British Airways calls for vaccinated people to travel without restrictions

[webfact]

British Airways calls for vaccinated people to travel without restrictions
By Sarah Young

Passengers are seen at the counter of British Airways to check in for their flights to London at the Benito Juarez International Airport, in Mexico City, Mexico December 21, 2020. REUTERS/Luis Cortes

LONDON (Reuters) - British Airways's new boss said vaccinated people should be allowed to travel without restriction and non-vaccinated people with a negative COVID-19 test, as he set out his ideas for a travel restart a month before the UK government finalises its plans.

Holidays will not be allowed until May 17 at the earliest, the government has said, but before that, on April 12, Britain will announce how and when non-essential travel into and out of the country can resume.

Sean Doyle, appointed BA's chief executive last October, called on Britain to work with other governments to allow vaccines and health apps to open up travel, after a year when minimal flying has left many airlines on life support.

"I think people who've been vaccinated should be able to travel without restriction. Those who have not been vaccinated should be able to travel with a negative test result," he said.

Doyle said the roll-out of vaccines made him optimistic BA would be back flying this summer, but added the recovery depends on what is said on April 12.

He wants government to give its backing to health apps that can be used to verify a person's negative COVID-19 test results and vaccination status.

Apps will be key to facilitating travel at scale, the industry has said. Airline staff checking paperwork takes 20 minutes per passenger and is not practical if large numbers of passengers return.

Britain has rapidly rolled out vaccinations and 44% of the adult population, mostly people over 60, have now had their first shot.

The government has said any return to travel must be fair and not unduly disadvantage those who have not been vaccinated.

Doyle expects Britain to bring in a tiered framework with destinations put into categories depending on risk, and that will determine BA's summer schedule.

Beyond saying there was "huge pent up demand", Doyle declined to forecast how strong the season could be.

Budget rival Ryanair, Europe's biggest airline, has said it hopes to fly up to 70% of 2019 passenger numbers this summer.

BA has struck a deal with a testing kit provider giving its passengers 33 pound ($46) tests to take abroad.

Travel commentators expect most European airlines to focus on short-haul leisure routes this summer, and Doyle noted France, Greece, Portugal, Cyprus and Spain had all sounded positive about welcoming British holidaymakers.

But he said BA was also looking further afield.

"We're already looking at new destinations over the summer that we haven't flown to before, and that could be across both long haul and short haul," Doyle said.

($1 = 0.7196 pounds)

(Reporting by Sarah Young. Editing by Mark Potter)

-- © Copyright Reuters 2021-03-15

 

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[donnacha]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

British Airways's new boss said vaccinated people should be allowed to travel without restriction and non-vaccinated people with a negative COVID-19 test

Intermediate step all airlines will adopt before phasing out all non-vaccinated adults on international flights.

 

[Rookiescot]

Do we know how long the vaccination provides protection?

[Megasin1]

The beginning of return to the New normal, a 2 tiered global society where the vaccinated will drive the economy and the unvaccinated will dwindle and be sidelined. The vaccinated will travel between vaccinated countries freely, the unvaccinated will not. Countries with a poor vaccination rate will suffer currency downgrades and economic failure and unrest. The new normal is coming and frankly, after suffering long lock downs and restrictions will it bother those that can travel freely, not in the slightest. There are plenty of countries with sunshine and beaches, vaccinate your population and reap the benefits, like cheaper insurance, freedom of movement, cheaper flights etc. The airlines will rapidly realise that those vaccinated do not wish to mingle in any way with the unvacccinated. Welcome to the New World order.

[blazes]

3 hours ago, Rookiescot said:

Do we know how long the vaccination provides protection?

Probably the same length of time as the flu shot......

[Scott]

9 hours ago, Rookiescot said:

Do we know how long the vaccination provides protection?

No.  As a previous poster mentioned, they hope it will last for a year, like the flu shot, but at this time it's not known.   I am sure they will be measuring antibodies in different groups very carefully.  

 

[najomtiensun]

16 hours ago, Megasin1 said:

The beginning of return to the New normal, a 2 tiered global society where the vaccinated will drive the economy and the unvaccinated will dwindle and be sidelined. The vaccinated will travel between vaccinated countries freely, the unvaccinated will not. Countries with a poor vaccination rate will suffer currency downgrades and economic failure and unrest. The new normal is coming and frankly, after suffering long lock downs and restrictions will it bother those that can travel freely, not in the slightest. There are plenty of countries with sunshine and beaches, vaccinate your population and reap the benefits, like cheaper insurance, freedom of movement, cheaper flights etc. The airlines will rapidly realise that those vaccinated do not wish to mingle in any way with the unvacccinated. Welcome to the New World order.

Good it's the triumph of science. I for on can't wait to get back to the UK and get the jab along with my wife which will be in the next month. I've have enough of this damn thing and if the vaccine unlocks benefits and protects me for this scourge all well and good. 

[Maybole]

As far as I understand it, a vaccinated person can still acquire the infection and transmit it for a week or so without it affecting him or her thus unwittingly spreading the contagion.

I think we should still be cautious.

[tifino]

yes; it sounds like they are using the human weakness, of selfishness; to win over the wary? 

 - by jabbing they are being convinced that the jabbed won't wear the effects of the covid themselves -  but instead become silent carriers of the virus... to silently transfer it on to others

[Scott]

This requires a lot of careful study.  One of the things that makes Covid more difficult to control is the asymptomatic period before a person actually feels sick.   In some diseases, notably the flu, we don't start transmitting it until we feel ill.  

Even if we are vaccinated for a disease, it doesn't mean we don't get it.  A small % will get quite ill.  Some will not get ill because the bodies immune system will keep it in check.  With Covid-19 the question is, are we able to transmit during that time and if so, how transmissible is the disease?

[sammieuk1]

It's the whole point of the vaccine to return to normal. its a pity there are some abnormal regimes that just see it as a cash generator with or without any jabbing going on ????

[Tug]

I think it’s a sensible idea and an added spur to get the covidiots to get vaccinated personally I’ve had both jabs of the maderna in 2 days it will be 2 weeks since my second dose rendering me protected that beeing said I’m still masking up distancing and disinfecting my hands I’ll do my level best to protect others and be a good example stay healthy and safe to all

[geisha]

I don’t think BA have thought this through, and have only looked at their benefits. As mentioned above, too many un answered questions still.  Also, will BA then be responsible for bringing travelers in from all the red countries that have or have not been vaccines ? Potentially re starting a pandemic ?
i think PCR testing should be law before traveling to another country, by land, boat or air, surely a small price to pay for helping to keep everyone safe. 

[Hi from France]

On 3/15/2021 at 9:19 AM, Megasin1 said:

The airlines will rapidly realise that those vaccinated do not wish to mingle in any way with the unvacccinated. Welcome to the New World order.

well, by definition the vaccinated can mingle with the unvacccinated at no risk

 

now, the the unvacccinated should not mingle with the unvacccinated

[Hi from France]

On 3/15/2021 at 3:15 PM, Scott said:

No.  As a previous poster mentioned, they hope it will last for a year, like the flu shot, but at this time it's not known.   I am sure they will be measuring antibodies in different groups very carefully.  

The problem is not the duration of the vaccine per se, I read it's pretty long with coronaviruses, like 15 years.

 

The problem is the same as the flu: the variants. So yearly jab probably

[Scott]

2 minutes ago, Hi from France said:

The problem is not the duration of the vaccine per se, I read it's pretty long with coronaviruses, like 15 years.

 

The problem is the same as the flu: the variants. So yearly jab probably

Not exactly correct.  Influenza antibodies begin to wane rather quickly, and are pretty much gone after about 6 months.  Flu, however, is seasonal, but even if it is the same strain two years in a row, your shot from last year (or your bout with the actual disease) is gone.  

Every virus is different.   We have no idea how long the immunity for Covid-19 will last.   Only time will tell.  
 

The question for airlines is, if vaccinated people do have the virus how infectious is it?   Are they expelling large amounts of active viral material?   Is the virus they are shedding strong and healthy or has it been weakened by exposure to antibodies?  

[Salerno]

On 3/15/2021 at 1:53 PM, webfact said:

British Airways calls for vaccinated people to travel without restrictions

Colour me surprised, given they don't have much of a business without passengers. 

[from the home of CC]

On 3/15/2021 at 3:19 PM, Megasin1 said:

The beginning of return to the New normal, a 2 tiered global society where the vaccinated will drive the economy and the unvaccinated will dwindle and be sidelined. The vaccinated will travel between vaccinated countries freely, the unvaccinated will not. Countries with a poor vaccination rate will suffer currency downgrades and economic failure and unrest. The new normal is coming and frankly, after suffering long lock downs and restrictions will it bother those that can travel freely, not in the slightest. There are plenty of countries with sunshine and beaches, vaccinate your population and reap the benefits, like cheaper insurance, freedom of movement, cheaper flights etc. The airlines will rapidly realise that those vaccinated do not wish to mingle in any way with the unvacccinated. Welcome to the New World order.

and down the line if a vaccine proves to offer poor protection to a variant then all bets are off and those folks need to return to the end of the line - till a booster can be administered and adequate protection acquired..

[placeholder]

5 hours ago, from the home of CC said:

and down the line if a vaccine proves to offer poor protection to a variant then all bets are off and those folks need to return to the end of the line - till a booster can be administered and adequate protection acquired..

 

16 hours ago, Hi from France said:

well, by definition the vaccinated can mingle with the unvacccinated at no risk

 

now, the the unvacccinated should not mingle with the unvacccinated

Actually, the unvaccinated could still be at risk if they are mingling with the vaccinated although it seems less likely since the viral load carried by the vaccinated who are currently infected is greatly reduced. Still, once everyone who wants to be vaccinated has been vaccinated, then restrictions on the vaccinated shouldn't be imposed to accommodate those who choose not to be.

[placeholder]

15 hours ago, Scott said:

   Is the virus they are shedding strong and healthy or has it been weakened by exposure to antibodies?  

I don't think that's how it works. Individual viruses aren't weakened by antibodies. They're not really living things if you define a living thing as something that has a metabolism. It's all or nothing in the case of a virus. Either it works or it doesn't.

[from the home of CC]

18 hours ago, placeholder said:

 

Actually, the unvaccinated could still be at risk if they are mingling with the vaccinated although it seems less likely since the viral load carried by the vaccinated who are currently infected is greatly reduced. Still, once everyone who wants to be vaccinated has been vaccinated, then restrictions on the vaccinated shouldn't be imposed to accommodate those who choose not to be.

and hence the 'vaccine passport', with those not wanting it rightfully separated from those that have had it ( in businesses, planes, countries etc.). Perhaps down the line, an electronic proof of vaccination will be required to have indoor contact with others. And of course if a vaccine is altered to prevent infection by a variant then all will need proof of that inoculation. It is going to get messy imo..