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LONDON, Aug 21 (Reuters) - Europe's travel recovery stalled
at the start of August after a stronger performance in July, as
quarantine rules and warnings over rising infection rates
created uncertainty and deterred tourists from booking trips
abroad.
In July, ticket numbers for cross-border air travel within
Europe stood at 28% of 2019's levels, as Europeans began to
travel again after months of lockdown.
But by the first week of August, volumes had fallen to 18%,
according to data provided by travel analysis group ForwardKeys.
Britain brought back quarantine rules for arrivals from
Spain on July 26, just over two weeks after saying travel there
was safe, and so far in August has added France, Croatia and
Austria to the list with less than two days notice.
Rising COVID-19 infection levels in Spain have also prompted
Austria, Sweden and Germany to warn against travel to the whole
country or regions within it, creating uncertainty, and
dampening airline hopes for a strong recovery.
Europe's biggest airline by passenger numbers, Ryanair
, said on Monday it was already seeing the impact of new
restrictions on bookings and it would reduce its flight capacity
plans for September and October.
Looking ahead, tickets issued for the fourth quarter for
intra-Europe air travel are down 70% on last year, said Olivier
Ponti, vice president at ForwardKeys.
The fast-changing situation also means people are leaving it
much later to make plans, searching for flights and booking much
closer to their intended departure date than they did last year,
he said.
Britain's transport minister Grant Shapps on Thursday warned
on Twitter: "Only travel if you are content to unexpectedly
14-day quarantine if required".
With such warnings, airlines face an uphill battle to fill
their planes and get people travelling again.
"Consumer confidence has been shattered by waves and waves
of cancellations, uncertainties regarding refunds, swift changes
regarding travel restrictions from one day to the next, and
that's something that is hampering recovery," Ponti said.
(Reporting by Sarah Young; Editing by Mark Potter)
