• Latest
  • Trending
  • All
  • News
  • Lifestyle
Is there flight at the end of the tunnel? thumbnail

Is there flight at the end of the tunnel?

August 1, 2020
Trump Allies Rally Around Former President After Indictment thumbnail

Trump Allies Rally Around Former President After Indictment

March 31, 2023
House Democrats vent frustration after Biden reversal on COVID-19 emergency measure thumbnail

House Democrats vent frustration after Biden reversal on COVID-19 emergency measure

March 31, 2023
White House slams House GOP over budget delays in debt-ceiling impasse thumbnail

White House slams House GOP over budget delays in debt-ceiling impasse

March 31, 2023
Italy-sized chunk of Gulf of Mexico to be auctioned off by the US for oil drilling thumbnail

Italy-sized chunk of Gulf of Mexico to be auctioned off by the US for oil drilling

March 30, 2023
Elizabeth Warren running for 3rd US Senate term in 2024 thumbnail

Elizabeth Warren running for 3rd US Senate term in 2024

March 29, 2023
Washington bill would restrict the sale of health data thumbnail

Washington bill would restrict the sale of health data

March 29, 2023
White House Suggests ‘Assault Weapons Ban’ After Mass Shooting at Nashville School thumbnail

White House Suggests ‘Assault Weapons Ban’ After Mass Shooting at Nashville School

March 28, 2023
Dem Rep. Cohen: 'Hard' to Serve with GOP So 'Attached to Guns,' They’re 'Part of the Danger' thumbnail

Dem Rep. Cohen: ‘Hard’ to Serve with GOP So ‘Attached to Guns,’ They’re ‘Part of the Danger’

March 28, 2023
Analysis-Banking woes, Fed keep investors on edge in nervous U.S. stock market thumbnail

Analysis-Banking woes, Fed keep investors on edge in nervous U.S. stock market

March 28, 2023
Marjorie Taylor Greene Says She Was 'Assaulted' by Whistle at DC Jail Visit thumbnail

Marjorie Taylor Greene Says She Was ‘Assaulted’ by Whistle at DC Jail Visit

March 27, 2023
Boston Red Sox Star Achieves Big Spring Training Milestone Less Than 3 Weeks After Gruesome Injury thumbnail

Boston Red Sox Star Achieves Big Spring Training Milestone Less Than 3 Weeks After Gruesome Injury

March 27, 2023
A better solution to fraud and chargebacks than regulation thumbnail

A better solution to fraud and chargebacks than regulation

March 27, 2023
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact
  • Donate
Friday, March 31, 2023
66 °f
Wellfleet
58 ° Tue
63 ° Wed
68 ° Thu
61 ° Fri
  • Login
  • Register
FREE Cape Cod News
DONATE
  • FREE Cape Cod News
  • News
    • News
    • Cape Cod News
    • Massachusetts
    • Breaking News
    • Cape Cod Weather
    • Storm Watch
    • Environment
  • Politics
    • democrats
    • republicans
  • Business
    • business
    • cryptocurrency
    • economy
    • money
    • Real Estate
    • Tech
  • World
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • Photos
    • Orleans
    • Eastham
    • Wellfleet
    • Truro
    • Provincetown
    • Brewster
    • Chatham
  • Videos
No Result
View All Result
Free Cape Cod News
No Result
View All Result
  • FREE Cape Cod News
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • World
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • Photos
  • Videos
Home Lifestyle Travel

Is there flight at the end of the tunnel?

FREE Cape Cod News by FREE Cape Cod News
August 1, 2020
in Travel
Reading Time: 5 mins read
Donate
0
Is there flight at the end of the tunnel? thumbnail
637
SHARES
1.4k
VIEWS
Share on TwitterShare on Facebook

Confession. I may have pitched to do a report on the future of holidays for Prime Time with more than a glimmer of hope that it would involve some hard-nosed, boots on the ground journalism. Translation – a sunbed on the beach. Don’t judge me. It’s been a long lockdown. 

But we’re not quite there yet. Even if the holiday destinations are increasingly open for business airlines won’t resume flights until the very end of this month. 

There’s also the small matter of the 14-day quarantine which remains in place for the foreseeable future and the Government advisory to avoid all non-essential travel off the island. 

So when might I, *cough* I mean we have a holiday again?

It’s an understatement to say Mary Denton has had a challenging start to the job she began late last year. Newly appointed as managing director of Sunway Travel she’s at the helm of one of Ireland’s leading tour operators during the biggest ever shock to hit the travel and tourism industry. 

“We had the ash cloud, SARS, 9-11, but we got through them. They were short lived. This is something we have never seen before.” 

Sunway is simultaneously trying to manage cancellations, refunds and rescheduling holidays while keeping the business afloat to continue into a new season. The company, and its 65 staff, are desperate to see a resumption in holiday travel. 

“We know that while there’s a lack of confidence people are very afraid. We have to manage those expectations and make sure procedures are in place.

“Hotels are doing their best to maintain a normal environment but also respecting the social distancing rules for people when they are on their holiday.”

Mary says they are seeing bookings, in particular from September onward, but that the current quarantine restrictions are holding back further progress. 

“The quarantine rule is a huge disadvantage. The travel industry has fallen on its knees, we need to get people back flying.”

Mary says families are booking holidays for mid-term breaks and also converting cancelled summer trips into Christmas Lapland visits. 

“Spain is a huge destination for Irish people. 2.1 million people go every year. We will see the Canaries starting to pick up straight away,” she says.

Lanzarote welcomes half a million Irish visitors every year and it’s in a good position to restart its tourist industry sooner rather than later.

After imposing Spain’s strict lockdown rules, there were just six deaths from Covid 19 and the island is now almost entirely free of the virus. 

Grouped in pairs around an azure blue swimming pool, the socially distanced sunbeds in Puerto del Carmen’s Costa Sal hotel, are ready and waiting for visitors.

The footage I’m looking at in the Prime Time edit suite was filmed by a local freelance cameraman. As glorious as the Irish weather has been in recent weeks, seeing a bone fide holiday destination feels a bit like torture. Sorry viewers.

Geraldine McFadden operates hotels and restaurants in Lanzarote

Geraldine McFadden, the Irish woman who runs the hotel along with a number of other bars and restaurants on the island, isn’t convinced the return of tourists will be as quick as some might like. 

“It is not just dependent on the Spanish government or the UK or Irish governments. It is a whole mixture. And there’s so many different messages and it seems to change daily. So it’s very, very difficult to put a date on it.

“I think that September, October is realistic. Personally, I can’t see very much happening before that.”

Geraldine explains that perspex screens will protect reception staff at the hotels she operates, Costa Sal and Aqua Suites, and that the sunbeds will be distanced two to three metres. 

She plans to have restaurant menus on guests’ phones to reduce contact and says staff will be wearing face masks. 

“Social distancing when the Irish are away on holidays having a few drinks and a singsong is definitely going to be a challenge, but I think little by little we will adapt.

“Lanzarote is now more or less Covid-free, so people are nervous of tourists coming back. But we have to be realistic. It’s hard without tourists and with no economy.”

Of course before you get to your holiday destination of choice you’ll have to navigate the airport and flight. 

European guidelines suggest you won’t be able to come into the airport terminal if you’re dropping or collecting a passenger and once inside masks are recommended. 

The guidelines suggest social distancing of 1.5m but realistically many areas in an airport will be unable to enforce those measures. The head of Heathrow recently warned that a socially distant queue for a very large, long haul aircraft, could be up to 1km long. 

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency is relying on fewer passengers flying in the early days of the return of air travel.

“At the start it will be possible because the number of passengers would still be reasonably low. But at some stage, the number of passengers are going to increase but that will also correspond to a decrease in the level of the disease,” says Patrick Ky, Executive Director of the EASA. 

Where social distancing is not possible, the EASA says the wearing of masks and increased hand hygiene will mitigate the risk of Covid-19 transmission. 

Airlines say cabins will be disinfected daily rather than after every flight

The guidelines warn plastic trays are frequently contaminated so they should be cleaned more often and that hand disinfectant should be available going through security.

While the European authorities say air travel is safe they are not the only ones desperate to get back flying. The tourism industry in Ireland is almost uniquely reliant on air travel. 

Joe Gill, Director of Corporate Broking at Goodbody, is another voice calling for the removal of the 14-day quarantine restrictions. 

“I don’t think there has been enough urgency at a political level given to the role of aviation in helping recover the Irish economy,” he says. 

Joe reckons forthcoming trips to an airport could be a case of back to the future. 

“I think it’s going to be more like what airports were like 30, 40 years ago. They were assembly points used for security clearance, for customs checks and to get people on board aircraft. There will be much less retail activity in airports for the foreseeable future.” 

For the time being, the Government is insisting quarantine measures, which are based on the current medical advice, will remain. So, while next month there will be planes in the sky, will anyone be on them?

Fine. I’ll do a follow up report.

As long as it involves a sunbed.

Read More

FREE Digital Newspaper Subscription!
Sign up for your free digital subscription. The FREE Cape Cod News

Unsubscribe
FREE Cape Cod News

FREE Cape Cod News

Free Cape Cod News is what's happening in the Cape Cod, U.S and World & what people are talking about right now. Local newspaper. Stay in the know. Subscribe to get notified about our latest news.

Related Posts

What is the weather like in Cape Cod in September. FREE Cape Cod News.
Cape Cod News

What is Special about Cape Cod?

by FREE Cape Cod News
March 2, 2023
The Massachusetts North Shore: New England’s Hottest Destination For Brews, Booze, And Barbecue thumbnail
News

The Massachusetts North Shore: New England’s Hottest Destination For Brews, Booze, And Barbecue

by FREE Cape Cod News
December 16, 2022
Marketers eye OOH for the holidays as consumers return to in-person shopping and travel thumbnail
News

Marketers eye OOH for the holidays as consumers return to in-person shopping and travel

by FREE Cape Cod News
November 3, 2022
Drivers in Decline: A Shortage of Volunteers Complicates Access to Care in Rural America thumbnail
News

Drivers in Decline: A Shortage of Volunteers Complicates Access to Care in Rural America

by FREE Cape Cod News
October 31, 2022
Load More
Please login to join discussion

Follow Us on Twitter

FREE Cape Cod News - Your source for local Cape Cod news, latest breaking U.S. and World news. Every day, all day. Subscribe for your favorite categories.

  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
Red States Benefit Most From Biden's Inflation Reduction Act thumbnail

Red States Benefit Most From Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act

March 1, 2023
Trump Allies Rally Around Former President After Indictment thumbnail

Trump Allies Rally Around Former President After Indictment

March 31, 2023
What is the weather like in Cape Cod in September. FREE Cape Cod News.

What is Special about Cape Cod?

March 2, 2023
Trump Allies Rally Around Former President After Indictment thumbnail

Trump Allies Rally Around Former President After Indictment

March 31, 2023
House Democrats vent frustration after Biden reversal on COVID-19 emergency measure thumbnail

House Democrats vent frustration after Biden reversal on COVID-19 emergency measure

March 31, 2023
White House slams House GOP over budget delays in debt-ceiling impasse thumbnail

White House slams House GOP over budget delays in debt-ceiling impasse

March 31, 2023

FREE Cape Cod News On Twitter

Today’s News

  • Trump Allies Rally Around Former President After Indictment March 31, 2023
  • House Democrats vent frustration after Biden reversal on COVID-19 emergency measure March 31, 2023
  • White House slams House GOP over budget delays in debt-ceiling impasse March 31, 2023
  • Italy-sized chunk of Gulf of Mexico to be auctioned off by the US for oil drilling March 30, 2023
  • Elizabeth Warren running for 3rd US Senate term in 2024 March 29, 2023
FREE Cape Cod News

Copyright © 2022 Free Cape Cod News

Navigate Site

  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact
  • Donate

Follow Us

No Result
View All Result
  • FREE Cape Cod News
  • News
    • News
    • Cape Cod News
    • Massachusetts
    • Breaking News
    • Cape Cod Weather
    • Storm Watch
    • Environment
  • Politics
    • democrats
    • republicans
  • Business
    • business
    • cryptocurrency
    • economy
    • money
    • Real Estate
    • Tech
  • World
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • Photos
    • Orleans
    • Eastham
    • Wellfleet
    • Truro
    • Provincetown
    • Brewster
    • Chatham
  • Videos
  • Login
  • Sign Up

Copyright © 2022 Free Cape Cod News

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist