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Simon Calder’s ‘Ask me Anything’: the Independent’s travel expert answers your questions

Could holidays to New York soon be back on the agenda? (Getty Images/iStockphoto)
Could holidays to New York soon be back on the agenda? (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

From a travel perspective, the week so far has seen far more disappointment than excitement.

Emirates revealed its first loss in 33 years – with no sign that its Dubai hub, and the rest of the UAE, will be removed from the UK’s “red list” any time soon.

Because there is no sign of Spain, our favourite holiday location, escaping from the “amber list,” easyJet is shifting capacity from the UK to Germany.

With no imminent prospect of UK-US travel being restored to something like normality any time soon, Aer Lingus has postponed the start of its planned nonstop flights from Manchester to New York and Orlando by two months.

The moves reflect the assumption among a growing number of senior industry figures that the current draconian UK travel restrictions will not be eased significantly before August.

They believe the four-week delay in unlocking coronavirus rules in England, to 19 July, means that the next “green list” reviews on 24 June and 15 July will see little change.

At present the only feasible destinations on the quarantine-free register are Gibraltar and Iceland.

But options for domestic tourism are expanding, with a new ferry link between Wales and Northern Ireland.

On Thursday 17 June at 4pm I’ll be on hand to answer your travel questions about everything to do with travel this year.

Register to submit your question in the Comments below. If you’re not already a member, click “sign up” in the Comments box to leave your question.

Don’t worry if you can’t see your question – they will be hidden until I join the conversation to answer them.

Then join us live on this page at 4pm as I tackle as many questions as I can.

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