Travel disruption – live: Calls for automatic airline refunds grow as Wizz Air adds to advance cancellations
Wizz Air has announced ‘a large number’ of cancellations from 10 June onwards
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Your support makes all the difference.The travel disruption experienced by UK holidaymakers in recent weeks looks set to continue, as Wizz Air becomes the latest airline to announce a series of cancelled flights to and from the UK.
The Hungarian low-cost carrier announced that it is cancelling “a large number of flights” from Doncaster Sheffield Airport from 10 June onwards.
The airline says the move is “a result of Doncaster Sheffield Airport indicating that it is unable to guarantee the terms of its commercial agreement with Wizz Air”.
Meanwhile, easyJet has cancelled at least 30 flights on Friday - the airline has said it is proactively cancelling 240 flights in the 10 days to 6 June, giving passengers some advance notice. British Airways also cancelled 120 flights for Friday - the airline says these are pre-planned and that passengers were given advance notice.
The UK’s airport queues are reported to have largely eased, with fewer problems at security and check-in reported by passengers than in recent days.
What are my rights if my flight is cancelled?
Many readers are telling The Independent that airlines are refusing to book them on replacement flights or arrange hotel accommodation when stranded.
If your flight is cancelled at short notice, your airline should get you on the next available flight to your destination - even if it is with a rival carrier - as well as providing accommodation, food and drink if you are stranded for an extended period of time.
If airlines refuse to assist you, you should cover your own essentials but keep all receipts. Be aware that some airlines have rules around the level of accommodation they will reimburse you for - e.g. a three-star hotel.
Here are your consumer rights if your flight is cancelled:
What are my consumer rights if my flight is cancelled?
Flight cancelled? You are due a replacement flight as soon as possible, meals and hotel accommodation if necessary – and cash compensation as well
Morning queues have eased at Dublin, but staff shortages remain
Customers and media at Dublin Airport are reporting that this morning’s early burst of queues has eased, with Sky News’ Ireland reporter Stephen Murphy posting an image of a clear Ryanair check-in area in terminal 1.
The airport is operating with just 70 per cent of its usual staff as it heads through half term and into the jubilee bank holiday weekend, the Irish Independent reported this morning.
Yet passenger levels are predicted to be back to 95 per cent of pre-pandemic levels.
Yesterday ministers told airport management company DAA of their “immense disappointment and frustration” at the travel chaos in recent weeks, demanding solutions by this morning.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin said: “The answer lies within human resource management within the DAA, and planning within the organisation also.”
Industry ‘should have been preparing for this’ says arts minister
The arts minister Lord Parkinson has criticised airlines and airports this morning, saying the industry “should have been preparing for” the spring surge in passenger demand.
Speaking on Sky News, Lord Parkinson said the Department for Transport was working with the industry and has been “for many months”.
He continued: “It’s very distressing if you turn up at the airport and your flight isn’t ready so we’ve been saying to the industry you need to prepare for this, they need to have the staff we need to make sure people can get away and enjoy holidays.
“We’ve been saying to the industry for quite some time they should have been preparing for this.”
Asked about Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary’s comments that support for airlines during the pandemic was “lamentable”, he said: “There’s lots of opinionated people in the aviation industry”.
He insisted that “the companies should have the people in place,” and suggested that the government had been using “post-Brexit freedoms” to speed up the hiring of new travel industry staff.
Family have flight to Greece delayed by two days
A family have had their flight with Tui to Kefalonia delayed by two days.
Teacher Chloe Mottershead, from Middleton, had planned to catch five days of sun on the Greek island with her daughter.
But after arriving at the airport on Sunday, their departure time kept being pushed back.
“My daughter was crying and upset and was extremely tired,” Ms Mottershead told the Manchester Evening News.
UK front pages dominated by travel disruption
The UK’s front pages are dominated on Tuesday by the airport delays that have jeopardised half-term travel for many people.
More than 6,000 flights cancelled over Memorial Day weekend
It is not just the UK which has been struggling with flight cancellations of late. So did the US over the Memorial Day weekend.
Read more from our reporter Graig Graziosi:
More than 6,000 flights cancelled over Memorial Day weekend
Bad weather and ‘air traffic control actions’ were said to have caused the disruptions
Half-term travel misery
As well as leading on the cost-of-living crisis, our front page on Tuesday carries a photograph of the travel chaos experienced at British airports over half term.
Dublin airport baggage check-in taking more than three hours, reports suggest
Reports suggest it is now taking upwards of three hours to check in baggage at Dublin airport.
Travel chaos going to ‘get worse before it gets better’
The travel chaos seen in recent days will “get worse before it gets better”, a leading aviation analyst has warned.
Alex Macheras predicted there will be “a summer of disruption for air travel”, caused by staff shortages across the sector and by a spike in passenger demand.
Although the problem is being felt across Europe, he said the UK has some of the worst delays.
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