I can’t afford a Covid test. Can I get a refund for my flight?

Simon Calder answers your questions on compensation rules, self-isolation and post-Brexit visas

A reader had planned a December trip to Lanzarote (Getty)

Q We’re booked to fly from Birmingham to Lanzarote on 21 December for a week. We booked the flights early in January when Covid was barely known about. The problem is the PCR tests for a family of four: nearly £800, which we simply cannot afford. In addition, we would need to take time off work to get them done, which is also difficult. Ideally, we would like a refund but we wondered what our rights are: should the airline agree to a refund, or will our travel insurance (has extra Covid cover) pay out?

Name supplied

A From the ending of England’s second lockdown on 2 December, many people are booked to travel to the Canaries – the only part of Spain for which two weeks of self-isolation is not required on return to the UK.