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ABTA plays down US visa chaos reports
Newspapers are today predicting travel chaos and a “disastrous” effect for the United States tourism industry if authorities stick by their decision to require visas for British visitors – but it appears that many British newspapers are exaggerating the story. The US Government has decided that after 26 October, anyone receiving a new passport will have to apply for a visa to visit the United States, which will involve a trip to the US Embassy in London, and an interview – that is, until the UK introduces passports capable of storing biometric data. That is expected to be some time early in 2005. But Sean Tipton, of ABTA, told News From Abroad that the number of people likely to be affected was quite small. He said: “Anyone whose passport is issued before 26 October will not be affected, and once we have biometric passports in this country the visa waver scheme will once again be introduced. The period in between could be as little as six months, so in reality, it is not such a big story as many are making out.” In a separate development, US authorities have reportedly banned passengers on flights into the United States from queuing for the toilet. According to the Daily Telegraph, passengers on flights into American airspace should not “congregate in groups” by toilets. British Airways and Virgin have remained tight-lipped on the subject, but Qantas has expressed confusion over the ruling. A spokesman said: “On one hand, passengers are advised to move around for health reasons. Now they are being told not to congregate. It doesn’t make any sense.”
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