UK travelers wanting to return from "red list" countries are returning via Turkey to avoid hefty hotel quarantine fees.
Passengers are breaking their journey into Istanbul and staying in hotels there for a fraction of what they would have to pay in Britain.
Travelers from red-listed countries returning to Britain face a bill of £1,750 per person for hotel isolation if they return directly to Britain.
Those who are using the route that does not take them directly to Britain must still be quarantined at home when they return.
A hotel worker in Istanbul has said he has seen Britons traveling there from Pakistan, India and Bangladesh - all countries on the UK's red list.
also
The British in need of return, have nowhere to isolate themselves
The BBC has also spoken to travelers who have returned from Pakistan to Britain, many of whom had attended weddings or funerals, and said they could not afford the cost of hotel quarantine in Britain.
As long as they self-isolate at home for 10 days after returning from red-listed countries, they are not breaking any government rules.
