How safe do passengers feel about travelling?
‘STAY IN UK’ RESTRICTIONS TO END TOMORROW
PASSENGERS at the North East’s biggest airport have said they feel safe flying abroad ahead of travel rules being relaxed.
The “stay in the UK” restriction is set to lift tomorrow,allowing people to fly to green list countries for nonessential purposes.
Newcastle International Airport has a number of Covid-safe measures in place including increased cleaning regimes, screens at checkin desks, hand sanitising and trolley cleaning stations as well as facilities for coronavirus tests.
The Sunday Sun spoke to a number of passengers at the airport and asked if they felt safe travelling abroad.
Among them was Neil Witherley, of Widdrington, Northumberland, who was on his way to Mexico to get married to his fiancee
Angel Bidleman. He was boarding a KLM flight to
Amsterdam, from where he was due to fly to Mexico City.
Angel, 48, is from Michigan, America, and the pandemic has meant that Neil has not been able to meet her in person for nearly a year.
Neil, 47, a chargehand technician at Northumberland County Council, said they were only able to make plans for their wedding once the rules allowed it. He eventually wants to move to America.
He said: “It’s been 11 months since we have seen each other in person. The pandemic made travel difficult. We wanted to get married and we’ve been trying to plan it for around a year. Coronavirus threw a major spanner in the works.
“Once the rules changed and we were able to travel to get married, we decided to go to Mexico. My plan was to move to America and that is still what I want to do. We just have to do it differently now. I’ve had a Covid test and everyone else on the flight will have done the same. Precautions are being taken.”
Neil was also among a number of people who said the cost of Covid tests should be reduced. Kott Jan, 39, from the Czech Republic, was in Newcastle for work.
The IT specialist spent five days in the city and had to carry out six PCR tests in total.
He said: “I have been travelling for work during the pandemic and this time I was in Newcastle for five days. I feel safe flying because a lot of safety measures have been put in place. I have had five tests during this trip and it was too much. Two were required by the Czech Government, two by the UK and two by my employers. People should not need to take so many tests.”
Jamie O’neill, an offshore windfarm worker, has also been travelling abroad during the pandemic. On Friday, he was on his way to Taiwan, via Amsterdam, and he was to quarantine for two weeks before starting work in Taiwan.
The 36-year-old, of Redcar, said: “When the first lockdown happened, there was no travel at all. After around four to five months, I started working and every time I travel to another country I quarantine for two weeks.
“Initially, I had concerns travelling because you were on a plane full of strangers and there were times when I was sat right next to someone on a plane without any social distancing.
“You had to socially distance in the taxi, airport and everywhere else. But on a plane, you were sat right next to a total stranger and there was no logic in it. However, now I feel safer and am more confident travelling. People are getting vaccinated and transmission rates are lower.”