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Simon Calder's Independent Travel Podcast
August 23rd - Dover gears up for Bank Holiday and biometric future
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What will the entry-exit system mean for car drivers and coach passengers using the UK's busiest ferry port, Dover? I've been talking to Doug Bannister, chief executive of the Port of Dover. He says they can cope with the new rules on fingerprinting and facial biometrics until April 2025, but once things get busy new options are needed.
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Over from Dover: how is the EU entry-exit system working at the UK's main ferry port?
06:47|Chief executive of the Port of Dover, Doug Bannister, tells me about the investment made in preparing for the digital borders scheme in a location where frontier controls are "juxtaposed" – you check into France while still on British soil. And how is the half-term getaway looking?This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox.UK visitors will get fast-track entry to Greece until better solution is found, minister tells me
05:46|After Greece decided unilaterally to scrap biometric border checks for British visitors, the tourism minister has said the “UK fast track” will continue until the EU entry-exit system (EES) is improved. Olga Kefalogianni tells me today: “We aim to actually make sure that this facilitation is not just valid for this year.” Her hope is that technology will come to the rescue to enable a friction-free border crossing.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox.How to cope with long-haul flights
08:16|Top cinematographer Douglas Bolton shares his secrets of transatlantic travel – basically, stay awake to bedtime.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox.Holidays are very important to people from a psychological and welfare point of view
07:53|With so much uncertainty and confusion among travellers, I am talking today to the man who has led Abta, the travel association, for 20 years: CEO Mark Tanzer. "I don't anticipate from where we are today that there'll be large scale disruption for people," he tells me. "With everything going on in the world, it's a good time to have a holiday."This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox.Who would ever want to work in the travel industry in these difficult days?
06:09|Warnings of flight cancellations, a cruise with a killer virus on board, the EU entry-exit system ... Julia Lo Bue-Said, chief executive of the Advantage Travel Partnership, tells me of her frustration about warnings on summer travel that look wide of the mark. But she also says this is the industry of human happiness.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox.En suite bathrooms in First Class – bunk beds in Economy?
07:24|Travel Desk Tuesday, and I am talking to Senior Travel Writer Natalie Wilson about two fresh concepts in the longhaul aviation world: Emirates' plan for en suite bathrooms in First Class, with Air New Zealand offering bunk beds in Economy. Do we need either?This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox.Hantavirus, flight cancellations, EU entry-exit system and Venezuela
06:55|It is an extremely busy weekend on the travel front, and I am rounding up the headline. There are alarming reports of a small expedition ship off the coast of Cape Verde with cases of hantavirus. Worried airline passengers are contacting me about flight cancellations this summer: my message is, don't panic. The EU entry-exit system is unravelling across Europe, so be prepared for anything.Finally, Venezuela is now connected with the US for the first time by an American carrier for seven years, with American Airlines going in from Miami to Caracas.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox.Demand is displaced, not depleted – people still want to travel
07:25|Nine weeks ago, before the US-Israeli attack on Iran and subsequent reprisals, the intercontinental travel world looked very different. I’ve been talking to Laura Lindsay of Skyscanner – the platform where you can search for flights, hotels, car hire and package holidays.“People do still want to get away,” she says. But their destination choices are changing, with western Europe and Morocco benefiting from a drop in demand for Dubai.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox.Wizz Air UK sees a bright summer despite the dark clouds
06:56|We have just launched our biggest ever network from the UK" – so says Yvonne Moynihan, Managing Director of Wizz Air UK. "Airlines are well used to crises– we're resilient and well adapted". She says: "We have fuel supply. We have other mechanisms for uplifting fuel. We're not seeing an Armageddon situation.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox.