Let us help you plan ahead for smooth summer travel
European airports are struggling to cope with an extreme staffing deficit after making over 190,000 aviation workers redundant during the pandemic. As a result, flights are being proactively and reactively cancelled, which can be a source of great frustration for travellers.
With Heathrow now capping summer passenger numbers to 100,000 per day and airlines requested to stop selling tickets, there will no doubt be a knock-on effect for business travellers.
To help you plan as smooth a trip as possible, we have a few tips. This blog will be updated fortnightly, so please keep checking for more information and advice.
Stay on top of the news. Your airline should contact you with plenty of notice if your flight is due to be cancelled. You can also keep up with airline and airport updates through news channels such as BBC and Sky.
Change airports. Bigger airports are more likely to suffer from long delays and cancellations, so it may be worth travelling further to take off from smaller regional airports like London City, Liverpool, Glasgow Prestwick, East Midlands or Leeds Bradford. Stansted is currently the best-performing British hub airport. Figures show that Gatwick has made the most cancellations so far this year with more than 3% of flights not going ahead as planned. In June, one in every 14 flights from Gatwick was cancelled.
Source: OAG
Arrive early. Amid reports of lengthy delays at some UK airports, it’s sensible to assume you will have to wait and arrive early. In June, the airports with the lengthiest delays were Gatwick, Bristol, Heathrow, Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Fast track. Get through security quicker with a fast-track pass, which can be bought for most airports for around £5-7. These may be limited so buying in advance is advised. Links to fast-track services for the UK’s busiest airports are below:
Travel light. Avoid taking hold luggage and travel as light as possible to avoid lengthy delays at the baggage carousel and the possibility of lost luggage.
Have a Plan B
If your business meeting is critical, work on the basis that your Plan A flight may be subject to disruption, so book an alternative fully flexible Plan B option. If the Plan B options turn out not to be required, cancel this in advance and apply for a full refund, provided a fully refundable ticket has been purchased.
Sign up to CTM's Monthly Newsletter, the Ticket
What is the latest on airline cancellations?
With airports capping passenger numbers and ongoing staffing issues, some airlines are proactively cancelling flights, many of which are on high-frequency routes (more than once daily). We recommend double-checking your airline’s website before flying and staying on top of the news.
Source: OAG
British Airways
As a result of Heathrow’s newly imposed capacity restrictions, BA has taken a small number of additional flights out of their schedule.
With limited capacity, BA has announced it will prioritise customers who hold ticketed bookings. Therefore, unticketed bookings for travel between Friday 15 July and Sunday 24 July will be cancelled should they remain unticketed by Friday 15 July at 14.00 BST.
What to do if your flight is cancelled
If you’re flying from a UK airport on any airline, arriving at a UK airport on an EU or UK airline, or arriving at an airport in the EU on a UK airline, you have a number of rights under UK law.
What you’re entitled to depend on what caused the cancellation and how much notice you were given.
If the disruption wasn’t the airline’s fault and was caused by “extraordinary circumstances” which could not have been avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken, you won’t be eligible for compensation.
This includes issues such as extreme weather or air traffic control strikes.
If your flight is cancelled with less than two weeks’ notice, you may be able to claim compensation based on the timings of the alternative flight you’re offered.
The amount you’re entitled to also depends on how far you were travelling. For example:
- For flights under 1,500km, such as Glasgow to Amsterdam, you can claim up to £220 per person
- For flights more than 3,500km, such as London to New York, you can claim up to £520 per person
If you have access to an online booking tool with Corporate Travel Management (CTM), you can use it to amend your flight itinerary. Please contact your CTM agent if you do not have access and require assistance.
Strike action
- Ryanair – cabin crew will strike on Tuesday 12 to Friday 15, Monday 18 to Thursday 21 and Monday 25 to Thursday 28 July at 10 airports across Spain, the USO and SICTPLA unions have confirmed. Boss Michael O’Leary claims it should cause minimum disruption.
- easyJet – two three-day strikes are scheduled for Friday 15 to Sunday 17 July and Friday 29 to Sunday 31 July.
- British Airways – please note the threatened BA summer strike has been suspended.
- Heathrow Airport – Heathrow Airport faces strikes this week.
What to do if your flight is affected by strike action
If a flight delay of more than 3 hours or even a flight cancellation occurs due to a strike, the airline must offer travellers alternative transportation. If the airline does not fulfil this obligation, you can book a substitute transport yourself. You can then charge the airline for the costs incurred.
If you have access to an online booking tool with CTM, you can use it to amend your flight itinerary. Please contact your CTM agent if you do not have access and require assistance.
Stay up to date with the news
To keep up to date with business travel news subscribe to our newsletter bringing you insights, product updates and special offers direct to your inbox. Follow CTM on LinkedIn and Twitter.
Information is sourced from third party sources. While effort is taken to verify the accuracy of this information, CTM recommends that travellers seek independent advice as information may change regularly.