BA and Spain
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: London
Programs: Ba Silver ( for now!)
Posts: 775
BA and Spain
Spain lifted restrictions today WEF from Monday.
I am traveling to Mallorca on Monday with BA
The lifting of restrictions means
- you no longer need an essential reason to travel
- you do not require a COVID test
My question is how quickly will BA update their guidelines sand let us on the flight?
The BA site says check the rules - this links to the foreign office site which has not been updated yet.
I know BA use a 3rd party system but I dont recall its name and also dont know if a consumer can check that same site? Also how rapidly will that change?
If I was traveling 3-4 days into the changes I would not ask - but given it will be day 1 I am trying to avoid hassle and disappointment.
Thank you as ever
I am traveling to Mallorca on Monday with BA
The lifting of restrictions means
- you no longer need an essential reason to travel
- you do not require a COVID test
My question is how quickly will BA update their guidelines sand let us on the flight?
The BA site says check the rules - this links to the foreign office site which has not been updated yet.
I know BA use a 3rd party system but I dont recall its name and also dont know if a consumer can check that same site? Also how rapidly will that change?
If I was traveling 3-4 days into the changes I would not ask - but given it will be day 1 I am trying to avoid hassle and disappointment.
Thank you as ever
#2
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2014
Location: UK
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 12,237
Plenty or threads mention TIMATIC as what the check in agents go by, and this document can be checked through United's website.
At the speed in which things are changing for the good, and bad, I'd just allow extra time at check in incase the desk staff aren't up to speed
At the speed in which things are changing for the good, and bad, I'd just allow extra time at check in incase the desk staff aren't up to speed
#4
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 7,218
TIMATIC can be checked on United Airlines' website or KLM's or, but only if you promise to be a good boy/girl and use it only 10 times maximum, here: IATA - International Travel Document News (iatatravelcentre.com)
here is what it says.
here is what it says.
#5
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 2,345
Spain lifted restrictions today WEF from Monday.
I am traveling to Mallorca on Monday with BA
The lifting of restrictions means
- you no longer need an essential reason to travel
- you do not require a COVID test
My question is how quickly will BA update their guidelines sand let us on the flight?
The BA site says check the rules - this links to the foreign office site which has not been updated yet.
I know BA use a 3rd party system but I dont recall its name and also dont know if a consumer can check that same site? Also how rapidly will that change?
If I was traveling 3-4 days into the changes I would not ask - but given it will be day 1 I am trying to avoid hassle and disappointment.
Thank you as ever
I am traveling to Mallorca on Monday with BA
The lifting of restrictions means
- you no longer need an essential reason to travel
- you do not require a COVID test
My question is how quickly will BA update their guidelines sand let us on the flight?
The BA site says check the rules - this links to the foreign office site which has not been updated yet.
I know BA use a 3rd party system but I dont recall its name and also dont know if a consumer can check that same site? Also how rapidly will that change?
If I was traveling 3-4 days into the changes I would not ask - but given it will be day 1 I am trying to avoid hassle and disappointment.
Thank you as ever
When does Timatic get updated - overnight so need to check early on Monday?
#6
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: Newcastle-upon-Tyne
Programs: BAEC Gold
Posts: 177
From the BBC:
'The government says the UK and Japan will be on a list of countries whose residents are able to avoid restrictions on non-essential travel to the EU. They will not need a PCR test. But the UK government still strongly advises against non-essential travel to Spain and most other EU countries. UK tourists going to Spain will still have to quarantine on their return.'
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-57199791
Is travel insurance valid for these circumstances?
#9
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Dublin/UK/SPAIN
Programs: BA Gold. EI GoldCircle
Posts: 784
I do laugh at the no PCR test required to enter Spain.
It is still required to leave the UK so some good marketing on that one. And of course it is needed to return plus the other measures at present .
It is still required to leave the UK so some good marketing on that one. And of course it is needed to return plus the other measures at present .
#10
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 2,345
You don't need a test to leave the UK only to return then 2 afterwards.
#11
Fontaine d'honneur du Flyertalk
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Morbihan, France
Programs: Reine des Muccis de Pucci; Foreign Elitist (according to others)
Posts: 19,167
I was going to say why on earth would the government care whether you have a Covid test on departure - the airline if course would as if it is required on arrival; once you are out of the country you become someone else's problem.
#12
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: UK (currently)
Programs: BA Gold (and many other greater and lesser distinctions)
Posts: 7,202
Believe you me, BA check-in staff know little about nothing ! I flew down to Spain yesterday (on an EU passport) and I was asking the agent at the T5 F check-in whether they had sent many people with UK passports home, as most are not currently allowed into Spain but many apparently do not realise it. "Oh, I didn't know that, its my first day back" was the answer !
A wonderful flight, largely empty and as a GCH I was op-upped to CE on boarding as they did not have anyone seated in either of the the exit rows and needed someone by each door. The CSD (or equivalent) apologised that they might not be able to manage catering, but even that worked out fine.
It will be interesting to see if there is a marked uptake in flights, given that Spain looks set to stay on the UK amber list for a little while yet.
An interesting insight though into attitudes to the pandemic: The couple in row 1 sat maskless throughout the whole flight. Maybe nobody dared make a fuss as they might have claimed to be medically exempt. but by they time they reached immigration they were correctly masked up. Here pandemic controls are taken seriously, not just treated as an optional extra.
As a final observation, It's interesting that the day after Spain put us on their white list, Germany added us to their red list with compulsory quarantine. I wonder if Spain have correctly balanced the economic imperative of getting tourism moving, against the health risks. Time will tell.
A wonderful flight, largely empty and as a GCH I was op-upped to CE on boarding as they did not have anyone seated in either of the the exit rows and needed someone by each door. The CSD (or equivalent) apologised that they might not be able to manage catering, but even that worked out fine.
It will be interesting to see if there is a marked uptake in flights, given that Spain looks set to stay on the UK amber list for a little while yet.
An interesting insight though into attitudes to the pandemic: The couple in row 1 sat maskless throughout the whole flight. Maybe nobody dared make a fuss as they might have claimed to be medically exempt. but by they time they reached immigration they were correctly masked up. Here pandemic controls are taken seriously, not just treated as an optional extra.
As a final observation, It's interesting that the day after Spain put us on their white list, Germany added us to their red list with compulsory quarantine. I wonder if Spain have correctly balanced the economic imperative of getting tourism moving, against the health risks. Time will tell.
#13
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 2,345
Believe you me, BA check-in staff know little about nothing ! I flew down to Spain yesterday (on an EU passport) and I was asking the agent at the T5 F check-in whether they had sent many people with UK passports home, as most are not currently allowed into Spain but many apparently do not realise it. "Oh, I didn't know that, its my first day back" was than answer !
A wonderful flight, largely empty and as a GCH I was op-upped to CE on boarding as they did not have anyone seated in either of the the exit rows and needed someone by each door. The CSD (or equivalent) apologised that they might not be able to mange catering, but even that worked out fine.
It will be interesting to see if there is a marked uptake in flights, given that Spain looks set to stay on the UK amber list for a little while yet.
An interesting insight though into attitudes to the pandemic: The couple in row 1 sat maskless throughout the whole flight. Maybe nobody dared make a fuss as they might have claimed to be medically exempt. but by they time they reached immigration they were correctly masked up. Here pandemic controls are taken seriously, not just treated as an optional extra.
As a final observation, It's interesting that the day after Spain put us on their white list, Germany added us to their red list with compulsory quarantine. I wonder if Spain have correctly balanced the economic imperative of getting tourism moving, against the health risks. Time will tell.
A wonderful flight, largely empty and as a GCH I was op-upped to CE on boarding as they did not have anyone seated in either of the the exit rows and needed someone by each door. The CSD (or equivalent) apologised that they might not be able to mange catering, but even that worked out fine.
It will be interesting to see if there is a marked uptake in flights, given that Spain looks set to stay on the UK amber list for a little while yet.
An interesting insight though into attitudes to the pandemic: The couple in row 1 sat maskless throughout the whole flight. Maybe nobody dared make a fuss as they might have claimed to be medically exempt. but by they time they reached immigration they were correctly masked up. Here pandemic controls are taken seriously, not just treated as an optional extra.
As a final observation, It's interesting that the day after Spain put us on their white list, Germany added us to their red list with compulsory quarantine. I wonder if Spain have correctly balanced the economic imperative of getting tourism moving, against the health risks. Time will tell.
#14
Join Date: Jan 2015
Programs: BAEC Gold
Posts: 1,626
So if you fly to Spain from Monday you will be sat in a plane with a load of untested (and mainly un-vaccinated) passengers. I might risk it from Bristol, but doubt I'll be rushing for a Manchester flight any time soon.
I can only see this ending in tears for Spain, when the infection rate starts going up in 6 or 8 weeks time.
I can only see this ending in tears for Spain, when the infection rate starts going up in 6 or 8 weeks time.
#15
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Switzerland
Posts: 1,576
As a final observation, It's interesting that the day after Spain put us on their white list, Germany added us to their red list with compulsory quarantine. I wonder if Spain have correctly balanced the economic imperative of getting tourism moving, against the health risks. Time will tell.