Money Saving Expert, founded by finance expert Martin Lewis, has warned those flying with EasyJet and TUI this summer. It follows months of airport chaos across the UK and abroad as thousands of flights continue to be cancelled.
Between October 2021 and April 2022, British Airways cancelled around 30,000 flights, and EasyJet cancelled around 10,000 between October 2021 and July 2022. Other airlines have also been forced to cancel their flights, including Wizz Air, TUI, and Virgin Atlantic.
Staff shortages and industrial action are said to be the causes for the mass cancellations, reports the Liverpool Echo. With many unaware their holiday will not be going ahead until they reach the boarding gate, the UK Government has tried to crack down on the amount of flights being scrapped.
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Airlines were warned by the government last month that, to avoid further disruption this summer, flights would need to be cancelled at least 14 days before the scheduled departure date to allow passengers plenty of notice and reduce disappointment. If your flight is cancelled 14 days before you are scheduled to go away, you have the right to request a full refund or an alternative route, according to Money Saving Expert.
The organisation adds, though, that you are not entitled to compensation in addition to your refund or reroute. These rules apply if you are departing from the UK or EU on any airline, or arriving in the UK or EU, although, in the latter scenario, it must be on a UK or EU airline.
You are legally entitled to a full cash refund for your cancelled flight, and do not have to accept vouchers if the airline tries to push this alternative. The refund will be returned to the bank account you paid for the flight with, so ensure that all of your details are up to date and, if there have been any changes to your details, let the airline know.
If you still want to go on holiday, then the airline you booked with should offer you an alternative route. Ultimately, it is up to you whether you fly out as soon as possible or try a later date, but the airline should try to reroute you on the same day you were originally meant to fly out on.
There may be no flights available with the airline you booked with but this should not pose too many problems, as the airline can book you on a flight by a different airline. You should also be provided with a reasonable amount of money to cover food, drink and communication costs if your flight is cancelled, in addition to accommodation and transport costs if you are stuck abroad.
A number of airlines, including British Airways, Easyjet, Virgin Atlantic, and Wizz Air, have all said that they give passengers the choice of a voucher or credit. This amount usually comes to the same amount as your cancelled flight cost you, but a voucher offers no benefit to you over cash, unless the airline offers you more than a standard refund.
Compensation for flights cancelled 14 days before departure
It was the airline's fault if the flight was cancelled within 14 days of it departing - on top of being able to request an alternative route, you could also be entitled to hundreds of pounds in compensation. Staff shortages or sickness are often cited to be the reason a flight has been cancelled, but this is still deemed to be the fault of the airline, meaning you are still entitled to a refund.
The amount you are entitled to is dictated by how far you were meant to be travelling and how long the delay was if you opted to take an alternative flight. Bott and Co, a law firm which specialises in flight delay and cancellation claims, states that staff sickness, including Covid-related sickness, and airline crew strikes are not reasons for airlines not to award passengers compensation.
Coby Benson, a solicitor at Bott and Co, told Money Saving Expert: "Most staffing issues, for instance relating to crew sickness or staff on strike, are not extraordinary circumstances and the airline should therefore pay out for these."
How to make a claim
To make a claim, you can complain directly to your airline.
- For British Airways refunds and rebooking, go to Manage My Booking. For BA compensation claims, see make a claim.
- For a refund request from TUI, fill in its online form here. To make a compensation claim, use TUI's online form.
- To make a refund request with Wizz Air, login to your online account. To claim compensation from Wizz Air, follow this link and fill in the form.
With Easyjet and Ryanair, we've linked to their complaints pages, which will explain whether you need to get in touch by writing or by using online complaints forms:
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