On 23rd June the UK will vote on whether to remain a member of the European Union. Most people don’t know how they will vote on 23rd June and are waiting to hear more information over the coming weeks and months. We’ve decided to have a quick look at how Brexit could possibly affect the British travelling public should the UK become independent.
Air travel
Currently, if a flight departs or arrives in the Eurozone and is delayed by reasons within the airline’s control, providing the airline is an EU carrier, passengers are entitled to financial compensation, as per EU Regulations. Following the UK’s exit from the EU, these rules would no longer apply to passengers flying on British airlines, such as Easyjet, British Airways and Thomson.
Passengers’ rights to complimentary food and drink, telephone calls and overnight accommodation should a flight be subject to a delay of more than two hours would also need to be re-negotiated.
In addition to the loss of financial compensation, flights from the UK may be subject to higher airport taxes from EU countries. This tax is likely to be passed directly onto passengers, resulting in higher air fares. This could result in British airlines becoming more expensive than European competitors, putting British jobs at risk.
Mobile phone roaming charges
On 30th April 2016 new EU roaming charges will come into effect. These will cap roaming costs at:
- Outgoing voice calls – domestic price + up to €0.05/min
- Incoming voice calls - €0.0114/min
- Outgoing texts - domestic price + up to €0.02/min
- Data – domestic price + up to €0.05/MB
On 15th June 2017, roaming charges will be removed completely.
These caps would be scrapped if the UK left the EU, and high mobile charges could be applied to Brits abroad once again.
Medical help
An EHIC card gives travellers the right to state-provided healthcare on temporary stays in other European Economic Area countries at a reduced cost, or sometimes for free. In an independent UK, the EHIC card would be void.
Michael Ward, Managing Director of PayingTooMuch.com comments: “The exact repercussions on UK travellers following Brexit are anybody’s guess. Travel insurance prices could rise as the cost of negotiating agreements with the EU increases. Flights could become more expensive and passengers may lose many of the compensation packages they are currently offered if flights are delayed or cancelled.
“However, looking outside the spotlight of foreign travel, there are many other reasons for and against leaving the EU. I urge everyone to do some research and come to their own decision before voting on 23rd June.”
