Industry leaders already look beyond this week to the October 1 review of the traffic lights system. Expectations are low ahead of the government's review of countries with green, amber, and red status.
They want the government to move that date forward and simplify it.
Despite media speculation that Jamaica, St Lucia, and Dominica could be added to the red list because of rising Covid rates, few positive changes are expected this week. Some green countries, such as Israel and Croatia, could also move to amber.
One industry leader dismissed the review, saying that many people at Department for Transport were on leave and Afghanistan would have diverted much of our attention. Travel will not be possible due to the lack of bandwidth.
It is more important to decide when they will review the system. They could bring it forward starting October 1.
Industry lobbying is expected to be dominated by demands to alter the testing system ahead of the review. According to the source, the number of arrivals testing positive for lower-risk countries is lower than the background infected rate. This is why everyone is having trouble with pre-departure testing. Everyone is terrified about ordering and taking the predeparture test.
It is difficult to obtain advance information and people are anxious about positive results.
Industry will push the government to eliminate pre-departure testing for vaccinated travelers and demand that all travel tests from green destinations be removed.
According to the source, green would mean go. Pre-departure tests should be removed wherever possible. The traffic light system would make sense. This could be understood by the public.
The source insists that it is a complicated process and has not been communicated well. There is a chance for simplicity to be introduced into the system. This was a progressive policy, according to the government. It is a question of how much progress can we make.
Source warned that there has been some traffic growth, but not the level of growth we expected due to the complexity. This will soon slow down. It's going to be a very challenging winter.
A second source confirmed this view, stating that some Ibiza flights last weekend weren't even half-full. Major UK airlines flew from one regional airport to Ibiza on Saturday with only 31% and 40% respectively. This is a remarkable figure for the week that August Bank Holiday falls.
Alan Bowen, the legal advisor to the Association of Atol Companies confirmed the problems, saying that: "The market has been poor, and reports that the Caribbean could turn blue aren't helpful. Although there is a lot of demand, there is a great concern that you will have to quarantine if you are positive if you travel.
Although September may be better than August, schools are returning. It is very discourageive that you have to take a test before you return to your home country.
Bowen cautioned, however: I'm not sure that the government will make it easier. According to polls, a majority of people want the UK's borders to remain closed.
