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.
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.