Do you accept that we shouldn’t be going abroad?

Simon Calder answers your questions on foreign travel and flight cancellations

Public Health England hasn’t published data on imported cases (EPA)

Q Surely it is time you accepted the uncomfortable fact that in a pandemic people should not be crossing international borders for fun?

Please don’t use that argument that such travel is often to places with far lower national rates of infection than here in the UK and therefore such holidaymakers are actually safer abroad. This is a completely facile and false argument because:

a) A low national rate might conceal far higher rates in places where foreign visitors are staying.

b) People on holiday, and particularly young people, do not consistently or even ever properly socially distance and practice the handwashing routines etc they should do.

c) When you return you are stuck into an aircraft with infected people whether you like it or not.

Hence we see planeloads of returnees with quite extraordinary levels of infection re-entering the country and setting off new infection chains. Please help reduce this pandemic and its devastating impact on the travel and leisure businesses.

Brian M

A I do not accept that saying British travellers are safer abroad “is a completely facile and false argument”. Certainly “a low national rate might conceal far higher rates in places where foreign visitors are staying”, but my observation is that the opposite applies: cases appear to be highest in large cities, where (in summer at least) foreign visitors will not be staying.

For example, in Portugal the vast majority of coronavirus cases are in Lisbon and Porto, with just 2 per cent in the Algarve and the islands, which are the main tourist locations. Next, I am sure you are right that many people, especially the young, are behaving irresponsibly. But I believe this is happening just as much in the UK as abroad.  

On the flight home, “you are stuck into an aircraft with infected people whether you like it or not”. I have flown frequently since lockdown lifted and have not been aware of any infected fellow passengers. There was certainly a notorious Zante-Cardiff charter flight in August, from which around 20 passengers tested positive, but that was the exception.

Finally, you assert: “We see planeloads of returnees with quite extraordinary levels of infection re-entering the country.” I am very keen to know if this is true. I have tried vainly to obtain such information from Public Health England, which simply says: “Data on the likely number of imported cases isn’t published.”

Rest assured, I am seeking to reduce this pandemic and its devastating impact on the travel and leisure businesses. I will certainly modify my advice if presented with facts rather than conjecture.

In the absence of evidence to the contrary, I shall continue to argue that from a personal and a societal point of view you and I are safer – and less of a threat to our fellow citizens – enjoying the sunshine and outdoor lifestyle in Italy or Greece rather than being confined in the UK.

Q Ryanair, despite having said they will run flights back from Spain, have just cancelled our flight back from Malaga to East Midlands on 27 October. No reason given except “government restrictions”. Would you kindly know why, please?

Sue C

A Yes: Europe’s biggest budget airline has operated thousands of flights at a loss since the coronavirus pandemic began, and is continuing to provide transportation at below cost, but there are limits – and sadly your homeward trip is one of the many casualties as Ryanair and every other European airline trim back their schedules to avoid self-destruction.

While easyJet – second-largest low-cost carrier – grounded all its planes for around 11 weeks, Ryanair kept a skeleton operation going. By the start of July, both airlines were ramping up schedules, particularly to and from the UK after the baffling blanket quarantine policy was lifted from many European countries.

The plan was to harness growing passenger confidence – and fly the millions of people who had booked well in advance for summer holidays – with a gradual resumption of services: 40 per cent of originally planned flights in July, 50 per cent in August and climbing steadily to reach 80 per cent in November.

All was going according to plan up to the start of August, but then unexpected and drastic quarantine legislation led to the piecemeal grounding of flights as ministers’ decisions ruled out flights from country after country without 14 days of self-isolation. With no prospect of an imminent change to the government’s quarantine policy – and similar restrictions building across Europe – forward bookings have dried up.

Ryanair, easyJet and other carriers rely on selling their seats steadily all the way through to departure time. I’m guessing there may be perhaps 30 people booked on your flight, with very little prospect of many more passengers. So it is one of the inevitable victims as airlines take an axe to their schedules.

According to Eurocontrol’s figures yesterday, airlines are cancelling about one-third of their planned flights for the rest of October and probably more in November to stem their losses. But thanks to European air passengers’ rights rules you can ask Ryanair to book you on an alternative flight at no extra charge.

I can guarantee that no other airline will be operating Malaga to East Midlands on that day, but you might be able to find a flight to Birmingham, Luton or even Manchester that meets your needs.

Q I am planning an early summer trip for next year, flying to the Mediterranean, and want to minimise the amount of travel I do while there. Is there anywhere you would recommend with an airport really convenient for a beach – but without too much noise?

Gavin H

A My clear favourite for almost all the criteria you provide is the Praia de Faro – the beach of Faro, the main aviation gateway for the Portuguese Algarve.

You can walk from the terminal to the beach in half-an-hour (or take a cab in five minutes); there are a couple of cheap and cheerful guest house/hostel places to stay; and the sand is gorgeously soft.

Considering it is the closest beach to the biggest town on the Algarve, it is rarely too crowded. A bus runs into Faro every 40 minutes or so, giving access to bars, restaurants, shopping and bright lights. And because the beach is parallel with the runway rather than beneath the flight path, the aircraft noise is not intrusive.

But you specified Mediterranean, so I must direct you elsewhere. Palma is my next bid, specifically the resort of C’an Pastilla. It’s a 40-minute walk from the airport that serves the island of Mallorca, or 10 minutes by taxi. The resort is nothing special, just a quiet little place on the Bay of Palma, except when planes are taking off to the south, when it can become a little noisy. Again, access to the city is easy, and there’s a handful of small, family-run hotels and restaurants.

The best example of a major airport that is practically on the beach is Nice. The Promenade des Anglais begins where the runway ends, and extends around the bay for about three miles. My hesitation in recommending it is twofold: the noise, which comes from the busy road as well as the planes; and the beach, which is shingle.

So instead I recommend Toulon-Hyeres, along the Cote d’Azur, where you can get from terminal to sea in two minutes flat. The airport is on the edge of the pretty port of Hyeres and some distance, with offshore islands adding to the horizon and offering a day-trip option.

The main problem is getting there. The airport has had an on/off relationship with the UK. I flew out there on Buzz (later swallowed up by Ryanair), and the most recent British airline to fly there was the now-defunct Flybe. But with airline networks in disarray and everything up for grabs, it might be a surprise addition for next summer.

Email your questions to s@hols.tv or tweet @simoncalder