Flight cancellations, delays and compensation: 5 travel questions answered by Simon Calder
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Your support makes all the difference.British Airways workers were threatening to announce a strike over pay this week but on Thursday, the union Unite announced the plans had been suspended.
Holidaymakers are clearly still feeling anxious over flight cancellations and delays, which was evident when Travel Correspondent Simon Calder did his weekly ‘Ask Me Anything’ later that day.
Flight questions were on the top of the agenda from readers who put their questions to Simon. Here are 5 reader questions answered by Simon.
My wife and I are thinking of going to Crete in September but we are concerned with the what seems like vast number of flight cancellations particularly by BA and EasyJet. I know Jet2 also fly to Crete as do Tui. Which airline and travel company do you think is the least risky at the moment? Or do you think we should just hold off for a fortnight or so and assess again then?
They are all excellent airlines. I wouldn’t book right now because there’s no particular need – fares will generally be just as good in August as they are now. British Airways and easyJet are not expected to make any more substantial cancellations. So I would go for the best combination of fare, time and baggage (BA has a superb cabin luggage allowance, the others don’t).
Are we the public all simply to be held hostage by these cancellations? Especially so if no insurances were taken at the time of booking any flights? We may be lucky flying from Stansted when we are due to leave - but is it literally just a lottery if you keep your flight?
Hi, travel insurance is hardly ever relevant in any cancellation. Ryanair is grounding almost no flights this summer; easyJet is mainly cancelling from Gatwick; and overall although it feels like a lottery, the vast majority of people are getting where they need to be.
We are currently on holiday in Florida with a planned return on 16 July. BA informed us that our Miami to London Heathrow flight was still happening but our subsequent flight onwards to Edinburgh was cancelled without providing any alternatives. I managed to get a flight with a 12-hour wait at Heathrow. There were no other alternatives from LHR. Since BA informed us more than seven days in advance, do we have any right to claim compensation?
Hi, the rule is: compensation is payable if you get less than 14 days’ warning of a cancellation that seriously disrupts your trip, as this one clearly does. So if you were notified after 2 July, you should be able to claim £520 in compensation. In any event, I suggest you simply arrange to abandon BA at Heathrow (having discussed it with the airline), take the Piccadilly Line of the London Underground to King’s Cross station and take a train from there. British Airways should cover the standard class fare.
My daughter and I are due to fly to Florida for a big event in August , with BA from Gatwick , if we get cancelled or delayed what are our rights ? We have a ship to catch and if we don’t arrive in time it will have a knock on effect on all the transport/testing that has been booked also
I note your last sentence: "If we don’t arrive in time it will have a knock-on effect on all the transport/testing that has been booked." It’s a useful reminder that in 2022 more than any previous year, being almost completely sure of a flight departing as it is supposed to is really valuable. I always urge people with cruises to catch to travel out the day before to allow (a) more time to sort out any problems and (b) enable you to enjoy the delights of Miami, Fort Lauderdale or wherever you are boarding. I don’t know whether this applies to you. Either way, if there is a problem with the flight (unlikely with BA, which is cancelling many European departures but very little long-haul) then you are entitled to be flown as close to your original schedule as possible. This may well involve going via a US point such as Atlanta or New York, but you should get there.
I had 3 hour delay on a BA flight at Heathrow due to missing luggage. BA now state they don’t have liability and I’m not eligible for compensation. Is this accurate?
Europe’s air passengers’ rights rules (which the UK copied and pasted after Brexit) are ridiculous in many ways. The ONLY arrival issue is: what time did the plane pull up on the gate and the first door open. You can wait three, four or five hours for your luggage and still not get any compensation. After a certain length of time it’s fair to ask the airline to deliver the baggage to your home (or hotel). For next time, though, let me remind you that British Airways has the most generous cabin-baggage allowance of any UK carrier: two bags weighing 23 kg each. The larger can be as much as 56 x 45 x 25cm (a volume of 63 litres), the smaller 40 x 30 x 15cm (18 litres). If you decide to take this route, remember to adhere strictly to the liquids and sharps rules, otherwise you’ll gum up the security search – to the detriment of you and everyone behind in the queue. But your baggage won’t go missing and you won’t need to wait around for it.
Check back soon for another ‘Ask Me Anything’ with Simon. You can sign up for Simon Calder’s travel week newsletter by putting your email in the box at the top of this article or via our newsletters page.
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