Travel expert Simon Calder joined This Morning to advise viewers on the best airlines to use and times to arrive.
Simon Calder was on the couch this morning to advise the best way to avoid the ongoing travel disruptions ahead of the summer holidays. The travel journalist said any last-minute bookings should be made with extreme caution as multiple airlines continue to cancel their flights without finding a later trip for their passengers.
Simon started by clarifying whilst most will still be able to get away on their holidays "you should be arriving to the airport ready to go straight through" to minimise any delays already in place. He added British Airways are the worst culprit for delays and cancellations and should be avoided entirely this summer if possible.
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He said: "They're cancelling flights all the time. They've cancelled 130 short-haul European domestic flights and those are just today's flights. Therefore, even though it's over the summer taking 3.5 million seats out of the supply you and I might want to be flying on, at least you're not turning up at the airport and finding out the planes not going."
The conversation turned to the routes with the most cancellations which Simon declared as Amsterdam without hesitation. "Absolutely. [They are] seeing more than any other city, especially from EasyJet, followed by Milan partly because the airlines have lots of flights so they can cancel them. Malaga and Alicante are also top destinations getting a lot of cancellations," Simon said.
The worst time to catch a flight is 5 am as the first wave of departures is usually an airport's busiest time until around 9 am. Simon added people shouldn't believe arriving early for their 9 am flight will benefit them as it will only add to how busy the airport is. "You're not going to miss your flight but you are going to get in the way of those who have a 7 am flight," he said.
"Looking at the other end of the day you get through the airport really quickly if you have a 9 or 10 pm flight as security is great. Friday is a terrible day to travel too especially in Heathrow due to business and holidays. Holiday airports like Gatwick and Manchester and so on are quite lively on weekends too."
Simon added Ryanair and Jet2 are the best airlines "by a mile" to pick as they have the least cancellations. He urged travellers to be aware of possible upcoming strikes with Ryanair in Spain, Italy and Portugal but said only these locations would feel the effects.
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