Airlines to offer tests for as low as £20

In a bid to incentivise potential holidaymakers by making their trips more affordable, several airlines have announced that they will offer covid tests at a discounted rate.

Current UK rules require anyone travelling to countries on the green list to be tested at least twice, whilst those travelling to higher risk amber and red list countries will be required to take additional tests upon their return.

With the current costs of PCR tests as high as £120, leading figures within the travel industry have expressed concerns that many will be priced out of international travel this summer.

Photo by Marco Lopez

In an effort to combat this, Jet2, EasyJet, Tui and Ryanair have partnered with testing suppliers to offer tests to their customers at significantly reduced rates. Currently, Tui is leading the way when it comes to affordability, with package holiday customers able to purchase tests from Chronomics for as low as £20 (for 1 x pre-departure Lateral Flow Test and 1x inbound PCR test for day two) or £60 (for 1 x outbound PCR test including courier costs, 1 x pre-departure Lateral Flow Test, and 1 x inbound PCR test for day two).

Under UK rules, travellers returning from abroad must take a PCR test (or equivalent), though the type of test required to be permitted entry to other countries varies, with some, such as Portugal, also requiring a PCR test, whilst for others like Gibraltar, a Lateral Flow Test will suffice, or, in some cases, none at all!