AIRLINES prices to Gibraltar and Malta have almost doubled in prices ahead of the green list destinations being revealed today.
The two tiny Mediterranean sunspots are set to be included on the government’s safe list for quarantine-free travel after May 17.
? Read our coronavirus and green list announcement live blog for the latest updates
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Direct flights from London to Malta cost £85 on May 15, but £98-153 through the week beginning May 17, The Sun has found.
London to Gibraltar costs £79 from May 14-16.
There is a cheap £37 flight for via WizzAir flight on May 17 but the next cheapest is £95 with easyJet and £165 with BA on that day. And they are £121-195 from May 18-20.
London to Faro, on Portugal’s Algarve, is a budget trip favourite and costs just £15-20 direct single every day in the first non-holiday week after half-term, from June 12.
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But the route has rocketed to £530 single with BA on May 17, with easyJet offering the cheapest £238 flight that day, kayak.co.uk data showed.
Flights from May 18 for the rest of the week cost £63-144 – still treble the usual.
Meanwhile, Ryanair journeys to Lisbon have jumped from £15 on May 16 to £152 the day the holidays are getting the go-ahead.
Whitehall insiders said that “bar a last-minute change”, Portugal has been declared safe by both government medics and transport chiefs.
Holidaymakers are being warned that fares are set to double again minutes after Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announces the safe list this afternoon, as more Brits rush to book.
Meanwhile, Booking.com’s chief executive Glenn Fogel said that holiday “prices are already going up”.
He added: “There’s so much pent-up demand. Everybody wants to go travelling, but we all want to do it safely.”
Overseas holidays have been banned for many for five months, since before Christmas.
A handful of countries will be given coveted green status in a new travel traffic light system based on jab roll out and Covid rates – meaning Brits can visit with just two tests on their return.
However, holiday favourites Spain and Greece will have to likely wait until a review in June, sources say.
They are likely to be on the “amber list” meaning people can visit but they will have to quarantine for ten days when they return to the UK.
But insiders think most top destinations including France will be given the green travel go ahead by the school summer holidays in July.
Flight prices to Portugal increased five-fold when it was added to the travel corridor list last August.
BA said: “In the airline industry, ticket prices rise as the lowest fares sell out.”
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PM Boris Johnson and his Cabinet were set to sign off the plan to carve up the world into green, amber and red regions depending on their Covid risk this morning.
Most popular destinations are likely to be “amber”, so holidaymakers will need to take two PCR tests during their ten-day quarantine at home.
Meanwhile, Tui, the UK’s largest hols firm, has announced it will offer £20 Covid tests for Brits heading to green countries.
How the government’s green list will work for holidaymakers from the 17th May
