Page 37 - Londra Gazete Sayı 1116

4 LondraGazete.com/English Londra Gazete, 28 July 2022

Brits travelling to Spain must

have £85 spending money a

day under new rules

HOLIDAYMAKERS have react-
ed with fury over new plans to
deny Brits entry to Spain if they
cannot prove they can spend a
minimum of £85 each day of their
trip. The plans were introduced
at the beginning of the year af-
Heathrow boss blames TikTok ter the UK left the European Un-
ion and require holidaymakers to
fake injury craze for delays prove they can pend a minimum
of €100 per-day -and have a min-
imum of €900 available for the
hindering disabled passengers whole trip.
They accept several forms of
proof including foreign curren-
BRITAIN'S busiest travel hub has buggy. One user 'faked hurting his cy, traveller's cheques, cash, pay-
blamed TikTok users for the ongoing leg to get through security quicker' ment letters or on credit cards
airport chaos and claimed passen- on a plane home from Ibiza, while but anyone not able to meet the
gers are pretending to be disabled another posted a 'step-by-step' guide requirements could be denied en-
to avoid horrific queues during the on social media showing how to try. Tourists hoping to holiday in
summer getaway mayhem. Bosses at make the 'hack' convincing. Spain could be asked to provide since leaving the EU. he UK For- or family,' its guidance states.
Birmingham airport also said there Asked by LBC's Nick Ferrari about border agents with a range of doc- eign Office outlined the rules it a "The Spanish government has
was a 20 per cent rise in people ask- the "absolute disgrace" of 20 wheel- uments including proof of accom- statement explaining: "At Span- clarified that the 'carta de invita-
ing for assistance and it has had to chair passengers stuck in an allocat- modation bookings and onward ish border control, you may need tion' is one of the options availa-
buy more wheelchairs and take on ed area of Heathrow Terminal 3 last travel tickets. to show a return or onward tick- ble to prove that you have accom-
If you Brits are traveling to stay-
et; show you have enough mon-
modation if staying with friends
extra staff to push them. week with no air conditioning, Mr ing with family or friends then ey for your stay; show proof of or family." The Spanish Govern-
Heathrow chief executive John Holland-Kaye insisted: "We do have they may need to provide border accommodation for your stay, for ment rules state: "Currently, the
Holland-Kaye said 'demand has sig- as many people now working in our agents with a "letter of invita- example, a hotel booking confir- minimum amount to be credited
nificantly increased' for travellers passengers requiring support team tion".Holidaymakers have reacted mation, proof of address if visit- is 100 euros per person per day,
who require wheelchair support as we had before the pandemic." But with fury at the new rules which ing your own property (eg second with a minimum of 900 euros or
amid ongoing travel chaos that has he added: "We've seen demand has the Spanish Ministry of Interior home), or an invitation from your its legal equivalent in foreign cur-
left much of the UK's aviation sector gone up significantly. For passengers introduced now the UK falls un- host or proof of their address if rency (with effect from January
paralysed. He said users on TikTok requiring wheelchair support we der the "third country" category staying with a third party, friends 1, 2022)."
are 'recommending' the 'travel hack' have more demand than we had be-
so they can skip queues at security fore the pandemic." He said: "Some
and use fast-track lanes and get help of this is because people are using
through immigration, customs and the wheelchair support to try to get Blue badges may be rejected in Europe
baggage reclaim. fast-tracked through the airport,
Disabled passengers also have the that is absolutely the wrong thing to this summer because of Brexit
option to be transported to their be doing, we need to protect that for
gate from departures via an electric the people who most need help. A motoring association said badges in many popular Europe- years ago. British holidaymakers
keeping blue badge users "in lim- an holiday destinations due to an are already contending with the
bo is simply unacceptable" and "outrageous" Brexit hangover. return of roaming charges among
Gatwick hires 400 security staff called on the government to "re- British ministers are still ne- many mobile phone operators fol-
solve the matter urgently" with gotiating with 11 nations on the lowing Brexit, with the UK's de-
to cope with summer rush the nations concerned. Disabled status of UK blue badges, which parture from the bloc also blamed
drivers have been warned they were recognised across the EU for huge queues at Dover and Fol-
may not be able to use their blue until the UK left the union two kestone's ports over the weekend.
GATWICK Airport said it has possible, including recruiting and
Such issues are coming to the
hired 400 new security staff in re- training hundreds of new security fore as this is the first summer
cent weeks to help ease queues. staff, many of whom have already getaway since Brexit for many
Bosses said more staff are being started or will be in coming weeks. Britons, with last year's COVID
recruited in a move aimed at re- It’s also important, however, that testing and travel rules having
ducing pressure on the airport as we do what we can to help passen- been dropped across the conti-
it goes into the busy school sum- gers prepare for security before nent. A motoring association said
mer holiday period. Gatwick is also reaching the trays. We understand keeping blue badge users "in lim-
trying to increase awareness about many already do this, but, by pub- bo is simply unacceptable" and
placing liquids in a clear bag, sepa- lishing the list of top items that are called on the government to "re-
rate from hand luggage, to reduce currently being forgotten, we hope solve the matter urgently" with
delays at security. to get even more people through the nations concerned. The AA
Chief operating officer Adrian airport security quickly, so they said disabled drivers may leave
Witherow said: “With passen- can go on and relax ahead of their themselves open to parking fines
if they use their permits where no
ger numbers rapidly returning to flight, enjoy a drink or sit down for longer accepted.
2019 levels, we expect to be busy, a meal.” The announcement comes Spain, Portugal, Greece, Ita-
particularly at peak times such as amid an air travel crisis which has ly, and France are among the
weekends and the forthcoming seen thousands of flights cancelled countries still "undecided" about
school summer holidays. “We are and many passengers forced to wait whether UK blue badges will be
doing everything possible to make for several hours in long queues at recognised, according to the UK
the airport process as smooth as airports. government website.