Confusion and cancellations dampen relaunch of summer holiday season
Holidaymakers face a summer of uncertainty as airlines continue to cancel flights amid confusion at the Government’s patchwork “travel corridor” policy.
Last week’s easing of travel restrictions and the publication of a list of countries exempt from quarantine was supposed to hail the beginning of a post-pandemic summer season.
But experts have warned that airlines are still struggling to manage to their flight schedules, leading to more cancellations, while there remains a lack of clarity over where UK travellers can go.
Lee Hunt, managing director of Deben Travel, said: “At this stage we may be booking a new flight or rebooking a flight that has previously been cancelled, only for the customer to be disappointed once more.
“When we are still waiting for refunds and fighting with airlines for flights previously cancelled, we do not want to have to go through all over again.”
According to data from tracking site, Flight Aware, a number of services from carriers including British Airways and Ryanair have already been cancelled this week.
John Strickland, an independent aviation consultant, said that due to the impact of the global lockdown airlines are unable to plan their schedule with the usual accuracy. He said: “Airlines are having to feel their way with a high degree of uncertainty by looking at existing booking levels, information from internet searches, and a degree of gut feel as they plan what capacity to offer.”
Coby Benson, a solicitor at Bott and Co, which specialises in refund and delay compensation, said many passengers are still fighting for money from the start of the pandemic.
“The two biggest problems we’re seeing are lengthy delays in airlines processing the request and airlines fobbing people off by telling them to go to their travel agent,” he said.
“Many flights will continue to be cancelled over the summer as airlines battle with lower staff and operational levels on pre-Covid flight schedules.”
The problems with airlines schedules is likely to be exacerbated by confusion over which countries UK holidaymakers are able to travel to. A study by the PC Agency and Audiencenet found that Britons will only be allowed in 25 of the 74 “travel corridor” countries.
Lee Hunt, who had stopped the sale of summer holidays last week due to the confusion on the Government’s plans for easing travel restrictions, said this needs to be addressed.
“I would say that my main concern however is that people may book flights not being fully aware of the requirements locally,” he said.
“A great example is the UK’s leading tour operators offering seven-night holidays to Cyprus in July when Cyprus has a 14-day quarantine in place.”
Emma Coulthurst, a spokesperson for TravelSupermarket, the comparison website, said: “It is vitally important that holidaymakers check the individual country’s entry requirements before booking and also book cancel-for-free or flexible rebooking options in case they unintentionally book a holiday which entry restrictions then prevent them from taking.”
