentage of travellers now interested in buying insurance.

And finally, French ferry firm Brittany Ferries has expressed interest in ‘seagliders’ – a high-speed electric seaplane-style craft. The innovative, electric-powered design is up to six times faster than existing ferries, cutting the journey time significantly. Commercial services of the seacraft are anticipated to begin by 2025.