Efforts to restart Europe's mammoth travel and tourism sector have suffered another major setback, after the UK government added the world's most visited country to its quarantine list. Travellers arriving from France will have to quarantine for 14 days starting on Saturday, according to the latest guidance from the UK Department of Transport, which was updated late on Thursday. The decision was made after France reported 2,669 new coronavirus infections on Thursday. The UK government will also add the Netherlands, Monaco and Malta to its list. Travel stocks tumbled on the news, which could disappoint millions of hopeful vacationers. Shares in EasyJet and tour operator TUI plunged nearly 8%. British Airways parent IAG fell about 6% and Ryanair lost more than 4%. France is the second most popular destination for Britons after Spain, which was already on the British government's quarantine list. "It's another devastating blow to the travel industry already reeling from the worst crisis in its history," Airlines UK said. The industry body said that "broad-brush, weekly 'stop and go' changes" to travel corridors are disruptive to airlines and passengers alike, and it urged the government to adopt a more targeted approach to quarantines. It added that all international arrivals should be tested, with only those who test positive entering quarantine. The International Air Transport Association echoed calls for a more "pragmatic approach" to quarantine.<br/>
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British holidaymakers faced a scramble to get home on Friday after the government said it will reimpose a 14-day quarantine for travellers from France and the Netherlands, prompting Paris to quickly announce a "reciprocal measure". The UK government said the change will kick in at 0400 (0300 GMT) on Saturday, likely sparking a mass exodus among the estimated 160,000 British holidaymakers currently in France, after a rise in coronavirus cases there. "Data shows we need to remove France, the Netherlands, Monaco, Malta, Turks & Caicos & Aruba from our list of coronavirus Travel Corridors to keep infection rates DOWN," Transport Minister Grant Shapps wrote on Twitter. "If you arrive in the UK after 0400 Saturday from these destinations, you will need to self-isolate for 14 days." French junior minister for European affairs Clement Beaune said it was "a British decision we regret and which will lead to a reciprocal measure". France "hoped for a return to normal as soon as possible," Beaune said. Britain's badly-hit tourism sector also criticised the move. "The UK needs a more sustainable long-term plan for the resumption of travel than quarantine roulette," said a spokesman for Heathrow Airport, the country's busiest hub.<br/>
London Luton Airport has recorded a 74% slump in passenger numbers and said government assistance will be needed to give the industry a much-needed boost. The airport said July traffic was 74% lower than a year earlier. That represents a significant increase on the previous month, but still points to how tough the travel sector continues to be due to Covid-19. Last year it carried 17.9m passengers, up 8.6% on 2018. But in 2020 airlines and airports have seen demand plunge because of lockdowns, travel restrictions, quarantine concerns and worries about Covid. Alberto Martin, CE of Luton airport, said: “Seeing an increasing number of passengers passing through the airport safely is a rich reward for all the hard work and effort our teams have put in on the ground during this incredibly difficult period. While we’re delighted to see more passengers passing through the airport, we are still a long way from normal.” <br/>
Major US airlines have warned they will lay off tens of thousands of workers in October when the Cares Act payroll support program for the industry expires, raising the prospect of devastation for many workers and their families. Fired airline workers will enter an economy still reeling from the coronavirus pandemic and where weekly unemployment claims remain above 1m. The airline industry is among several where large employers have announced plans to conduct mass job cuts over the next few months. Among the largest airlines in the US, thousands of workers have already taken voluntary separation agreements, early retirement or volunteered leave of absences as part of efforts to reduce workforces to mitigate expected furloughs and layoffs in October. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment in the air transportation industry fell from about 512,000 workers in March 2020 to about 380,000 in June 2020. According to the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, about 1,000 flight attendants in the US have tested positive for coronavirus. The union is pushing for the Cares Act payroll protection program for airlines to be extended until March 2021, as only about 20% of air travel has returned. American Airlines has warned it could lay off up to 20,000 employees. United Airlines said in early July 2020 it could lay off 36,000 employees, about half its workforce in the US.<br/>
This summer US airlines added more seats on planes bound for Hawaii than to any other state, betting that Americans sick of isolation will need a holiday. Scheduled airline capacity to the Pacific islands grew 185% between June and September. Airlines plan to have 1.4m seats — filled, they hope — arrive in the state next month, according to data from aviation consultancy OAG. The increased capacity to the tropical destination is part of a larger trend of leisure travel recovering, albeit still at a fraction of 2019 levels, while business travel remains in the doldrums. United Airlines said on Wednesday that it would add 28 nonstop flights to Florida this winter because of customer demand, while Southwest tries to lure skiers with more flights to Steamboat Springs, Colorado. The travel reservation app TripIt showed that for the forthcoming Labor Day weekend, destinations in Mexico, Florida and Hawaii climbed the most compared with the same US holiday weekend in 2019. “There’s more of a focus on those leisure destinations post-Covid because that’s where the demand is,” said Savanthi Syth, an analyst at Raymond James. Travellers heading to beaches or to outdoor destinations have “a perception that you can social distance”, she added.<br/>
The Canada-US border will remain closed to non-essential travel for at least another month, Canada’s public safety minister said Friday. The statement by Public Safety Minister Bill Blair came a day after Mexico announced a similar measure for its border with the United States. The land border restrictions aimed at controlling the coronavirus pandemic were first announced in March and have been renewed monthly. Many Canadians fear a reopening. Canada has flattened the epidemic curve while the US has more confirmed cases and deaths from COVID-19 than any other country. Essential cross-border workers like health care professionals, airline crews and truck drivers are still permitted to cross. Much of Canada’s food supply comes from or via the US. Americans who are returning to America and Canadians who are returning to Canada are also exempted from the border closure.<br/>
Singapore may consider introducing reciprocal green lanes at Changi Airport for tourists from countries where the Covid-19 situation is similar to or better than that in Singapore. This means leisure travellers from such a country will be exempted from having to serve a 14-day quarantine on arrival, and vice versa. Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung suggested the arrangement as a way to help lift the passenger numbers at Changi to about 40% of pre-Covid levels. "Serving 14 days in isolation is a major deterrent to travellers, and we may have to consider replacing this with a rigorous testing regime," he said in his maiden speech to the staff of his ministry. Ong also said Singapore could explore letting tourists from countries or regions which have kept the virus under control to fly into Singapore even when they bar Singaporeans from entering there. Currently, Singapore has reciprocal fast-lane arrangements at the airport for visitors from China and Malaysia on business and official trips. For instance, those from China travelling to Singapore must do a Covid-19 swab test 48 hours before departure and after they land, among other conditions. Similar agreements are in the works with countries like New Zealand, which, however, saw a surge in infections recently.<br/>