Thousands of vacationers were scurrying Tuesday to find alternate routes home after hundreds of flights were canceled, leaving them stuck in Europe.
As people rushed back to work and school after half-term, they crossed borders rather than waiting for later flights.
Many people claimed they had to pay hundreds of pounds for new flights or other kinds of transportation, such as Eurostar trains.
Teachers who needed to return to the classroom and A-level students who were at risk of missing exams and maybe losing their university spots were among them.
In the last three days, EasyJet has canceled over 300 flights across Europe, with another 2,000 delayed.
Last night, the budget airline announced that it will continue to cancel at least 30 flights every day, with passengers receiving only three days’ warning in most cases. Hundreds of flights were canceled at the last minute, and passengers who were affected reported they were not offered alternate flights home for several days.
Jenny O’Hara is detained in Fuerteventura with her family until Thursday. Harrison is on the left, Rupert is in the middle, and Elyott is on the right, along with Partner Tom Nowell (Harrison is his kid, while the others are Jenny’s).
Jenny O’Hara is detained in Fuerteventura with her family until Thursday. Harrison is on the left, Rupert is in the middle, and Elyott is on the right, along with Partner Tom Nowell (Harrison is his kid, while the others are Jenny’s).
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This is despite their right to be rebooked on a flight as close as possible to their original departure time – even if it is with a competitor airline. They are also entitled to reimbursement for meals and lodging.
Customers of easyJet, on the other hand, reported it was nearly hard to contact customer support for answers.
Wizz Air, a budget carrier, also canceled dozens of flights over the weekend. British Airways canceled more than 100 short-haul flights from Heathrow Airport Wednesday, despite the fact that passengers were notified many weeks in advance.
Tui has announced that six daily flights to Manchester would be canceled till the end of the month.
At a time when there are acute workforce shortages, the airline sector is straining to keep up with the post-pandemic surge in demand for international travel.
Kevin Owen, 51, and Lisa Owen, 50, are married. Customers of Easyjet were left stranded on a Portuguese island, ‘sobbing’ and in ‘total mayhem.’
Kevin Owen, 51, and Lisa Owen, 50, are married. Customers of Easyjet were left stranded on a Portuguese island, ‘sobbing’ and in ‘total mayhem.’
Passengers have accused some operators of allowing them to make bookings that could not be fulfilled.
Father-of-four Joe Murray, of Milton Keynes, had booked return tickets to Tenerife, which were scheduled to arrive in the UK on Wednesday, just in time for the Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
His family, however, was unable to enjoy the four-day weekend when their return flight was twice cancelled by Wizz Air.
‘The curriculum is crammed, and missing three days from school post-Covid isn’t good,’ Mr Murray, who has four young kids, added. There isn’t enough time to catch up.
‘Wizz Air has had since last Wednesday to send us home, and they have cancelled two flights: one while we were checking in and waiting at the gate, and the second four hours before the flight. ‘It’s not up to par.’
Kelly, a Lincolnshire teacher, and her husband, also a teacher, had their easyJet trip from Montenegro cancelled at the last minute on Saturday.
They were advised that the earliest they might return to the UK was Thursday. ‘They assured us we could get a flight on Thursday,’ she told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
‘However, because we’re teachers, we’re eager to get back to school as soon as possible so the students aren’t inconvenienced, which is why we’re traveling to a foreign nation [to get home sooner].’
‘In total, we’ll have traveled by bus for roughly 12 hours.’ Hopefully, easyJet will not cancel our trip a second time tomorrow, and we will be able to return home.
‘However, we’ll have to fly into Bristol rather than Gatwick, after which we’ll have to travel to Gatwick [to pick up our car] and then back to Lincoln.’
In the last three days, EasyJet has canceled over 300 flights across Europe, with over 2,000 flights delayed.
In the last three days, EasyJet has canceled over 300 flights across Europe, with over 2,000 flights delayed.
Over the recent week’s disaster, a blame game erupted between ministers and the industry.
Aviation officials attempted to blame the government for not providing enough notice when the Covid travel restrictions were lifted in March.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps, on the other hand, accused airlines of “poor planning” and “overbooking flights that they can’t service.”
When the peak summer season begins in around six weeks, there are fears of even more turmoil.
Ministers are debating whether to compel airlines to provide automatic refunds in the event of travel interruption.
Affected travelers who must manually request for compensation have reported waiting many weeks for their money to be returned.
Some operators have argued that cancellations or delays are not their fault, therefore absolving them of any responsibility.
According to Paul Charles of travel consultancy The PC Agency, clearing the backlog of travelers in need of new flights will take three days.
‘We’re likely to see a lot of compensation applications from people who are stuck abroad,’ he continued.
British Airways canceled more than 100 short-haul flights from Heathrow Airport Wednesday, despite the fact that passengers were notified many weeks in advance.
British Airways canceled more than 100 short-haul flights from Heathrow Airport Wednesday, despite the fact that passengers were notified many weeks in advance.
The aviation industry, according to the Prime Minister’s official spokesman, must address staff shortages.
‘We completely recognize that the aviation industry, like so many others, has encountered severe hurdles as a result of the pandemic,’ he continued.
‘However, they are ultimately responsible for ensuring that they have enough people to satisfy demand, and we have made it clear that they must increase recruiting to ensure minimal interruption.’
The cancellations were announced owing to ‘the continuous challenging operating environment,’ according to an easyJet representative.
‘We are deeply sorry and totally realize the inconvenience this has caused our consumers,’ she added.