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The HfP chat thread – Sunday 12th September

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Comments (494)

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  • Jason says:
    12 Sep12 September 02:23

    Evening all,

    Possible to pay using 2 amex cards on etihad? Simple call to cs or would it involve booking dummy flight, then cancel for a voucher, then using voucher on real flight + pay remainder on the other card?

  • Save East Coast Rewards says:
    12 Sep12 September 06:45

    The ‘green pass’ rules in Italy are beyond ridiculous. A green pass is the EU vaccine certificate or equivalent which shows you’re vaccinated, had a negative test in 48 hours or recovered from covid recently. You need it to dine inside any restaurant, this includes McDonald’s and the local kebab shop! It’s perfectly fine for everyone to go inside to order, touch the machines and queue but you need the pass if you want to sit in the socially distanced seating. It’s still warm here but when winter comes it will be bad for those without the pass. It also applies to most other indoor scenarios except for shops. You also need it for long distance train travel and flights.

    I’m ok as I have the vaccine but I don’t like the slippery slope aspect to our lives.

    The way most of the bars in Bologna airport have dealt with this is to take away the chairs as apparently you can stand and drink without the green pass but not sit down. Despite the fact everyone at the airport should have the green pass it appears the bars in the airport don’t want to have to waste time and resources to check. So just make everyone stand which is unfair to those who find it difficult to stand for a long time.

    • Sandgrounder says:
      12 Sep12 September 07:00

      Rights and responsibilities. You have a responsibility to use the available technology to ensure you reduce the chances of passing the virus on. Get jabbed, or test regularly. There clearly does need to be some adjustment to the scheme though.

    • patrick C says:
      12 Sep12 September 07:13

      This is very much the way every european country operates now and which allows us to be properly vaccinated and safer for the winter.
      Hopefully enough to avoid the harshest bits of the 4rth wave
      Here in France you just scan your qr code everywhere and you don’t need a nask anymore…

      • stevenhp1987 says:
        12 Sep12 September 07:36

        Arrived in France yesterday.

        So far not one hotel or restaurant has even bothered to check the Covid passport.

        • stevenhp1987 says:
          12 Sep12 September 07:37

          * Arrived Friday

        • HH says:
          12 Sep12 September 12:14

          I was in Provence a week ago and my pass sanitaire was rigorously scanned in every hotel, restaurant and cultural site. Compliance with the masks indoors rule was almost 100%. Some town centres, notably Arles and Nîmes, also had signs requiring mask wearing outdoors – I’d say at least 75% of people were complying with that too, despite the August heat.

      • Lyn says:
        12 Sep12 September 07:43

        This rather depends where you are in France. Some French departments require masks even outdoors at the moment.

      • Save East Coast Rewards says:
        12 Sep12 September 12:49

        Still need a mask indoors in Italy except when eating and drinking (and I think while exercising but not 100% sure). The rules really are stupid and we shouldn’t just blindly accept them for “our own good”. For example I just went into a service station people were standing drinking coffee at the counter (no green pass needed) and then some standing tables close to the counter were full of people standing and eating. Whereas nobody was sitting at the socially distanced tables as the section was closed as nobody was there to check the green pass.

      • Polly says:
        12 Sep12 September 17:32

        Everyone is wearing a mask where we are just south of Bergerac. Even at the open markets and brocantes. We were so surprised at the high level of compliance around these parts.

    • Andrew says:
      12 Sep12 September 07:25

      Sounds horrendous. At least our government isn’t that ridiculous – they just focus on the ridiculous travel testing regime instead! Thankfully this kind of thing would never happen here, in the same way as ID cards didn’t. And what happens if your phone is lost/stolen/broken/out of battery on your day out – walk home because you can’t take the train without the pass? And when does this end, 1,2,5 years?

      • Andrew Mc says:
        12 Sep12 September 08:19

        Remember what you said this day.

      • Rui N. says:
        12 Sep12 September 08:28

        Considering that the UK has been working on vaccine passports for a number of months now, I wouldn’t bet on this being even more ridiculous here when implemented…
        There is an easy way to solve the issue of lack of battery: print the certificate.

      • Paul says:
        12 Sep12 September 08:34

        No our government isn’t that ridiculous!. Ours just let the virus rip and so deaths still running at almost 200 a day and infections as much as 10 times higher here on plague Island!
        It’s is testament to the decline of this country that we are now so inured to death, not to mention our acceptance of the corruption, incompetence and lying from our gov.
        Thankfully Covid passports are coming to the U.K. and it’s time those of us who have done the right thing got something back.
        While I respect and individuals right to choose not to vaccinate or not to carry a Covid passport such a decision must have consequences!

        • mradey says:
          12 Sep12 September 08:42

          “Plague Island” – get a grip ffs.

        • Andrew says:
          12 Sep12 September 08:44

          But of course the “right thing” you did doesn’t last forever and without a booster programme, the Covid passport becomes quite pointless.

        • Rob says:
          12 Sep12 September 08:51

          Covid passports will be scrapped next week to placate Tory backbenchers, according to the press today.

          If you are vaccinated, covid will not even be in the top 10 doses of flu you’ve ever had so I really wouldn’t fuss.

          • Tracey says:
            12 Sep12 September 09:03

            Except for the 10% or so who get long covid. Other than that I agree with you, I suspect that by 2022 the covid vaccine will be merged with the flu vaccine and become a routine annual programme.

          • TGLoyalty says:
            12 Sep12 September 10:31

            10% “long Covid” stat is utter nonsense

            Any this 10% includes anything from a lingering cough, a compromised sense of taste and smell for a few weeks to some real symptoms (very rare)

          • Paul says:
            12 Sep12 September 12:43

            I know am family who’s disagree with you Rob. All 4 double vaccinated, all 4 very fit. At one stage sought medical intervention so bad was their daughters condition. They feel without vaccination at least one of them would have ended up in hospital, so it’s doing what is says on the tin but we really must not call this flu or compare with flu though I appreciate it’s an understandable analogy.

          • Rob says:
            12 Sep12 September 15:40

            Sounds exactly like flu, given that flu kills 20,000 people in the UK in a normal year …

          • TGLoyalty says:
            12 Sep12 September 14:20

            @Paul not sure what you mean?

            It was so bad they thought they might need to go to hospital but didn’t?

            That sounds very much like flu … for which many people end up in hospital in an average year.

    • Duncan Stevenson-Price says:
      12 Sep12 September 07:34

      What’s the barrier to getting a green pass? If it’s trivial to get, I don’t see the problem. Lets vaccinated folks get on with things more quickly, surely?

    • Lottie says:
      12 Sep12 September 08:02

      When we went, you couldn’t use it with a UK vaccine, so had to have an Italian COVID test. Has that changed now?

      • Points-ey says:
        12 Sep12 September 08:12

        Currently in Italy. The NHS QR code works (so long as the person checking it has the up to date app). Been here for 2 weeks. The checking process is seamless, just bring up your vaccine details on your phone.

        So easy and a great way to reduce (but not eliminate) the risk of indoor COVID transmission.

        Anyone can download the green pass checking app on their phone, so you can check if your COVID vaccine / pass is recognised.

        • Greg says:
          12 Sep12 September 11:17

          Same in France. I was in Le Touquet last weekend and you can’t even sit OUTSIDE a cafe for a coffee without showing your double vaccine app. Very reassuring, coupled with around 90% wearing m,asks OUTDOORS as well as in.

    • Yuff says:
      12 Sep12 September 08:21

      I’m very much in favour of Covid passes and also vaccinating 12-15 years olds as I think this will help society.
      I see countries that are vaccinating better than us now, with Covid passes, having much lower case numbers although that may be down to testing.
      This is endemic now and any way to reduce transmission etc should be looked at.
      It amazes me that that an 18-30 can go into a nightclub unvaccinated and no checks and we wonder why this group, the most vaccine hesitant, are spreading it the most 🤷🏻‍♂️
      There’s a reason why the US are stuffing it up in relation to Covid and it looks like we aren’t too far behind them……..

      • Andrew says:
        12 Sep12 September 08:38

        There’s only so much can be done.

        Look at the outrage in recent days from Unite the Union when HfP favourite Morrisons announced the withdrawal of sickness benefits to their staff who are members of the anti-vaxx community.

        • Yuff says:
          12 Sep12 September 08:58

          There are a lot of people milking Covid and WFH.
          I can only speak on behalf of Mrs Yuff’s experience, but giving part time workers full time benefits hasn’t helped the court backlog in the UK.
          My experience of trying to get a doctors appointment for our kids this summer isn’t too hot either.
          Actually it wasn’t possible to see a GP!!!!

          • Lady London says:
            12 Sep12 September 13:14

            Yes the GPs basically disappeared and not doing the job but on full pay.

            The dentists – ours at least – organised themselves, protected themselves against far greater than the GP’s had as almost all dental treatment is invasive – and have kept providing a service.

            If I could dock GP’s pay for not standing up to their responsibilities I would.

      • Thom says:
        12 Sep12 September 09:29

        I see no need for 12-15 year olds to get the vaccine. the JVCI determined there was no scientific benefit for them to get it based on the risk and cons; so if you are science based then you should take that as a steer.

        At this stage everyone at risk has been offered the vaccine, and whilst I appreciate some at risk people can’t have it that’s not going to have changed in the next year and frankly this is like the flu in that it’s becoming endemic and at some point we will all get it – cases are no longer important only hospitalisation/deaths!

        Better off giving those millions of vaccines to a country who needs them to save lives not tick a statistic box …

        • GaryC says:
          12 Sep12 September 09:50

          They looked at risks to the individual, which is indeed borderline. But it is more complex than that when considering the secondary factors of propagation to others.

          • The Savage Squirrel says:
            12 Sep12 September 10:22

            True but there’s a whole load of ethical question there.
            Is it ethical to administer a medical intervention to someone that – on the balance of risk and reward – does not provide sufficient benefit to that individual to justify it – in laymans terms it does more harm than good for that individual – for the benefit of others? Do others really have a greater claim to your own body than you do?
            Is it ethical to do this to those (like 12yr olds) who are too young to provide informed consent for such risks themselves?

            To anyone who answered yes without thinking, or comes back with “greatest good for the greatest number” – well if you believe in that principle then killing one pereson and harvesting their organs so that six people may avoid death also conforms to that principle … comfortable with that as well? No? Me neither. So we can discard greatest good as an overriding justifiying principle…

            I could go on for a very long, boring, time on this having done a body of research work on children, consent and controversial medical decisions, but sufficee to say: medical ethics – it’s a VERY tricky area and anyone who has a trite 100% easy answer is, inevitably, wrong.

            My personal view is that it is not justified to admit vaccines to 12-15s at this time but that the decision is VERY finely balanced and new data (for example evidence of a significant body of long-covid symptoms among that group or a strain of COvid mmore harmful to them) could swing the decision a different way. When the facts change, you change your mind. I am DEEPLY uncomfortable with politicians effectively overriding considered medical opinion on this matter.

          • WaynedP says:
            12 Sep12 September 10:35

            Well articulated @SS

            Principle of Double Effect is a good departure point, but Bio-Ethics still hugely complicated minefield to negotiate.

          • Yorkieflyer says:
            12 Sep12 September 12:45

            The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. The greater % vaccinated will reduce the spread. Every other sensible country is vaccinating teenagers

          • The Savage Squirrel says:
            12 Sep12 September 14:25

            “The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.”
            Can you see the large list of ethical problems with using this statement of utilitarianism (from Dr Spock of pointy ears fame, I believe!) as a justification, though? It’s a terrible argument in almost every non-mundane situation and has a pretty extensive history of being used to justify repression or taking advantage of minorities and has even been used to justify war crimes. “Need” is pretty subjective, and it’s pretty much never “the few” who get to make any part of such decisions.
            It’s pretty well established that some types of individual harm are bad enough that they trump overall welfare of the greater number – see again my extreme organ harvesting example above. I’d argue that enforced medical interventions that do not benefit the person upon who it is enforced (do not forget that 12yo’s do not have the legal right themselves to refuse medical treatment!) is a clear example of that.

        • Paul says:
          12 Sep12 September 12:36

          You don’t work in a school then!

      • Terri says:
        12 Sep12 September 10:33

        As a more mature person agewise I’ve had my vaccine doses – the risk/benefits made it a sensible choice.

        However, all the vaccines currently only have emergency approval – on the rare occasions for adults that the vaccine does have fatal or severe consequences the pharmacy companies have no liability at all. The individual or their estate will have to fight the government red tape for a very small amount of compensation when compared to a successful civil case.

        The JVCI are the experts. Their decision making to date appears solid. Unnecessarily rushing to vaccinate children with adult sized doses on emergency approval only – a 12 year old is a child – the saying act in haste repent at leisure comes to mind.
        Everyone wll have their own view and the future variants may change the playing field for children.

      • Lady London says:
        12 Sep12 September 12:15

        Never forget that vaccinated people can still transmit eg Delta

        • Jonathan says:
          12 Sep12 September 14:07

          Going to take slight issue with your previous comment;

          “Yes the GPs basically disappeared and not doing the job but on full pay.”

          I’m not a GP but know a lot by virtue of working in the NHS. GP’s are providing more appointments than ever before (28 million in July ‘21 vs 25 million in Feb ‘20). 45% were same day. The “worst” practices are delivering around 45% face to face vs 65% in the “best” vs approximately 13% remote consultations pre Covid.

          A huge amount of GP consultations are suitable for video/telephone & it’s more convenient for a lot of people to deal with eg. test results without having to lose a morning’s work sitting in a waiting room surrounded by a load of snotty kids.

          Clearly some people prefer/need F2F and it should be available. Some practices have also obviously got the balance wrong as they completely adjusted their working routines but to imply that the entire GP workforce is sat at home with their feet up is offensive & wrong. The statistics are far more reliable than a Daily Mail agenda driven front page headline.

          GP is facing a workforce crisis in large part due to the constant hounding by the right wing press & consequent hostile attitudes of a small minority of patients. The whole system will collapse in the next 5 years if trends continue & the replacement won’t be better or cheaper I assure you. General Practice is incredibly efficient by virtue of the fact it’s made up of a lot of small businesses. An average practice would have 5 GP’s, 2 practice nurses & circa 11,000 patients with 1 practice manager & the receptionists as the only non-clinical staff (no layers of middle management).

          If you don’t like your current practice then exercise your right to move or find a private GP & pay for it but please don’t denigrate an entire workforce based on personal experience or the narrative of sections of the press.

          • The Savage Squirrel says:
            12 Sep12 September 14:37

            On discussing it with GPs, I believe a major issue is that a combination of mass home working and video consults has lowered the “inconvenienc barrier” to making an appointment. People are now calling for things they would have had to let self-resolve two years ago. Add in general health-awareness and fear-of-death every time someone gets a cough – particularly from the (small but MASSIVELY timewasting) hypochondria-inclined segment of the patient list or those who treat their GP as some sort of health PA to organise all their 2yr care visits. As a result appointment demand has increased massively beyond ability to provide.
            To be honest a nominal charge for an appointment (£1 would do it!) would solve some of the worst timewasting problems while being low enough not to deter anyone genuinely ill – as many countries have already. Unfortunately, attempting to introduce it would be political poison and portrayed as denying access and “privatising the NHS” (despite NHS dental, optical and prescription charges having been around for decades without the world ending) so it’s not going to happen.

          • Magic Mike says:
            12 Sep12 September 18:35

            The demand for healthcare is infinite, so the only solution is rationing – either through charging, waiting, or just being told there’s no more capacity…

        • Gruntfuttock says:
          12 Sep12 September 20:43

          I agree with you wholeheartedly comparing how the dentists have adjusted to the situation versus the GPs who, IME, appear to have retreated behind their receptionist firewalls.

    • Harry T says:
      12 Sep12 September 10:37

      They do this in France as well – it’s actually more annoying than I thought it would be.

      Not trying to trivialise the personal impact of ongoing mortality, but I really don’t think 140 deaths per day (7 day rolling average) is a compelling argument to vaccinate children (not at risk from the virus in a serious way) and require restrictions on civil liberties involving disclosure of your medical records (vaccine passports). It’s looking covid is a mildly irritating endemic pest now, despite England allowing people to crawl all over each in nightclubs and pack out pubs. Covid zero is a dangerous fantasy by people with suboptimal understanding of virology, medicine, economic and human behaviour. I would be the first person to criticise Bozza and his crew of bumbling potato heads, but the UK’s approach to vaccination and opening up this year has been sensible and effective.

      TL;DR: some people think just a little drop of fascism is a small price to pay for trying to eliminate a virus that will never be eliminated.

      • The Savage Squirrel says:
        12 Sep12 September 10:55

        Re: fascism: Never mind “plague island”, my brother is in West Australia on “prison island”. He can’t leave the country or even the state and others can’t get in – much like North Korea in that way, really. Frightening how fast fundamental civil liberties can and have been stripped. The local premier has said words to the effect he can’t bear to think of or allow even one person dying of Covid so this mindset ain’t changing soon – I don’t know how a reopening plan ever tallies with this mindset? Maybe he enjoys the power…

      • Lady London says:
        12 Sep12 September 13:21

        Hum. So Harry was right all along and it’s a pussycat virus.

    • Andy says:
      12 Sep12 September 10:51

      I don’t see the issue – get the vaccine or if you don’t, you have the responsibility to prove that you are not positive…

      • TGLoyalty says:
        13 Sep13 September 01:30

        Yet you can still catch it and transmit it when vaccinated so why shouldn’t you have to prove you’re negative too.

        Especially when previous infection in last 6 months is just as likely to lower your chances of catching delta again.

  • Jeff Greene says:
    12 Sep12 September 07:35

    “ And when does this end, 1,2,5 years?”

    Good question. No idea. Remember when people on here said everything would be back to normal by the summer? I’m talking about summer 2020, not summer 2021 by the way.

    • CarpalTravel says:
      12 Sep12 September 07:50

      When last November I booked our trip to Orlando for October this year, I thought it would all be a distant memory! How foolish I now feel….

      • Andrew says:
        12 Sep12 September 08:03

        And people were booking Avios flights to Sydney for last Christmas!

        • Jeff Greene says:
          12 Sep12 September 08:08

          😂
          “Risk free apparently”. Maybe but also an interest free loan for BA as it was obvious there was zero chance of the trip happening!

          • Jeff Greene says:
            12 Sep12 September 09:19

            Fine but are you saying that no one who made the booking thought they’d actually go? People have made loads of deluded bookings

        • Rob says:
          12 Sep12 September 08:59

          And why not? It was a one way bet in your favour. Those who did could choose to sue BA for cancelling and get a rebooking for 2022.

          • Jeff Greene says:
            12 Sep12 September 09:06

            Isn’t the point of a “bet” that you have a chance of winning?

            Might as well bet on Bournemouth winning the premier league this season (they’re not in it by the way)

          • Rob says:
            12 Sep12 September 09:13

            You DID win, because you can force BA to rebook you next year when Avios seats will be invisible.

            Many people have done astonishingly well by booking seats they knew would be cancelled. Book Maldives for next month, wait for the cancellation, force BA to rebook you for Christmas etc.

    • John says:
      12 Sep12 September 09:54

      Everything was normal for me in summer 2020. I went on 4 overseas trips and 3 UK ones. A few pesky forms taking a minute or so, plastic screens and masks (which don’t bother me). Hotel buffets were self serve.

      It’s this summer that was abnormal, not bothered to leave the UK, so the most annoying thing is half of the hotel buffets are still like a school canteen and require you to commit to a time

      • Rob says:
        12 Sep12 September 10:12

        Due to our extended 17 day Christmas break I think we did around 30 days abroad last year, nearer 40 if you count Jersey as abroad.

        2021 looking like 35-40.

        The big drop for me is HFP related stuff although Rhys will probably have done 50 days abroad for work by Christmas.

      • Harry T says:
        12 Sep12 September 10:38

        Ironically it was actually easier to travel out with the UK last summer, before we had vaccinations.

  • Can says:
    12 Sep12 September 07:53

    This thing is way too i portant to leave to governments. Give me one example who handled it rationally.

    • Paul pogba says:
      12 Sep12 September 08:04

      Sweden

      • Jeff Greene says:
        12 Sep12 September 08:07

        We’ve had fewer covid rules than them for months!

        They still haven’t lifted theirs!

      • Perkypat says:
        12 Sep12 September 08:25

        Sweden with about 3 times the death rate of their nearest neighbours? That Sweden?

        • Jeff Greene says:
          12 Sep12 September 08:31

          Worse unemployment than the U.K. too

          • Ben W says:
            12 Sep12 September 08:51

            Denmark is the one that handled it well. Open fully now.

          • Paul Pogba says:
            12 Sep12 September 09:40

            The UK unemployment rate is artificially low due to the furlough scheme – our unemployment rate is 4.7% with 1.6m unemployed, on top of that you have 1.6m on CJRS so our real unemployment rate is probably closer to 9.4%. Swedens was 8% in July.

            On deaths there’s lots of ambiguity about how you count people and its not standardised. Its also not clear how this will play out over the longer term, we may end up killing more people as the NHS waiting list times have exploded and lots of cancer patients (among many illnesses) will not receive treatment on time.

            It looks to me like we’ve intervened in a huge way for what might be marginal or nil benefit over the long term.

          • Anna says:
            12 Sep12 September 13:48

            My nephew left school this year and is looking for temporary work before joining the army next year. There are thousands of vacancies! No need to have high unemployment figures, you have to ask why …

          • Rob says:
            12 Sep12 September 15:30

            Plenty of London restaurants will give you a £1000 bonus for signing at the moment, but the bottom line is that most people are simply not cut out for front line hospitality work, either temperamentally or due to the hours involved.

      • Rui N. says:
        12 Sep12 September 08:30

        Sweden? They guys that weren’t going for herd immunity but said they would for sure get there in May 2020?

        • Jeff Greene says:
          12 Sep12 September 09:46

          “ with 1.6m unemployed, on top of that you have 1.6m on CJRS so our real unemployment rate is probably closer to 9.4%”

          So none of the furloughed will be in work at the start of next month even though there’s massive labour shortages. Pull the other one.

          Absolute garbage. Engage your brain next time before talking out of your rear end.

          • Phil W says:
            12 Sep12 September 10:21

            The furlough scheme isn’t a proxy for hidden unemployment. A lot of people are part time furloughed. Some have a second job. My suspicion is that less than half of those furloughed will end up being unemployed.

      • Can says:
        12 Sep12 September 10:38

        Just no to Sweden

      • Harry T says:
        12 Sep12 September 10:40

        Sweden have outperformed their relevant neighbours in all the key metrics, including mortality and contraction of GDP. It’s world beating behaviour that Boris would be proud to call his own.

        • Jeff Greene says:
          12 Sep12 September 13:37

          It’s so funny watching people still crying about lockdown. Get over it! It finished months ago!

    • Ian M says:
      12 Sep12 September 13:48

      Belarus 🙂

    • David says:
      12 Sep12 September 14:31

      Denmark 🇩🇰

  • SteveJ says:
    12 Sep12 September 08:00

    Can someone please remind me (couldn’t find a hfp article covering this).

    Which hotel loyalty programmes offer “5 for 4” (or any other combination) on rewards nights?

    I believe both Marriott and Hilton do, I think with just standard membership (or is status required)? Any other hotel programmes with a similar offer on points (or indeed cash) bookings?

    • Ryan Gill says:
      12 Sep12 September 08:10

      I think Hilton requires silver status. Check the website for what this requires if you need it. I think Marriott is a case of just being a member of Bonvoy?

      • Alan says:
        12 Sep12 September 08:30

        From memory there I are also limitations on room types included. Marriott was any room type 5 for 4 nights last time I used it, while Hilton was only the ‘standard room’ included in 5 for 4. Marriott is the winner for family holidays.

    • BJ says:
      12 Sep12 September 09:07

      Congratulations for finally getting chat on topic!

  • Gtellez says:
    12 Sep12 September 08:10

    Hi everyone, I Know that this has been widely discussed, but with so many conflicting information I can’t remember what is the best approach. My brother (fully jabbed with EU Covid passport) is visiting me from Spain (amber) and arriving to Scotland. My understanding and looking at the Scottish gov website is that he can use any of the providers approved by England, as there are many options for many different prices, is ok to book the cheapest one (I can see 2 different ones for £20 and self swab at home- “ Everything Genetic Limited” and “ Abicare Health Solutions”)? What happens if the test doesn’t arrive on time? Thanks!!

    • Tracey says:
      12 Sep12 September 09:07

      He can use any of the ones listed on the English gov site. Be careful with the cheapest outfits, they often require collection in person from some lock up only open 2 hours a week, miles off the beaten track, booked 4 weeks in advance. For reliable (ish) test at home options, randox is £43 with a code you can find -post back in randox drop boxes, nationwide Pathology is £40 – post back in RM priority boxes & expert medical is £28 if you can get their website to work.

      • Gtellez says:
        12 Sep12 September 10:07

        Great, I will try one of those, since I prefer the test to be delivered instead of collection. If the test doesn’t arrive before day2, what happens?

        • Sandra B says:
          12 Sep12 September 10:19

          I should have said in my previous reply that although it took 4 days to arrive, I ordered 10 days before travel so it is already in my house for my return. There should be no problem if you order with a few days grace.

    • jimmyjimmy says:
      12 Sep12 September 09:56

      I noticed that yesterday, the rule seems to have changed recently as I recently paid the higher priced tester that Scotland was mandating. Those £20 prices are “from” when you link through the price is higher. Still a few £ saved ‘though.

    • Sandra B says:
      12 Sep12 September 10:13

      I booked Randox which arrived in 4 days but instantly gives you the reference numbers you need for the PLF. They have dropboxes for return although not alway in the most convenient places for everyone. As said, £43 with code. Some cheaper ones were impossible to collect.

      • Gtellez says:
        12 Sep12 September 10:40

        Just checked that, randox cheapest one that is available. He arrives on Tuesday, so hopefully they send it before Thursday that is his day 2. Thanks all!

    • Harry T says:
      12 Sep12 September 10:41

      I’ve used Randox twice and I think the price is fair (£43 pp with discount code). I recently ordered the NHS tests from Everything Genetic for £20pp and they did arrive. Apparently they are only for paramedics now! But I did use my NHS email address, so who knows?

  • Jeff Greene says:
    12 Sep12 September 08:14

    Hope everyone enjoyed the tennis! What a result for Britain 🇬🇧

    Great interview after the match too. A lot of maturity for an 18 year old! One in the eye for the loser attention seekers who criticised her after Wimbledon too!

    • Degsy says:
      12 Sep12 September 08:22

      Indeed. Interesting to see one in particular claiming the victory as his!

      • Rob says:
        12 Sep12 September 08:54

        It will be another tricky day in the Daily Express office.

        Last week they did a split front page – ‘come on Emma’ / ‘send the immigrants back’ 🙂

        • Phil W says:
          12 Sep12 September 10:25

          I saw that. Do you think they really lack even the most basic self awareness, or was it supposed to be an in joke?

    • BJ says:
      12 Sep12 September 09:19

      Isn’t she Canadian-born to Chinese and Romainian parents and a Canada passport holder? Just saying, I don’t care where she is from or her background, congrats to her on a great achievment but with the woman’s game up and down like a yoyo I wouldn’t bet hard cash on her ever winning another.

      • Jeff Greene says:
        12 Sep12 September 09:20

        She’s British 🇬🇧

        • Harrier25 says:
          12 Sep12 September 09:37

          She’s English. We’re not allowing the Scots any claim to her after Independence! 😂

          • Chris says:
            12 Sep12 September 10:05

            I look forward to you lot going back to no British winner since Fred Perry then 😋

          • Phil W says:
            12 Sep12 September 10:26

            Yeah, but she would’ve been Scottish if she lost.

          • Paul says:
            12 Sep12 September 22:20

            Given the choice of calling her English and having independence, I’ll have independence thank you.
            That said, I watched her win and cheered her on, it a fantastic result for this young lady who has worked hard for that result!

      • SteveJ says:
        12 Sep12 September 09:21

        @BJ all of the above correct, but.moved to Blighty at age 2, so reasonable for GBR to take credit for her Tennis upbringing.

        • meta says:
          12 Sep12 September 09:41

          She’s a dual national and she identifies as Chinese, Romanian, Canadian and British. She trained here, but she is the second-generation immigrant. I like the fact that she thinks about her heritage.

        • BJ says:
          12 Sep12 September 10:27

          Personally I think she deserves to take all the credit herself along with her team who have supported her. Not sure that Brits or Britain in general can take any credit at all.

        • John says:
          12 Sep12 September 14:09

          Sky Brown, the girl who won GB bronze in one of the women’s Olympic skateboarding events, is Japanese in every way (like the gold and silver winners) except that her dad is from the UK, and she trains in the US.

          And look at all the Chinese badminton and table tennis players who weren’t good enough for the China team so end up competing for various European and American countries – though they do learn the local languages and settle there. So it doesn’t mean that much when you can effectively pick your own team

      • HBommie says:
        12 Sep12 September 13:09

        Betcha a packet of cheesy wotsits that she wins Wimbledon within 3 years.

    • Harry T says:
      12 Sep12 September 10:46

      Personally think it’s a great result for Emma and the team who supported her. Don’t understand how it makes anyone proud to be british, as I don’t see how the whole country had anything to do with her being good at tennis 😂

      • BuildBackBetter says:
        12 Sep12 September 13:40

        There’s some credit thanks to the facilities and encouragement she has received.
        In comparison, the singapore swimmer who beat Phelps was half European half Chinese and trained completely in US.

        Also I think there’s less racism here, even if it might sound incredible. Has any mixed race athletic been successful in white European countries?

      • HBommie says:
        12 Sep12 September 16:10

        She included a 🇬🇧 In her tweets.

        Fantastic achievement.

    • KBuffett says:
      12 Sep12 September 10:53

      Can someone explain why the ball clipped the net on so many occasions without any let’s being called?

      • Peter K says:
        12 Sep12 September 13:41

        @KBuffett
        That what I kept wondering!!! Is there some rule that means no let is called if there is no significant alternation to the flight of the ball?

      • Alex M says:
        12 Sep12 September 15:06

        I thought I was going mad after hearing the sound 20 times…

        • FFoxSake says:
          12 Sep12 September 20:29

          The false “net” sound was caused by an echo from every serve. Very off-putting on TV.

  • The Lord says:
    12 Sep12 September 08:20

    With the return to UK testing looking like it will be ending in October can we expect BA to increase their October schedule?

    • Jeff Greene says:
      12 Sep12 September 08:23

      Dunno. Possibly

    • JDB says:
      12 Sep12 September 08:47

      I don’t think the return to UK testing is likely to go, but the day 0-2 test might go. BA moves to its winter schedule at the end of Oct anyway and I’m not sure the possible removal of the second test will make such a huge difference to passenger numbers.

      • Dave says:
        12 Sep12 September 08:53

        That’s my thinking too JDB. What would make a difference is changing quarantine for red list countries so that you can quarantine at home for ten days or until you test to release, rather than spending thousands on a shit hotel out near Heathrow!

        • WaynedP says:
          12 Sep12 September 09:28

          👏

        • andyT says:
          12 Sep12 September 11:39

          From comments here and in other media it is obvious that some/many people who should have quarantined at home during the past year have not done so, so it is imperative that those arriving from a red list country continue to be quarantined at their own cost in a government approved facility.

          • WaynedP says:
            12 Sep12 September 12:15

            Over-priced, mandatory hotel quarantining (based on one of the most draconian policies born in OTT Australia) is a sledgehammer to crack the nut of a minority of UK citizens who are unable to handle being treated as rational, reasonable, community-minded adults.

            I would have happily paid £60-£120 for a mandatory 5 day PCR to release test at an NHS centre preceded by home quarantine with daily Test & Trace phone calls to be able to travel to a red list country this year to bury my father’s ashes and pack up my mother’s house and move her to the dedicated Dementia facility she belongs in.

            Instead, here I sit booking three weeks annual leave to take a nine day trip to get as much done as I can, then kick my heels in Ireland for ten days twiddling my thumbs being economically inactive.

            Real vote winner for me !

    • Rob says:
      12 Sep12 September 08:55

      It’s not £100 of testing that stops people taking Euro beach holidays in October 🙂

      • TGLoyalty says:
        12 Sep12 September 10:35

        It’s not actually the £100 cost. It’s the fear of testing positive abroad.

        Yes. It’s selfish (and it’s only an antigen test) but these people would rather just be allowed on the plane without a test and be “safe” at home.

        • Rob says:
          12 Sep12 September 15:45

          Don’t want to surprise you, but people are currently boarding flights FROM the UK without any sort of test 🙂 Pretty sure a week sitting by a hotel pool is less risky than a week indoors in the UK.

          • TGLoyalty says:
            13 Sep13 September 01:23

            I know that and so does everyone else you’ve completely missed the point.

            The fear for these people is of taking a test and being “positive” with no symptoms and having to isolate for 10-14 days aboard

            If pre departure testing was abolished holiday bookings would increase massively.

          • Rob says:
            13 Sep13 September 08:39

            You don’t need to isolate. No-one knows you failed the test. Just keep yourself to yourself.

      • barnaby100 says:
        12 Sep12 September 10:45

        The fear of testing positive before return for people (including those in low paid jobs) is certainly a concern.

      • Aston100 says:
        12 Sep12 September 11:36

        Turkish med coast is perfectly fine for a beach holiday in October.
        Just saying.

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