Travel and transport in the UK look broken – yet they have barely been mentioned in the leadership campaign. So let me offer some friendly advice to the next prime minister. |
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The only way is up: Airbus A321 used as a private jet by Liz Truss on her Australia trip this year |
At 12.30pm on Monday, 5 September, we will finally discover who the nation's next leader will be. During the Tory hustings, the important topics of the damage caused by transport, the aviation shambles and the most disruptive rail strikes for 40 years have barely featured. Whoever wins needs to address these issues. So let me help. Let's start with what we know for certain: that neither candidate gives two hoots about the environmental impact of travel. As I revealed in January, Liz Truss felt entitled to fly to Australia and back in a large UK government private jet at the taxpayer's, and the planet's expense. Rather than taking equally convenient scheduled Qantas flights, she spent £500,000 of public money and generated 500 tonnes of CO2. Mr Sunak, as chancellor, boldly announced on the eve of the Cop26 summit in Glasgow that he is incentivising a switch from rail to air travel by halving the rate of domestic Air Passenger Duty from April 2023. The main beneficiaries: travellers from Glasgow and Edinburgh to London, lured away from Avanti West Coast, LNER and Lumo to British Airways and easyJet through lower fares. If the next PM wants to at least pretend to be interested in the environment, she or he could always think again on this particular tax cut, which exclusively helps those wealthy enough to fly domestically. Both BA and easyJet have cancelled many thousands of flights this summer, and are taking ages to sort out the resulting problems for passengers. In addition, easyJet has been caught on multiple occasions rejecting claims for compensation from passengers who were wrongly turned away from flights. A review is under way to see if the Civil Aviation Authority needs extra powers (spoiler alert: it does), but meanwhile ministers must hold the airlines to account. We did find out at the (mercifully final) hustings on Wednesday that Liz Truss will close down the smart motorway scheme. How that can happen without adding to the immense strain on the nation's road network is a problem for the next transport secretary, given that Ms Truss looks like closing down Sunak-supporting Grant Shapps as well. The rail unions, who this week announced the first of their September strikes, are keen to learn the identity of their next adversary at the Department for Transport. The hapless train passenger is set to face yet more chaos into the autumn until the deep dispute on pay and modernisation is over. A key element of the ultimate settlement: fixing a rail fares system that has not been fit for purpose for decades, to entice more travellers on board. If the new leader fails, the railways will continue on a spiral of decline. "Forecasts are not destiny," Ms Truss is fond of saying. But unless you do something positive, they often turn out that way. |
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| Why you should make up-and-coming Worthing your next UK seaside break |
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| Enjoy luxury spa access and two Michelin-starred dining at country house hotel Whatley Manor in the Cotswolds |
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| The best last-minute holidays to book this month |
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Tip of the week: Great US-Canada rail trip is back |
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The spectacular Cascades rail trip between Seattle and Vancouver will return this month for the first time since early 2020. It offers superb coastal scenery, as well as travelling through historic towns. The US train operator Amtrak will resume the four-hour journey on 26 September. Initially only one train will run each way, and only the northbound service will be in daylight. "A second daily trip [will be] added in the future as Amtrak staffing and equipment allow," says the operator. One-way tickets start at US$34 (£29). Read about the Vancouver to Seattle journey |
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Deal of the week: Free lounge access at Gatwick |
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In a bid to make its "Flexifares" more appealing, easyJet will throw in complimentary lounge access at London Gatwick airport from now until 30 November. Britain's biggest budget airline runs the Gateway Lounge at the Sussex airport, which normally costs £19. On a test booking made for Gatwick-Nice on 1 November, the lowest fare is £74, with a Flexifare at £182. But once extras such as extra cabin luggage, a 23kg checked bag and assigned premium seating are included, the price differential shrinks dramatically – with lounge access possibly making the Flexifare better value. Anyone already holding a Flexifare ticket for a flight from Gatwick will qualify automatically. Read our guide to easyJet and other airlines' baggage allowances |
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Question of the week: Journey through Central America? |
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Q What do you prescribe for a three-week trip at the end of the year through Central America – going beyond Guatemala and Belize? A I prescribe a trip from Nicaragua to Panama. Fly out (via one of the US hubs, probably Miami) to Managua. Nicaragua's capital is the least appealing in Central America, but treat it purely as a gateway. Within an hour you can be in the fine city of Granada, on the edge of Lake Nicaragua. Its Havana-like vibe makes Granada an excellent place to begin your journey. Then indulge in San Juan del Sur – easily the finest resort in Nicaragua, and conveniently close to the Costa Rican border. Across the frontier, the raw, restless earth is on permanent display at Arenal, with nightly natural displays of molten lava. Wind your way down to the Pacific coast, pausing at Quepos – complete with a tiny national park, Manuel Antonio – and Dominical, which has one of the most appealing surfing beaches in the Americas. Panama is likely to be the highlight of your trip. From the Pan-American Highway, take a detour inland to El Valle – an extinct volcano with a town, El Valle de Anton, inside it. Panama City is the greatest capital in Central America: a Manhattan of the Pacific, yet with the ruins of the ancient Spanish city at Panama Vieja (now a Unesco World Heritage Site) and the Casco Viejo, the alluring "new" old town which is an excellent place to stay. Add in a trip along the Panama Canal – crossing the Continental Divide by boat, road or rail – and you will have enjoyed much of the best of Central America. Why Panama is perfect for an easy-going Latin American adventure |
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The number of Ryanair flights to and from London Heathrow airport while chief executive Michael O'Leary is in charge. When The Independent this week asked whether he would consider operating at the UK's busiest airport, the CEO said: "Never, ever while I live and breathe." |
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What you might have missed... |
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| Every day from Monday to Friday I tackle a top travel story, or explore a topic in more detail than usual in 'Simon Calder's Independent Travel Podcast' – available free on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Pocket Casts or Acast. |
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| Every day from Monday to Friday I tackle a top travel story, or explore a topic in more detail than usual in 'Simon Calder's Independent Travel Podcast' – available free on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Pocket Casts or Acast. |
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| I find the easiest way to rush out stories is to tweet them. It's also an easy way to contact me. My direct messages are open and I read all DMs, though regrettably I can't respond to every one. Let me know your thoughts @SimonCalder |
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| I find the easiest way to rush out stories is to tweet them. It's also an easy way to contact me. My direct messages are open and I read all DMs, though regrettably I can't respond to every one. Let me know your thoughts @SimonCalder |
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| Each Saturday and Sunday I take questions live at 5.30pm British time on Instagram Live – from wherever I happen to be in the world – so please do come and say hello. Follow me on @Simon_Calder |
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| Each Saturday and Sunday I take questions live at 5.30pm British time on Instagram Live – from wherever I happen to be in the world – so please do come and say hello. Follow me on @Simon_Calder |
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| Or you can find me on TikTok. Come and have a look at what I have been up to as I bring you top travel topics and report on the latest changes in a minute or less via @caldertravel |
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| Or you can find me on TikTok. Come and have a look at what I have been up to as I bring you top travel topics and report on the latest changes in a minute or less via @caldertravel |
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OTHER NEWSLETTERS YOU MIGHT LIKE |
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| Fortnightly, 7am (UK time) Written by Nadine White |
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