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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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.
Dublin Airport running ‘very efficiently’
Dublin Airport is running “very efficiently” on Friday morning, as around 200,000 people are set to travel through the airport over the bank holiday weekend.
Ireland’s busiest airport has been at the centre of a political storm in recent days, after last weekend saw around 1,000 passengers miss flights as lengthy queues extended outside the terminals.
DAA, which runs the airport, admitted that mistakes had been made but insisted that lessons were learned ahead of the coming June 6 bank holiday.
New measures, including the installation of marquees at Terminal 1 for passengers forced to queue outside, have been deployed.
Read the full story:
Dublin Airport running ‘very efficiently’ ahead of bank holiday weekend
New measures, including the installation of a marquee at Terminal 1 for any passengers forced to queue outside, have been deployed.
Roads in Dover: M20 contraflow will continue until Monday morning
At the port of Dover, leisure traffic is reported to be flowing freely – though trucks are being held in queues, a practice that will continue until Monday morning.
The operator said: “The Port of Dover has been working hard with its operational partners to prepare for the Platinum Jubilee holiday period. The Port is currently operating normally and traffic is moving effectively, and we expect this to continue over the bank holiday weekend.”
Simon Jones of the BBC reports: “The Operation Brock contraflow system will be taken off the M20 overnight on Sunday, at the end of the half-term break and Jubilee weekend.”
Could airlines be forced to issue automatic refunds?
Airlines could be forced to issue automatic refunds to customers whose flights they cancel at short notice, under plans being discussed by UK ministers.
During weeks of last-minute cancellations and daily schedule changes from the likes of easyJet, British Airways and Tui, calls for an automatic refund system have intensified as thousands of holidaymakers clamour to get their money back.
At present, travellers whose flights have been cancelled must apply manually for a refund or choose to accept a rescheduled departure from the airline.
Simon Calder, travel correspondent of The Independent, said: “Airlines have consistently batted this idea away. They say automatic refunds are very complicated – partly because many passengers book indirectly, and also because of concern about fraud.
“Yet rail firms such as LNER have already shown how passengers who buy direct from the travel company can get automatic or one-click refunds when their journeys are disrupted.
“Equally important, though, is proper enforcement of the existing rules about flight cancellations. Time and again, passengers are not given a full picture of their options and entitlements.”
Read the full story:
Calls for automatic airline refunds grow as daily flight cancellations continue
In April, the Transport Select Committee backed a system of automatic refunds for airlines that cancel flights
Why travelling with hand-luggage only is a good plan
A reader contacted the travel desk of The Independent to say: “I’ve been reading some pretty ridiculous ideas for passengers helping airlines out of the hole they seem to have dug themselves. Passengers are being advised to stick to cabin baggage – or, in the case of British Airways, drop off their bags the night before. Do you agree that these are rubbish?”
Simon Calder responds: “No, they strike me as proportionate and effective measures that I hope will be far more than a short-term nudge to get the airlines through a summer in which the aviation industry will be at full stretch like never before.
“They are both aimed at tackling one specific aspect of the overstretch at Britain’s airports: accepting, loading and unloading passengers’ bags. To take the first: I have always been an advocate of cabin-baggage only. It brings many benefits.
“From a purely selfish point of view, it removes two of the hurdles on an airline journey: queueing to check in luggage and waiting at the other end for your bag to appear.
“Of course it might not appear, perhaps having been sent to Los Angeles (LAX) when you are flying to Lagos (LOS). These days it also saves you money on most flights, as well as benefitting the planet by reducing microscopically the fuel burn.
“Other passengers benefit because, by removing yourself from the check-in queue, their progress is accelerated. Just 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.
“Among UK and Irish airlines, British Airways has the best allowance: two bags weighing 23 kg each.
“BA also advises people to check in bags the night before. This makes perfect sense if you’re one of the many people who stay in an airport hotel the night before an early flight. The airport is quiet, and it reduces the tasks and the stress in the morning. ‘Twilight check-in’ has been a bit on-and-off over the years; I hope it becomes a permanent feature.”
Passport confusion continues over EU trips
Confusion continues among prospective travellers about passport validity for journeys to the European Union.
Since Brexit, UK passport holders have been treated as “third country nationals” – subject to rules on the issue and expiry of their passports.
The conditions for entry of a British passport holder to the EU (and wider Schengen Area, including Iceland, Norway and Switzerland) are these:
- Issue date less than 10 years ago on day of entry to EU
- Expiry date at least three months away on intended day of return
However, one reader contacted The Independent to say: “I am trying very hard to make sense of all the advice in the topic, but when so much of the official advice uses words like ‘may’ it does not fill me with confidence that I will 100 per cent be able to get my flight. I don’t know whether to cancel or risk it.
“What I am unsure of or remains unclear everywhere is whether the expiry day changes to become 10 years from issue date or remains as printed?”
The false claim that British passports “expire” 10 years after they are issued in the view of the European Union has been widely made by media, travel firms and even the Foreign Office. But airlines and the UK government has now aligned with the principles above – established by the European Commission and communicated, unusually, via The Independent.
The reader says: “My holiday in Croatia is 4-14 July. My passport was issued 12 September 2012. Expiry date is 21 June 2023.” She is able to travel out to the European Union any day up to 11 September 2022 (the day before the passport’s 10th birthday) and stay up to 90 days.
Travel to Europe: Current passport expiration rules
Seeing headlines about passports expiring after Brexit? Here are the rules as stated by the European Union, not the UK government nor the airlines
‘What airport queues?’: Passengers report arriving first thing to quiet terminals
Some holidaymakers have reported turning up four hours early to their UK airport this morning - only to find it hushed and queue-free.
Atrum Starstryder posted from Birmingham Airport, saying: “What airport queues? Ahahahhahah..haha...ha *realisation* so just the 4 hours to wait in departures then”.
At Stansted, Tim Mapley said: “No queues at @STN_Airport when I arrived at 8am. Literally walked right up to security and got to a tray. If you’re travelling without check in you should be good with two hours #BonVoyage”
At Dublin, William Quill said: “Our Dublin Airport experience: We arrived at 5.30 for our 9.15 flight to Riga. In the queue to check in luggage at about 6. Desk opened at 8. Luggage checked in at 8.12. Through security at 8.25. At the gate at 8.30. Boarding at 9. Seated on the plane at 9.10.”
As a result of earlier arrivals to the airport, passengers at Gatwick and Dublin have reported overlong queues for the terminals’ airside food and drink outlets.
It is worth leaving a reasonable window for check-in at your airport, as queues can swell and ease at different points throughout the day. Most airports advise two to two-and-a-half hours for a short-haul flight and three to three-and-a-half hours for a long-haul flight.
‘Pre-pandemic, a third of airport workers were EU citizens’ claims industry figure
Before the coronavirus pandemic, one-third of workers in the UK aviation industry were from other European Union nations, a leading travel figure has claimed.
Paul Charles, chief executive of The PC Agency and a campaigner for aviation, tweeted: "2,840 departures scheduled to leave #UK airports today, carrying approx 500,000 passengers.
“Our analysis also shows that, pre-pandemic, around 33 per cent of workers in #UK airports and at airlines were #EU citizens - most of those have left the #UK."
Others have pointed to disruption at Amsterdam Schiphol and Dublin Airport last weekend as evidence that travel chaos is widespread in Europe as well as the UK.
Last month, research by the European airports association ACI Europe found that two-thirds (66 per cent) of the continent’s airports expect flight delays to increase, while more than one third say operations will be affected by staff shortages during summer and beyond.
Two-thirds of European airports expect delays and cancellations this summer
Airlines have been hampered by staff shortages, slow recruitment and a sharp rise in demand for holidays
How early should I get to the airport?
As many prepare to jet off on spring holidays to make the most of the four-day jubilee weekend, how early is too early to arrive at the airport?
Seeing photos and video of queues stretching outside airport terminals, it’s understandable that you might want to check in as early as possible to avoid getting caught up in the chaos.
However, airport bosses are warning that getting to the terminal too early can clog up queues and prevent people with earlier flights than yours getting through - adding even more to the stress levels.
On top of this, each airline has slightly different rules around check-in and bag drop times.
Here’s everything you need to know:
How many hours should I arrive before my flight? Airline rules explained
Horror stories and heart-sinking photos of queues and missed flights are making a trip to the airport feel like Mission: Impossible. But to be sure you won’t miss your flight, how early should you get there?
Last-minute cancellations continue on easyJet to and from Gatwick
Passengers booked on easyJet to or from Gatwick continue to face problems, with last-minute cancellations of flights to Milan Malpensa and Madrid this morning.
One traveller booked to return from the Italian airport, Ellie Goss, tweeted: “@easyJet cancel our flight from Milan Malpensa to London Gatwick, then provide us with no alternative flights to get home or flight information. What you playing at easyJet?”
Yesterday three early flights to southern France were grounded with just a couple of hours’ notice.
Any airline cancelling a flight at short notice must provide an alternative on the same day of travel, including on a rival carrier if need be, at no cost to the passenger.
In addition, easyJet is obliged to pay cash compensation of £220 for a flight of this distance.
Good morning
Good morning and welcome to The Independent’s travel liveblog, where we’ll be sharing all the latest news and updates for the jubilee weekend.
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