Two urgent checks all families need to make before going on holiday this year – or risk missed flights and lost money
MILLIONS of Brits are expected to head abroad this summer, be it by plane, train or ferry.
A study last year conducted by American Express found that 13.6million Brits booked 2024 holidays.
Jet2 has increased capacity this year to 16.94million for summer 2024, up from 15.26, while both TUI and easyJet have add hundreds of thousands of seats this summer.
But new rules across the travel industry could put your holiday at risk – including being turned away at the border.
One of the biggest mistakes that is still ongoing is the rules regarding passports, despite them being introduced back in 2018.
Previous rules allowed Brits to roll up to 10 months from their old passport to their new passport – these are no longer valid.
Add in the rules that require you to have at least three to six months left on the passport before you visit a different country (depending on the destination) and you have holidaymakers being banned from their flights.
Despite the rules being almost six years old, Brits are still being caught out, almost on a monthly basis.
Couple Huw and Patricia Gosling were left £3,000 out of pocket after his passport was found to be out of date before their Bulgarian holiday.
Dad Peter Holt had to drive 1,000 miles across Europe to join his family after his passport had expired, losing thousands of pounds.
And Brit Kirsty Hawes was turned away from her £1,050 all-inclusive holiday to Majorca because her passport was one day too old.
And the second way holidaymakers are being caught out this summer are the confusing liquid rules.
Airports across the country are rolling out new CT scanners which will see the 100ml liquid rule scrapped, instead allowing up to 2l of liquid through.
The new system was estimated to be in place by June 1 – the scale of the operation has seen major UK airports unable to hit the deadline.
Just three so far have installed the new scanners – Teesside Airport, London City Airport and Aberdeen Airport.
Liverpool, Bristol and Birmingham are also hoping to hit the June deadline.
But bigger airports including Heathrow, Gatwick and Manchester will not have this system fully in place by summer.
Birmingham Airport has said as many as 15 per cent of passengers a day are being stopped at security because they are confused over the liquid allowance.
This works out to more than 3,000 passengers a day, adding at least 10 minutes extra to security per person.
Brits are urged to triple check the airport rules before arriving to avoid both security delays and being forced to throw away any expensive liquid products.
For more travel advice this summer, the Sun’s Head of Travel Lisa Minot has answered all of your questions.
What should I check before I go on holiday
- Check the expiry day of your passport (must be no more than 10 years)
- Check you have at least three months on your passport (may be up to six months depending on destination)
- Check for any passport damage
- Make sure your liquids are under 100ml for most UK airports
- Make sure your liquids all fit in one plastic bag