The boss of Jet2.com and Jet2holidays is calling on the travel trade to keep battling for restrictions to be eased and not to accept the ‘new normal’.
Speaking on a Travel Weekly webcast, Steve Heapy said he wants a return to pre-pandemic travel, so the industry must build on the success of Thursday’s Travel Day of Action.
“We do have to keep up the lobby. We’ve had a victory, but we shouldn’t stop now,” he said.
“We should not stop until the conditions for travel are like they were two years ago.
“Let’s not fall into the trap of this new normal. If we’re vaccinated, we should go back to normal.
“Governments have a habit of doing this – they change things, they make things a bit harder, they take things away, you never get them back. I want them back.”
His comments came after the government expanded the green list of destinations, which mean arrivals from those countries do not have to quarantine for 10 days.
“Even on the green list, people say, ‘Wow, it’s on the green lights. It’s fantastic’,” he commented.
“If you’re on the green list, you still need to test two days after arrival. It’s not normal at all.”
He urged agents not to get “carried away” with the green list, adding: “Green sort of implies everything’s great; green is go; green is great; green is no problems.
“It is still a problem, because it’s massively different than travel was two years ago.
“We shouldn’t get used to how things are now; we should…insist on the government they make travel as easy convenient, as it used to be.”
Heapy said the latest easing of rules was “a small step” and gave it “a cautious welcome” – but warned that destinations can go to amber very quickly.
He criticised the lack of transparency about the data and decisions about traffic light categories, saying it makes planning very difficult for airlines and operators.
“If it was a school report, I’d probably give it four out of 10, please try harder,” he added.
In his view, the Canaries, the Greek islands and Cyprus should have been added to the green list – and he also wanted the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) to ensure its advice aligns with the lists.
More: Jet2holidays puts green list destinations on sale from July 1