TUI has apologised for the recent disruption that led to flights being cancelled and chaos for holidaymakers.
Flight cancellations hit passengers during the May half-term holidays, many of whom will have paid a premium to travel during the school break and four-day Jubilee Bank Holiday weekend. Staff shortages are among the reasons blamed for delays and cancellations at airports in the UK.
The issues were repeated beyond the bank holiday weekend. A flight from Newcastle to Tenerife was cancelled on Friday June 10 at 45 minutes' notice. A passenger due to fly on it labelled the way he was treated as "appaling".
Read more : TUI customer speaks of 'appaling' treatment after Tenerife flight was cancelled at 45 minutes' notice
TUI CEO Andrew Flintham emailed customers a statement, labelled an "apology", on Monday night. He said the airline has learnt from the experience of the past month.
It reads: "TUI holidays rely on a complex ecosystem of services. This includes our own pilots and cabin crew, as well as operational partners that cover things like check-in, baggage and catering. Alongside that, we work closely with air traffic control and airport security teams. Our planes cannot take to the skies when the ecosystem is not working as it should be.
"Over the first weekend of the May half term, the ecosystem experienced capacity issues that impacted some of our customers. In some instances, customers were subject to delays and – in rare cases – cancellations. These customers had a poor experience – for that, and the distress caused by the cancellations, I apologise.
"I would like to assure you that we have learned from what happened, and we’re working closely with our partners to address the issues that caused the delays and cancellations. I’d also like to reassure you that situations like this are rare – this week, the vast majority of our flights have operated normally, and over 200,000 customers took off to enjoy their TUI holiday as planned. Our teams have been supporting customers who were affected in finding alternative holidays and processing any refunds due. And I can assure you that TUI would never leave you stranded overseas."
Holidaymakers are set for further disruption as Ryanair staff plan to strike. Spanish cabin crew working for Ryanair have announced that they will walk out on June 24, 25, 26 and 30 and on July 1 and 2 over working conditions and pay.
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