There has been more travel misery for those brave enough to head off to foreign climes this half-term, with more flights cancelled at Gatwick on Saturday, triggering yet more disruption.
Nearly 50 flights – 25 departures and 22 arrivals – were scrubbed from the schedule at the London airport. Almost 7,000 disgruntled passengers affected.
“Poor weather across Europe does mean air traffic control restrictions have been placed on airspace across the continent,” said a spokesperson for Gatwick. "This is causing delays and is the reason for some of the cancellations, and many UK airports will be impacted by this.”
The majority of flights scrapped were with easyJet, although British Airways and Wizz Air were also affected.
One unhappy Wizz Air customer commented on Twitter: “Supposed to fly home to Gatwick from Podgorica on Thu 2nd June. That flight was cancelled, replacement flight this morning was cancelled, tomorrow's flight was already "sold out" and the next available one is Thu 9th June! Causing a lot of stress and expense.”
Bristol was also hit with numerous cancellations with at least 30 easyJet flights mothballed to Berlin, Biarritz, Nice and Prague, according to the Independent. A spokesperson said: “easyJet will operate around 1,700 flights carrying around a quarter of a million customers each day over the bank holiday weekend, with a small proportion cancelled in advance either last week or overnight and informed of their options to rebook or receive a refund.
“Airlines continue to operate in a challenging environment including with air traffic control restrictions operating at London Gatwick and issues with ground operations at several airports including at Amsterdam where the airport has requested airlines to cancel some flying today. As a result a small proportion of additional flights could be subject to disruption today.
“We fully understand the inconvenience this will have caused to our customers. We are very sorry for this.”
An angry easyJet passenger took to social media to even their frustration, writing: “I was due to return from Bodrum this evening, but flight to Gatwick cancelled. I rushed to buy another ticket and earliest we could get is Wed. Now my partner HAS to be back in London Monday. How do I cancel 1 person’s flight when I booked together?”
Another added: “Thank you easyJet for ruining our holiday by cancelling our flight this afternoon after everyone had checked in at Glasgow Airport and passed through security, and for leaving 150 passengers stranded at Faro on the way home. Not a member of staff anywhere.”
The travel doom and gloom has not been limited to just air passengers, with railway travellers also getting a raw deal after being warned of “significant disruption” to weekend services. Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers union have walked out in a long-running dispute with management at the TransPennine Express (TPE) line over pay.
TPE urged people not to travel on Saturday or Sunday. It said it would be running a changed timetable, with a very limited service available for those making essential journeys.
