WIt has been in the world of travel for over a year now.
The third year of the Covid era got off to a dismal start, with strict testing and quarantine rules for those arriving in the UK – hastily implemented in late 2021 as a hopeless attempt to stem the spread of the Omicron variant.
To prove that other governments can make ridiculous decisions, France continues to impose a near-total ban on British tourists at the start of 2022. It managed to cancel New Year’s ski trips, just as Australia and New Zealand banned British tourists from visiting relatives.
By March, the UK was finally free of futile rules for international arrivals – despite Brexit The ban on European tourists with ID cards has successfully suppressed inbound tourism for the rest of the year.
As the brakes came loose, tourism fell apart. In Britain, airlines and airports have been hit harder by pointless regulations than in any other major European country. As they opened hoping to cash in on a surge in demand for the rest of the year, the wheels came off, too.
Since then, random short-notice flight cancellations have continued. Those judiciously seeking to travel to Europe by sea or rail have found that another consequence of Brexit – Britain’s insistence on establishing the EU’s external borders in Kent and London’s St Pancras International Airport – has led to massive delays and capacity constraints.
The biggest series of rail strikes since the 1980s has hampered the stay-at-home holiday from midsummer until the end of the year.
Meanwhile, long-haul airfares have soared to unprecedented levels as airlines limit the number of available seats across the Atlantic and China’s ban on international travel sends heavy capacity to Asia and Australasia.
That being said, tens of millions of us have rekindled our passion for travel as COVID-19 restrictions ease around the world. 2022 is coming to an end, and I hope the new year brings more freedom and more joy. In the meantime, here’s a recap of each month’s top stories — apologies for any flashback anxiety it caused.
January
Taxpayers spent £500,000 so that then Foreign Secretary Liz Truss would not have to fly Qantas to and from Australia.Instead, she and a handful of officials Fly 22,000 miles in a private government Airbus A321generating nearly 500 tons of carbon dioxide emissions.
as independent It was revealed that the scheduled flights, which perfectly matched her schedule, came at a fraction of the financial and environmental cost.
February
Australia (well, most of it) is finally opening up to overseas visitors after two years of Covid closures and some pretty poor hotel quarantine arrangements for those who were admitted. Air traffic controllers arranged for a Qantas flight from Los Angeles to land first in Sydney after the ban was lifted – a promotional video claims it is “full of tourists”. But the Opera District and the rest of the city are completely devoid of international tourists – a NSW rail strike has made getting around difficult.
Domestically, Storm Dudley and Storm Eunice caused delays and cancellations for travelers by road, rail and sea — and Make Big Jet TV’s Jerry Dyer a star, Its colorful commentary is accompanied by a bunch of live photos of the man trying to land at Heathrow in a strong crosswind.
to march
International travel restrictions to arrivals in the UK were lifted on 17 March due to unusual behavior by P&O Ferries in the UK. Lay off about 800 crew members and replace them with low-wage agency workers.
The company told staff: “We expect all of our ports to experience significant disruption today, so please bear with us as we provide more information in an all-employee announcement later today.
“If you are in a client-facing role, please watch separately for more information on how we would like you to work with clients. Thank you for your patience and support.”
April
On April 17, chaos on public transport prevented many journeys to London airports. “Today’s public transport targets London’s four major airports?
“Heathrow: Tube closed, TfL rail switched. Gatwick: Victoria closed, Thameslink in chaos.
“Stansted: No express, take the bus. Luton: Forget the Thames at St Pancras.”
Not even a strike.
possible
Due to severe shortages of airline and airport staff, Extreme cancellations begin at Manchester and Gatwick airportswith Tui and easyjet Cancellation of hundreds of half-way flights.
“All affected passengers should receive cash compensation of £220, or £350 for flights over 1,500km,” independent Remind travelers.
June
When airline and airport bosses blamed Brexit for staff shortages, then aviation secretary Robert Coates insisted it was ‘unlikely’ Leaving the EU played a role in chronic staff shortages affecting aviation industry.
But easyJet chief executive Johan Lundgren said: “Before the pandemic, we could have rejected 2-2.5% [of workers] because of nationality issues. Now it is 35-40%. “
Domestically, the first national rail strike since the 1980s began.
July
As finance expert Paul Lewis puts it, Brexit, the “continuous rift” has sparked long queues in Dover and Folkestone at the start of the main holiday season.
The British requirement that French officials have to stamp every British passport leaving Kent is the root cause – along with serious traffic accidents and delays for border police arriving from France.
“Why Brexit makes gridlock in Dover inevitable,” used to be independent title.
August
Brexit fallout continues to dominate travel headlines as Eurostar announces forced end A decades-long connection from London St Pancras International Airport to Disneyland Paris Because the UK requires that it is subject to the EU’s immigration system.
The Cross Channel Rail company has also confirmed it will not open a station in Kent until 2025 at the earliest for the same reason.
The government responded with fake comments saying the new system “will help protect and enhance the security of our borders”.
September
By the ninth month of this year, the pound had lost 25% of its value against the dollar – pushing up the cost of everything from a cup of coffee in Times Square to a ton of jet fuel.
between Stretching Weight Recommendations Offered independent: Avoid “Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC)”.
“When the waiter naively asks, ‘Would you like to pay in pounds?’, he wants you to choose pounds, thereby increasing the profit of the restaurant.
“The merchant and the bank give you a horrible exchange rate and split the profit between them – usually 5% to 6%.”
October
Remember the Covid travel restrictions? Spain finally shakes off its ‘jab or test’ insistence October 21 – just in time to piss off families who spent a fortune on exams before the half-term holidays.
Outside Europe, travel to many countries remains difficult without proof of vaccination — notably the United States, which still does not allow entry to unvaccinated tourists.
November
More Brexit misery: European countries warn as new fingerprint and face checks arrive European Union May take “up to four times longer” than existing systems – Add up to two minutes to processing time per person.
The UK helped develop the immigration system and was also European Union – then, with Brexit Withdrew from the treaty and demanded to be the object of the new regime.An EU document reveals how long the tough time border inspection can take.
December
Omnishambles: This sums up the travel chaos of the final days of 2022. On Christmas Eve, Network Rail at London Euston station warned passengers not to attempt train travel until 9 January 2023.
Recent RMT strike cancels all 43 Eurostar flights on Boxing Dayruining the plans of more than 20,000 travelers.
When national services resume on the morning of Tuesday 27 December, Overloaded engineering work causing massive delays and cancellations from Exeter to Edinburgh.
We can only hope that 2023 will be a brighter year for travelers…
