US Spouse + UK Citizen Flying During Lockdown

Hi

Has anyone flown back to US? We haven’t been back to see my wifes family in months. Obviously I know there is a ‘no holidays’ rule - just wondering if flights are still going is this allowed (I guess citing the emotional support exclusion)...

Thanks

J

Unless it's an emergency I don't think they would let you travel just to see family in the current lockdown. You can contact the embassy or the airline to see if your circumstances would be allowed.

Flights are still on.  I put in flight out 1 Dec and fly back 22 Dec and got $415 round trip Lon-JFK. (to allow a one-week visit with two week's quarantine.) Quarantine rules vary from state to state in the USA, so you'll want to check the destination's health department requirements.  This info from the Kayak website might generally help:  https://www.kayak.com/travel-restrictions#united-states

It seems that the problem you'd have with flying out would be on the UK end.

Travel restrictions England - https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-safer-travel-guidance-for-passengers#aviation-ferries-and-maritime-transport

Travel restrictions Scotland - https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-on-travel-and-transport/

Wales - https://gov.wales/coronavirus-regulations-guidance#section-46349

Northern Ireland - https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/coronavirus-covid-19-travel-advice#toc-10

When we flew out in August we couldn't get a direct flight from Scotland. To avoid having to travel to London, we flew to Amsterdam and picked up our long-haul flight there. Our other option was to go to Iceland and connect there.

So it's doable, more or less. But not really advisable.

If you really must fly, be sure to check the airlines carefully. Delta was really very good (on the long-haul segment) about having rows of empty seats between passengers, etc.. KLM, who we used to hop to Amsterdam, had us packed in like sardines (so NOT good). We booked under Delta, but KLM managed the flight. (Should have checked that more before buying the tickets.)  Iceland Air, if memory serves, was doing well with sanitary protocols. BA/American have a reputation for not doing very well at all. I am not positive, but I have a vague memory that Iberia wasn't too good on the front, either.

If you were stopped by police on the road, the road into the airport or at the airport, do you really think emotional support is a valid exception (i.e. emergency) to justify breaking lockdown rules over any other UK citizen seeing their family? I really doubt it. During lockdown it doesn't matter whether family are 4,000 miles away or 30.

Wait until lockdown is over. Remove all risk. BA have a buy with confidence so you can receive a voucher until April 2022 if things don't work out or change your mind. Which you'll likely use with family in the US.

A last point. Cases are soaring as we're entering winter. Is it really worth the risk? My wife hasn't seen her parents in over 1.5 years. Was due to go over in July, cancelled. Then a week from now, cancelled (lockdown). Then we thought Christmas but we've decided against as the cases are just too high.

The UK government have specifically banned holidays during Lockdown 2.0.  Going afterwards is fair game, just a lot of risk and no guarantees of rules not changing or nasty surprises.

To travel during Lockdown 2.0, you'll need to contact the airline (as Margo said) to see what documentation you need to provide to be allowed to travel.

Big hugs.  Adulting sucks!

Hi

Has anyone flown back to US? We haven’t been back to see my wifes family in months. Obviously I know there is a ‘no holidays’ rule - just wondering if flights are still going is this allowed (I guess citing the emotional support exclusion)...

Thanks

J

I haven't seen my 3 children since March and I'm not planning on being able to see them for another year. This pandemic isn't going to just disappear in the short term.

I prefer to keep myself and my family safe. Travelling now just isn't worth it.

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