joining me now is simon calder, travel editor at the independent.as taken a while to come out, hasn't it? it was actually last tuesday. what do you think went wrong on this flight? clearly it is i was going to be a challenge for any member of cabin crew who is on a late evening flight from the party island like a beef that of indeed za nte island like a beef that of indeed zante which has a lot of exuberant young people and very clearly the rules seem to have been flouted by a significant number of people on this flight significant number of people on this flight and given the infections that we now know about, that's extremely concerning. however, i must say, i have been on about a dozen flights since lockdown was lifted and on every single one the cabin crew have been scrupulous about making sure that people know what the rules on masks are in the mask wearing has been, i think, masks are in the mask wearing has been, ithink,100% masks are in the mask wearing has been, i think, 100% apart from of course very young children who are exempt. there is

let's talk to travel journalist simon calder from the bbc travel show. night, this is basically killing us. they were basically expecting something like this, but in the absolute peak weekend, when of course there are tens of thousands of people preparing, as we speak, or they had been, to travel particularly to france but also the netherlands and onwards to places like germany and poland, to suddenly be told, right, if you leave, you'd be travelling against government advice and your insurance would not be valid. and when you come back you would need to self—isolate for two weeks. it's terrible news, and it's even worse, i imagine, for the half a million or so british people currently in france as well as the many thousands in the netherlands, andindeedin thousands in the netherlands, and indeed in multi, where there are 20,000 people currently on holiday. —— in malta. what it will mean for people here is after tomorrow, business dries up completely, and they normally run trains from here to paris, to brussels, is already on the no—go list with belgium,

simon calder looking at the current state of play, expect that to change throughout the day as more andre made aware of the rules. that is the state of play for people travelling back from france to the uk. but if you have a booking, you are set to go on holiday there over the next few days 01’ holiday there over the next few days or weeks, it's worth bearing in mind that the foreign office has changed its travel advice, they are advising against all but essential travel to the country. so in many cases, that will mean your travel insurance is not valid but, if you have a booking at the hotel, on a plane orferry, if those services are still running, despite this change in the rules, it means you will get very little help from the travel companies themselves. some are offering to reboot but they are under no obligation to give you a refund because their services will be operating but you may be choosing not to use them. 0k, thank you. people are going to be wanting to know clarity on all of that so lets join our europe correspondent, gavin lee who is in le havre for us. france warning of

simon calder, travel editor of the independent, is outside sta's flagship store in central london.orjoining us. just tell us a little bit about why fca was one of the biggest names in the travel business. they got going almost 50 years ago. —— record to known as student travel australia, more recently the initial study for start the adventure. and it really caught the backpacker revolution. they began by offering check tickets to stu d e nts they began by offering check tickets to students and to young people come about five years after got started, in us went bust and expended a great deal in the uk. since the internet became a good way to books like tickets, and has moved much more into a tickets, and has moved much more intoa ranging tickets, and has moved much more into a ranging tailor—made adventure trip for a wide range of travellers and until tonight dallas is core business but of course coronavirus has done terrible things to the travel industry and particular if you are a long—haul specialist. travel industry and particular if you are a long-haul specialist. as you are a

simon calder the travel editor at the independent. for you, send them in, we will put them to sign a letter in the programme. lots of concern, lots of chaos, people with less tha n concern, lots of chaos, people with less than 24 hours, and about half a million brits apparently in france, they will be deciding this morning whether to come back to try to beat those rules which come into force tomorrow morning. thanks very much, ben. so, how are holiday—makers reacting to the announcement? rhys barton is in france with his family and is planning what's the plan? iam in my i am in my house in france in south—west france, we were watching the news last night at 10pm and suddenly it was announced that we would have to be home by saturday at 4am. i've had to make last—minute arrangements to fly home this afternoon. so, you decided... what was the plan? what was changed?” was the plan? what was changed?” was originally managing... i was booked on a flight on a ferry to come home next saturday, so i had another week of my holiday left. but u

simon calder, travel editor of the independent, joins us now from poole.the previous two weeks per 100,000 population. to give you some idea, the uk wasjust below 18. what the government does, thejoint bio security below 18. what the government does, the joint bio security centre, public health england, chief medical officers from the uk nations and the department of health and foreign 0ffice, department of health and foreign office, they all look at the absolute numbers, but they also look at the trends and that is what is particularly worrying. if you are on a level student waiting for your results and you have a whole lot tomorrow or saturday, i'm afraid the anxiety tomorrow or saturday, i'm afraid the a nxiety levels tomorrow or saturday, i'm afraid the anxiety levels are probably off the scale this morning because france's numbers are increasing and if they continue to do so, it looks more than 50% likely that france will be put on the no—go list. than 50% likely that france will be put on the no-go list. the reason there is so much focus on france ——

we're joined now by the travel editor of the independent, simon calder. in the next few weeks is probably here at the swiss court in central london, the famous clock behind me. the czech republic and jamaica, also because of an accident of geography, election style is of the agenda because the only way you can the agenda because the only way you ca n a ccess the agenda because the only way you can access it —— lichtenstien because the only way you can access it unless you have your own helicopter, is through switzerland and austria both of which are on the list. people were given 35 hours to get where they needed to be after the gun was fired last night and the race immediately got under way. any idea of the numbers we are talking about in relation to the countries most recently announced ? about in relation to the countries most recently announced? it's not the same scale as spain or france, even as croatia. i think around 5000 british holiday—makers in switzerland, probably roughly the same number in the czech republic, mainly in the capital prague, may

we're joined now by the independent's travel editor simon calder. good morning. it's like deja vu. in the past 24 hours. and looking at that in conjunction with other data, croatia has to be top of my list. yesterday they had, relative to their population, four times as many new cases as the rest of the uk. i'm also watching switzerland, czech republic, denmark and iceland, though those countries combined have probably got if british holiday—makers than a croatia right now, and certainly a lot fewer planning to go in the next few weeks. the points you made at the beginning, as we understand from the government, grant shapps said it is a straightforward calculation in how those decisions are made, based on the statistics. well, it could be more straightforward. what a lot of us have been asking for is, actually, can we please see your working, just so that we now, apart from anything else, what measures exactly you are using so that we can do our own calculations and then work out what is going to be happening next? but we seem again to be in this routine where a thursday night, iam

well for more on this story, let‘s speak to simon calder, travel editor with the independent, who is thailand to sydney, australia, to new zealand, back via the us, none of those countries are currently open to uk travellers. and with no sense of when things might get back to something like normal, u nfortu nately to something like normal, unfortunately they have called it a day, and 500 very good staff will be pondering their future right now. look at the wider picture for us, and immediately those 500 people will be out of work at a very difficult time for the travel industry, and that is a huge understatement. the picture is grim for so many of these companies. understatement. the picture is grim for so many of these companiesm is. when the swiss holding company released a statement, they basically just said there is no confidence among travellers, and that is what i‘m getting from the mainstream holiday business as well. of course, as you have been reporting, suddenly this morning croatia is on the no—go list. there are concerns about other countries. and in a climate like that,

the travel expert simon calder says the industry is struggling, as people are just not travelling abroadno passport required, no quarantine, and we will see what happens next year, and the figures seem to bear that out. there isa figures seem to bear that out. there is a continuing sense of shock among airlines, hotel groups, any organisation dependent on international tourism, about the way so international tourism, about the way so many different bands are being imposed. nobody from europe can travel to the united states on vacation. they might not want to because of the high levels of infection you have been reporting on but they do not even get the opportunity ever since mid—march. we have been regarded as presenting too much of a threat to the americans. those sorts of bands are multiplied across the world and every time you think things are about to restart in the summer maybe after all quite rewarding for the rehab travel companies and indeed for travellers when the infection rate goes up on the barriers come down and we are back to square one. british holidaymakers in france are