News
Will flights to the EU be affected by Brexit? / 12.03.2019
As everyone knows, the UK is set to leave the UK on the 29th March 2019. At the time of writing however, it is not clear what, if any, the terms of the leaving agreement will be.
If there is no deal then there will be a ‘hard Brext’ i.e. there won’t be any terms agreed between the EU and the UK. The impact of this will be widespread, not least in the travel industry.
On 7th March, the UK Government set out a deal which had been reached between the UK and the EU to ensure that airlines could continue to operate between the EU and the UK. The detailed plans basically reciprocated to EU airlines the rights the UK airlines have and vice versa.
You can read about the agreement here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/air-services-from-the-eu-to-the-uk-in-the-event-of-no-deal
In theory therefore, all should be fine with airlines permitted to take off and land in both the UK and EU as at present.
There are some other issues however. The Government has indicated that UK passengers will need to ensure that they have at least 6 months left on their passports at the time of flying. They have also stated that any time which was added the passport expiry date when a passport was renewed may not count towards the six months requirement. You can check your passport’s validity here: https://www.passport.service.gov.uk/check-a-passport. In essence, when you last renewed your passport, any unused time on the old passport would have been added to the end date on your current passport BUT this won’t count towards the new 6 month requirement. So make sure you check!
Some other things to watch out for
Whilst on your EU trip post-Brexit, you may pay more when you use your bank card to pay in Euros see: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/banking-insurance-and-other-financial-services-if-theres-no-brexit-deal/1banking-insurance-and-other-financial-services-if-theres-no-brexit-deal-information-for-uk-residents-and-businesses
If you are thinking of driving rather than flying to the EU then you may need a green card from your insurance company.
The European Health Insurance Card will be null and void – you will have to pay for any treatment whilst abroad: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-44850972
Finally, mobile roaming charges will be back - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mobile-roaming-if-theres-no-brexit-deal
