British holidaymakers in Portugal are scrambling to return home before the country is removed from the UK's green travel list on Tuesday, with some facing flight prices of up to £711. Airlines including British Airways, Wizz Air, and easyJet have added extra flights and larger aircraft to cope with demand as more than 112,000 Britons rush to avoid quarantine rules.
From 4am on Tuesday, Portugal will be reclassified as an amber list country, meaning returning travellers must quarantine at home for ten days and take PCR tests on days two and eight, plus a lateral flow test before departure. Alternatively, they can pay for a 'Test to Release' on day five to end isolation early, but must still take the day-eight test.
The cost of testing is substantial: a family of four opting for the Test to Release scheme would need three sets of PCR tests at £125 each, plus a lateral flow test at around £25, totalling approximately £1,600. Those returning from red list countries face hotel quarantine at £1,750 per person.
Wizz Air confirmed a repatriation flight from Faro to London Luton on Monday, while British Airways is increasing flights and using larger aircraft. EasyJet has added over 1,000 seats on routes from Faro to Gatwick, Luton, Manchester, and Bristol. The cheapest return flight before the deadline is £91 on Saturday, but prices soar to £711 for a Monday BA service to London City.
Travellers must take a pre-departure test within 72 hours of their return flight to England, followed by a PCR test on or before day two after arrival. No self-isolation is required while awaiting results, but amber list rules mandate home quarantine for ten days unless using Test to Release.
