US to lift travel ban for fully jabbed on 8 November

The US has said that it will reopen its borders to fully vaccinated travellers from 33 countries on 8 November.

Under new rules announced by the White House, vaccinated people who have had a negative test in the 72 hours before travelling will be allowed to enter.

The move marks the end of the tough restrictions that have been imposed on travellers since early last year.

“This policy is guided by public health, stringent and consistent,” a White House spokesman said.

The new rules will apply to Schengen countries – a group of 26 European nations – as well as the UK, Brazil, China, India, Iran, Ireland, and South Africa.

The current rules bar entry to most non-US citizens who have been in the UK, China, India, South Africa, Iran, Brazil or a number of European countries within the last 14 days.

However, the policy has caused controversy, as passengers from 150 other countries, many of whom have struggled with high rates of Covid infection, have continued to enter the US freely.

Officials announced that people who have been jabbed with one of the vaccines that are approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or have been granted an Emergency Use Listing from the World Health Organization (WHO) will qualify under the system.

The Emergency Use aspect will allow travellers who have received the AstraZeneca jab, widely used in the UK, as well as China’s Sinovac and Sinopharm vaccines, to enter the country.

It was also confirmed that travellers will not be required to go into quarantine upon entering the country.

Ryanair to launch Derry-Manchester route

Ryanair has announced plans to launch flights between Derry and Manchester from December 1.

The thrice-weekly service will operate on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.

The route signals the return of UK domestic services to Ryanair’s network – back in December 2020 the Irish carrier had announced plans to cease UK domestic routes as a result of what it said were post-Brexit regulatory changes.

It also comes just months after the carrier announced it would be ceasing all flights from Belfast International airport and Belfast City airport, citing the UK government’s “refusal to suspend or reduce APD and the lack of Covid recovery incentives from both Belfast airports”.

The Belfast Telegraph quotes a spokesperson for Derry airport as stating that “Manchester is a hugely popular destination from our region, and giving people more options to fly from their doorstep is fantastic”.

“As we seek to further improve the connectivity from the North West, it is vitally important for our government to continue the push for air passenger duty removal in NI and continue with route development initiatives to get our airports and airlines improving connectivity and making the maximum contribution to our countries economic recovery,” the spokesperson continued.

Dubai International launches food and duty-free ordering service for passengers

Dubai International (DXB) has made food ordering and duty-free shopping easy with the launch of DXB&More, a regional airport first.

It means passengers can make the most of their time before catching a flight by ordering retail and restaurant items on their mobile, without needing to download an app, and having them delivered directly to them.

Airport guests travelling from DXB’s Terminal 3, B and C gates can access the new service via the WOW-fi landing page, QR codes around the airport or DXBmore.com.

Once online they can browse menus and duty-free items, purchase what they like, and have it delivered directly to their gate or lounge or collect it themselves from the outlet.

In the future, DXB&more will be developed into an all-encompassing digital DXB experience, bringing together digital entertainment partners, more shopping and live experiences, for the benefit of travellers who are already in the airport and those who are due to travel.