Easyjet bookings increase 400% following change to quarantine rules

The airline is set to operate five million seats on flights between the UK and 85 Green and Amber destinations this summer, while Ryanair introduces ‘buy one get one free’ offer for July

EasyJet has seen UK bookings surge within hours of the UK Government’s confirmation that from July 19, fully vaccinated passengers will no longer need to quarantine when returning to England from Amber list countries.

Flight bookings to these destinations across summer 2021 increased by 400% week on week, whilst holiday bookings jumped by more than 440%.

To serve this increased demand, the airline has added 145,000 extra seats between the UK and European nations, which include Spain, Greece, Portugal, France, Italy, Croatia and Cyprus.

easyJet
Photo easyJet

The operator has also recently implemented a new COVID-19 travel insurance policy which will cover customers who test positive before a journey, by providing the necessary rearrangements or refunds. It will also reimburse the costs of any necessary medical care and additional accommodation if they contract Coronavirus during their trip.

“We have been delighted with the customer response to the removal of Amber list quarantine for the fully vaccinated, so Europe has now turned green for the double jabbed,” said Johan Lundgren, CEO of easyJet. “We have always said that vaccination is the key to unlocking travel and this means that millions will finally be able to reunite with family and loved ones abroad or take that long-awaited trip this summer.”

He added: “EasyJet is ready and able to ramp up – we fly to 85 Green and Amber destinations across Europe and could operate up to five million seats between the UK and Green and Amber countries this summer.  We urge the Government to remove expensive testing for fully vaccinated people travelling to low risk Green and Amber destinations as we do not want to see a return to flying being a preserve of the rich. We look forward to playing our part in getting the country flying again this summer.”

Meanwhile, the carrier’s rival, Ryanair, has launched a ‘Buy One Get One Free’ offer on 1,100 routes across its network for July, as vaccination rollouts continue to progress and international travel starts to resume.

In June, it also announced that it would be providing 200,000 extra seats from the UK to Malta, Ibiza and Palma, following their addition to the UK’s Green list.