February 28th - Your Questions On Travel Plans Following Aviation Sanctions On Russia
Simon Calder's Independent Travel Podcast
The Independent
3.6 • 628 Ratings
🗓️ 28 February 2022
⏱️ 7 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
The world has fundamentally changed in the last week as Russia's invasion of neighbouring Ukraine has brought about unprecedented shifts in Europe and sanctions aimed at thwarting Russian plans effect everything from air routes to the cost of oil.
In this episode of the podcast, I answer some listeners' questions about what impacts global events might have on travel plans around Europe as we all hope for peace.
Of course this podcast is completely free, as is my weekly travel email. You can sign up at independent.co.uk/newsletters.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Hello, I'm Simon Calder, welcoming you to my independent travel podcast, which today is looking at a couple of aspects of the appalling Russian invasion of Ukraine and the effect that will have on the travel industry. |
| 0:18.3 | And of course, Vladimir Putin's murderous attack is primarily a calamity for the |
| 0:24.8 | Ukrainian people and my thoughts, and I'm sure yours are with them. It, I hope, doesn't seem |
| 0:32.1 | clallous to focus on the effects of the conflict on your travels and mine international tourism in general |
| 0:40.4 | because millions of people have concerns and it's important to explore and explain the likely |
| 0:48.6 | effects. First question comes from Peter and he says what if my holiday, my package holiday to Portugal in May cannot go ahead because of war, when I get a full refund? |
| 1:03.5 | Well, yes, you will, Peter, because if Jet 2 holidays can't provide the trip that you've booked, then it's got to refund your |
| 1:14.0 | payment in full. That's simply what the law says. Indeed, you've got to have the money back |
| 1:19.6 | within two weeks. If, and I think this is extremely unlikely, the company fails, then you'll get a full refund under the Atoll scheme because you've sensibly booked a package holiday. |
| 1:34.1 | But the wider question is, I'm not sure that there are circumstances I can envisage in which the Russian invasion of Ukraine could |
| 1:47.3 | affect your holiday. It's nearly 2,000 miles from the Algarve to Ukraine. The conflict |
| 1:59.1 | is very much concentrated in a corner of southeastern Europe. |
| 2:03.6 | I don't wish for a moment to diminish it, but I think the likelihood of that spreading across Europe |
| 2:09.6 | and infecting travel between the UK and Portugal looks extremely remote. |
| 2:15.6 | There is, I think, a possibility that the conflict will dampen demand for |
| 2:23.2 | travel. People don't like uncertainty. They like booking holidays that they know that they're |
| 2:30.2 | going to be able to take. And the fact that you're raising this question means that |
| 2:34.2 | there is already some disquiet about what is happening. Personally, I would look forward hugely to a trip |
| 2:42.4 | to Portugal in May. It's my favourite time there along with September and I think it will be a joy. |
| 2:52.2 | If there were to be any effect at all, it would be this. |
| 2:55.9 | With fewer people wanting to travel, perhaps, |
| 2:59.4 | then it might be the case that departures are what's called consolidated. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from The Independent, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of The Independent and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.