Travel column with Katie Butler of Total Travel: Summer’s here… but it's not the same as being abroad
We were certainly spoilt with the weather over the bank holiday weekend, with temperatures in West Yorkshire higher than some of the destinations our customers had travelled to. But let’s be honest — it’s still not quite the same, is it?
There are always a few things missing. A swimming pool for one. Ice-cold beer served in frozen glasses. Proper Fanta Lemon that somehow tastes miles better abroad than it ever does from Tesco. And those evening strolls past harbour restaurants, warm air drifting in off the sea, the smell of fresh food cooking away while the waves gently lap against the front. I think I got a bit carried away there for a minute… roll on my own holiday in September.
Our very own Leanne is currently soaking up the sunshine in Kos, and next week she will be telling you all about the island itself. At the time of writing, she’s only been there a couple of days, so most of the updates so far have actually been about the airport, a huge topic of conversation right now.
The good news is that both Manchester and Kos airports seem to have things running smoothly. Leanne reported that check-in and security at Manchester Terminal 2 took just 25 minutes before she was sat in the bar enjoying a holiday drink.
At the other end, there has been plenty of confusion surrounding the new Entry & Exit System (EES), which has been introduced across Europe. As previously mentioned, Greece had delayed parts of the new biometric procedures after concerns over long queues and chaotic scenes at some European airports. Leanne confirmed that, on arrival into Kos, the EES systems were not in use and the whole airport experience was pretty seamless. At present, the Greek government has given no indication as to how long this exemption for UK travellers will continue, so it is something we will continue keeping an eye on as the summer season gets into full swing.
And whilst we are talking about summer, here is a peek at the latest update sent out by Jet2holidays to its travel agent partners — and it’s fair to say their message could not be much clearer:
“Summer is on! We’re very pleased to share the following update about this summer with you, our travel agent partners. We’re in continual dialogue with our fuel suppliers, who have reported increased production and additional imports. This positive news supports our plans to continue operating our flying programme as normal.
For your customers, this means:
• The price they book is the price they’ll pay – we will not introduce fuel surcharges
• They will continue to benefit from flexibility and swift refunds in the unlikely event of any cancellations
We look forward to taking our customers on their well-deserved holidays.
Our message remains simple – summer is on!”
And judging by the number of people heading through Manchester and Leeds Bradford Airport already, plenty of us Yorkshire folk seem more than ready for a bit of sunshine, a cold drink and somebody else doing the cooking for a week or two. I know I am.