The need for a UK Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) kind of sneaked up on us, and perhaps it could sneak up on you too.
We'd known for some time that the UK was implementing an ETA in 2025. We've been applying for Australia's ETA annually for many years, so we're familiar with the concept. As it happens, we're flying through London (LHR) en route to Rome on British Airways in mid-January, and BA hasn't mentioned to us that we'll need one. [Update: BA informed us of this requirement via email as we were writing this.]
Our oldest grandchild is also flying to London in January on Canada's WestJet, and he hasn't heard anything from them either.
Still, it's up to passengers to check travel requirements at their destinations for themselves. We'll use the IATA Travel Centre if we're flying to an "exotic" destination," but we've never experienced complications on our many flights into - and through - the UK since our first flights there in 1967 (Kathy) and 1982 (Kathy, Brian, and our three children).
From January 8 2025 onward, all non-European travelers landing in or transiting through the UK must obtain an ETA in advance of their flight. Citizens of European countries will be required to obtain an ETA for travel from April 2025 onward.
You can fill out your application using an app or online. We found the app to be reasonably convenient, albeit with a couple of minor wrinkles. It took Brian several tries to take his head and shoulders selfie, while Kathy succeeded immediately. Neither of us could use our iPhones to scan the chip imbedded in the passport cover. We read several negative reviews complaining of the same problem. The solution is to click on "next." The following screen allows you instead of scanning simply to confirm the numbers on your passport. Easy-Peasy!
Finally, and this is a personal beef, the UK government required us to pay the 10-pound fee in US dollars, and the exchange rate (USD $13.05) provides a good example of that legal scam we often highlight for other travelers, Dynamic Currency Conversion. Paying in USD would have cost around $12.40. It's not the principal, it's the principle! We politely suggested in the feedback section that customers should, at the least, have a choice of paying in their home currency converted by their credit card provider.
The ETA is good for two years (Australia's is good only for one) or until your passport expires. Brian's expires in January 2026 and Kathy's in July 2026, but the amount is sufficiently modest that we're not too worried about that shortened duration.
Brian had committed an act of stupidity several months ago when completing his Australian ETA, so he was especially careful. He received an email almost immediately confirming that his ETA had been approved, while Kathy's arrived overnight.
If you're traveling to or through the UK anytime soon, you might want to obtain your ETA sooner rather than later.
As we start to think seriously about our trip to Italy in a little less than three weeks from now, we look back at our 2024 travel year with happy memories.
We flew to Larnaca Cyprus early in January on BA. Later that month we flew to Fort Myers Florida on Alaska.
We flew to Cancun on Alaska in mid-February. At the end of February we flew to Budapest out of Vancouver on BA.
In March we flew to Frankfurt on Condor with our youngest grandchild, for his "Grand Tour" of Europe. We've now taken all eight of them to Europe.
In mid-April we flew to Lima Peru on Alaska and American.
In May we flew to Cairns Australia via Fiji and Sydney on a combination of Alaska, Fiji Airways, and Qantas. That was our 18th trip to Australia since our first visit there in 2007, and our 16th time attending Oz Fest, a "Do" or get-together organized by members of FlyerTalk.
In July and August we largely enjoyed ourselves at home, with the exception of a quick trip to southern Colorado via Albuquerque.
In September we hosted Bill and Sue, two Australian Flyertalk friends we met at our first Oz Fest in Melbourne in 2007.
In mid-October we sailed on a five-night Princess cruise from Vancouver to Seattle, a bargain we couldn't pass up, flying back from Los Angeles on Alaska to pick up our car.
The grande finale of the year encompassed all of November. It included a family wedding in Houston, a cruise on Portugal's Douro River, and a transatlantic cruise in the company of Kathy's two brothers and a sister-in-law. Also on the ship (and on our Trivia team!) were Bud and Jessie, good cruising friends of many years from Toronto.
In summary, Alaska records that we flew 122,358 paid miles on them and their partners in 2024. If we add on our return award flights to Australia, another 15,000 miles or so, and one or two other flights on different alliances - Lufthansa comes to mind - it's safe to estimate we flew about 140,000 miles in 2024.
We sailed a total of 22 nights on three cruises, and TripIt records us as visiting 72 cities and 19 countries/regions. By most standards (those of some of our travel friends aside), we traveled a lot. The best part of our travels, however, consists of the people - the family and friends we traveled with, and the lovely individuals we met along the way.
We wish you a Happy New Year. We hope 2025 includes wonderful travel experiences for us all.
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