Of the 17 and a half million people who voted for Brexit how many will be jetting off to Europe for some summer sun this year?
Last week record air traffic numbers were recorded in UK airspace with 8,800 flights leaving or entering British skies. The day after the schools break up for summer is annually the busiest day for air traffic, but the peak period stretches across July and August.
Holiday-goers are in for a nasty surprise, however, with some of the worst exchange rates yet on offer as the pound plummeted against the euro.
At the start of the weekend the exchange rate was €1.11 – down from €1.132 before Thursday – but some airports were offering less than €1.
Gatwick, Luton and Birmingham airports were among those offering less than £1 and Cardiff offered just 88 cents.
And foreign exchange experts Caxton FX have worked out that the price of your summer holiday has risen by a staggering ten per cent.
Tourists visiting Europe now have to spend an extra £200 if they want to visit some of the most popular holiday destinations – a significant increase for Brits who are already feeling the pinch.
But that’s what we voted for, right?
Well, not quite. In reality it is only a fraction of what we voted for, with the worst yet to come.
This year the exchange rate has slumped, next year we will have fewer flights to choose from, and the year after we’ll have passport control, customs and no EHIC.
And given what was already happened to the pound, no one can accuse us of exaggerating the outcomes.
Ryanair has already warned that it could ground flights and cancel holidays unless a deal with the European Union is struck on the EU Open Skies agreement.
Rival budget carrier EasyJet recently applied for a new air operator’s certificate (AOC) in Austria to allow it to continue flying in the European Union after Brexit.
And if you’re under any illusion that that won’t happen – take a reality check. If Brexit means Brexit then it means we are in for years of costly and inconvenient travel, the first ramifications of which are been seen this year. Prices will soar, flights will be grounded, passport queues will grow and EU benefits will be sliced.
At least we’ll still be able to get a chunky Toblerone on the way home….. Oh.
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