A new Government plan to tackle flight disruption this summer has been unveiled. The strategy is aimed at avoiding summer holiday chaos with the peak school holiday season about to begin.
The 22-point plan was unveiled on a day when there were scenes of “total chaos” at Heathrow, after the airport ordered the cancellation of 30 flights. Some passengers did not find out their flights were cancelled until they arrived at what is the UK’s busiest airport.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said there is “no excuse for widespread disruption” and holidaymakers “deserve certainty”. Tens of thousands of passengers have suffered flight cancellations and huge queues at airports in recent months.
Read more: TUI staff 'cry' as passengers told 'make your own way home'
Demand for travel will surge again as schools in Scotland and Northern Ireland break up for summer this week, while the academic year for those in England and Wales ends in around three weeks. The Government’s action plan includes a number of measures previously announced, such as encouraging airlines to make sure their schedule are “deliverable”, an amnesty on slot rules and permitting new aviation workers to begin training before passing security checks.
A new passenger charter will be published in the coming weeks, providing passengers with a “one-stop guide” informing them of their rights and what they can expect from airports and airlines when flying. Since the disruption during the Jubilee half-term, ministers and officials have been meeting with the aviation industry weekly to discuss the summer plans and issues that could cause problems this summer.
Mr Shapps said: “Holidaymakers deserve certainty ahead of their first summer getaways free of travel restrictions. While it’s never going to be possible to avoid every single delay or cancellation, we’ve been working closely with airports and airlines to make sure they are running realistic schedules.
“The 22 measures we’ve published today set out what we’re doing to support the industry. It’s now on airports and airlines to commit to running the flights they’ve promised or cancel them with plenty of time to spare so we can avoid the kind of scenes we saw at Easter and half-term.
Richard Moriarty, chief executive of the Civil Aviation Authority, said: “We share Government’s ambitions for resolving the travel issues that we’ve seen in previous months. These actions will help the sector to be more resilient in dealing with strong consumer demand.
On Thursday, travel writer and broadcaster Andy Mossack wrote on Twitter: “Total chaos at Heathrow this morning. British Airways flights cancelled and zero customer service!” Another affected passenger, Andrew Douglas, described how he was due to be on a flight to go on holiday but had “spent the last four hours in multiple queues at Heathrow Airport because it’s been cancelled”.
A Heathrow spokesman said the airport “asked airlines to remove 30 flights from the morning peak” as it was expecting more passengers “than the airport currently has capacity to serve”.
Now read:
- What are your options if your passport doesn't arrive in time?
- What happens Behind the scenes of A Place in the Sun as producers share filming details
- Airbnb bans parties and events at homes listed on its website worldwide
- Warning as fraudsters use summer holidays and festival events to scam people
- How ETIAS visa waiver for British tourists visiting the EU Schengen countries will work
