UK's summer getaway takes off but nothing like pre-COVID

With all British schools now closed for the summer, airports and airlines are looking a tad more normal, though the number of families heading off for warmer climes remains way down on the levels seen before the coronavirus pandemic struck

LONDON -- With all British schools now closed for the summer, airports and airlines were looking a tad more normal on Saturday, though the number of families heading off for warmer climes remains way down on the levels seen before the coronavirus pandemic struck. This weekend traditionally marks the high point of the great summer getaway from Britain, with airports jam-packed with excitable children and their anxious parents heading off, primarily, to the popular beach resorts of southern Europe, from Portugal’s Algarve coast in the west to the sun-soaked island nation of Cyprus to the east. However, with travel to and from many popular destinations facing varying quarantine and testing requirements, it's clear that many British families think it's all too much hassle, not to say costly, and have opted again to holiday within the U.K. For the second year running, it's all about the so-called “staycation.” What's not to like about fish and chips and a game of crazy golf by the seaside and marshmallows over a campfire?