"It's shaping up to be a summer of discontent," the opening sentiment of Five's documentary Britain's Travel Chaos isn't too promising, but it's not all doom and gloom, there is hope on the horizon with plenty of experts on hand to offer their tips and trips to saving your summer holiday.
After two years of lockdowns and covid-19 restrictions, millions of travellers were preparing to set off for sunny holidays, city breaks, weddings, honeymoons and long-awaited celebrations. But with cancellations and delays, queues a mile long and baggage sent to incorrect countries, the Easter and half-term holidays turned into travel days from hell for many people.
But with news that more flights are being cancelled by the day and more train strikes are heading our way, what do we have to look out for and is it possible to save our summer holidays?
Read more: Look further afield and beat the crowds for this year's staycation
Travelling by air
Unfortunately, the bad news is that if you book a flight, there's still no guarantee you'll definitely make it to your destination. Travel expert Simon Caulder reminds passengers to expect disappointment as the main problem across airlines at the moment is that airlines have overpromised on what they can deliver this summer, with BA, EasyJet and WizzAir named as the problematic airlines to watch out for.
The issue is that overbooking flights is a common practice. Airlines want to make sure that there are as few empty seats as possible so they promise too many seats in the assumption that when some fliers don't turn up, there's a bum to fill the seat.
However, as long as passengers know their rights, the disappointment should be kept to an absolute minimum. If your seat is cancelled by the airline, they must rebook you on a different flight. If your flight is cancelled and the reason for that is within the airline's control - this includes staff shortages or technical faults - it is their responsibility to make sure you are on a new flight.
Simon Caulder stresses that airlines have to find you a new flight on the same day to the same destination and they must pay for it, even if the only seats available are expensive business class seats on a different provider.
To further protect yourself, Dean Dunham, a consumer lawyer and radio host, reminds travellers that the best way to book a holiday is to book a package holiday. These holidays, which include flights, hotels and sometimes other attractions, are offered larger amounts of protection so getting your money back is a whole lot easier.
If you do book through an airline and it is cancelled, you are entitled to your money back. However, Dean stresses one thing in particular: "If your flight is cancelled, never, never, never, never accept a voucher."
Travel by sea
Travelling by ferry used to be the most popular choice for a stress-free getaway, but as with most things these days, it isn't without risk. Thanks to Brexit, what used to be a quick flash of your passport at border control takes significantly more time.
With checks taking even longer, the queues at ports reflect this too. Queues can stretch for miles with cars and lorries backed up as far as the eye can see. Some passengers have reported being stuck for up to nine hours without provisions.
Top tips
The show's experts warn that travel plans for the summer aren't going to get any easier. So if you insist on travelling this summer, make sure that you are prepared and consider these top tips:
- Book a package holiday with protection from the likes of Atol
- If you're booking a holiday, use a credit card. This way, if something goes wrong and the airline refuses a refund, you have the extra protection of section 75, which means your credit card company can refund you the money and they can go after the airline themselves.
- Know your rights before you even start to book. Visit caa.co.uk to research your passenger rights.
- Book an early flight. It's tough getting up early but cancellations of early flights are not as common and you'll have plenty of time to find an alternative.
- Arrive two hours early for the airport. This way, you're not creating bigger queues and everyone gets through and onto their flights with plenty of time to spare.
- Make sure that your passport is up to date and if it needs renewing, do this before you book any holiday. Make sure that it has enough time left before expiring after travel.
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