More confusion over travelling abroad

When the UK government announced its long-awaited Covid traffic lights system, allowing people to travel free of quarantine to 12 countries, including Portugal and Malta, there was a mad rush of holiday bookings. Up 660 per cent apparently! But now it has become clear(ish) that if a country has been designated green it doesn't mean after all that anyone can pack their bags and fly off on holiday. All it has done is to remove the requirement to go into quarantine or sef-isolation. The advice about only going abroad for essential purposes still stands. British Airways has messaged all its clients that they could be fined £5,000 if they turn up at the airport and admit they are going on holiday. So what on earth is going on? The Boris government said that from May 17 the ban on flying overseas would be lifted and when the traffic light system was announced it looked like Boris had given carte banche permission for people to go on holiday to Portugal etc. If this isn't the case, and British Airways has got it right, it's the latest example of a shambolic policy. Thousands and thousands of people are going to arrive at airports with tickets for Lisbon or Faro or Porto or wherever and be told they can't fly without giving a proper reason why they wish to travel. Lying on a sunbed on the beach will not be considered an adequate reason. As for the vaccine passport which is now going to be available for those with an NHS App from Monday, what's the point of it if you can't use it to travel overseas? The latest developments are going to cause massive chaos and anger. Presumably even if other countries are put on the green list, such as Spain and France, the same restrictions will apply. As for flying to the US, nothing has changed. The US has suspended all travel for Brits with a few very limited exceptions and that looks like staying unchanged for the foreseeable future. I'd go to Bognor Regis for a change of scene but apparently it's full!