Eurostar has outlined plans to increase its services over the coming months, “in response to growing demand following the removal of quarantine for fully vaccinated travellers from France to the UK and the easing of restrictions for travel to Belgium and the Netherlands”.
The high-speed rail operator said that bookings over the period August 4-14 had doubled compared to the previous two weeks, and it has added 39 trains over August, with August 27-30 being the busiest days for travel.
Further ahead Eurostar plans to operate eight daily return services between September 6 and November 1 – five to and from Paris, and three to and from Brussels, with one each way continuing to be extended to Amsterdam and Rotterdam.
Eurostar’s website also now displays the option of a connection via Brussels onto the Netherlands, although the fare is considerably more expensive.
Earlier this week Business Traveller reported that British Airways is poised to resume its flights between London City and Rotterdam:
Eurostar said that “Since the easing of travel restrictions by the UK government in August, the high-speed rail operator is seeing the gradual return of the weekend break, with a 105 per cent rise in August and September weekend trips between London and Paris compared to the same period last year”.
Leisure customers continue to lead the revival, with 83 per cent of bookings attributed to leisure travel or visiting friends and family.
Eurostar’s current booking policy means that customers can exchange tickets in Standard and Standard Premier an unlimited number of times without paying an exchange fee, as long as tickets are exchanged seven days or more before the departure date of their outbound journey.
Where tickets are exchanged for a higher priced ticket, customers will need to pay the difference.
Customers continue to be required to wear face masks both on board and in stations.
Earlier this month it was reported that Eurostar’s CEO Jacques Damas wants to see a new air travel tax introduced for flights to northern Europe, with money raised going towards funding Eurostar’s operations from the UK to mainland Europe.
