Flight cancellations LIVE – Brits all saying same thing as holiday firms KEEP flogging cheap hols despite travel chaos

BRITS are all saying the same thing as holiday firms are still selling cheap holidays despite the ongoing travel disruption.

Travel firm Tui is still advertising its bargain breaks despite axing holidays for more than 30,000 passengers this summer.

Customers were left furious today after spotting the airline’s ads on TV and social media as millions of Brits had their travel plans crushed.

Tui announced it would be cancelling around 43 flights a week until June 30 to prevent further problems seen at UK airports this week.

Customers claim they are still being targeted for trips – with many spotting adverts for Tui on TV and online.

One person wrote on Twitter: “What are they still advertising on TV/Social Media for holidays right now when cancelling and ruining hundreds off peoples breaks!!!! Such a joke.”

Another said: “Big business running amok with peoples lives the same as TUI cancelling umpteen flights a day leaving holiday makers stranded but still advertising package holidays they know they can’t deliver on!”

Someone else wrote: “TUI have a cheek advertising on TV #ThisMorning.

“The companies who are cancelling holidays should be banned from advertising holidays for this year, TUI, in particular are pushing holidays thot they are clearly struggling to deliver.”

Read our TUI cancellations live blog below for the latest updates…

  • Louis Allwood

    TUI is STILL advertising bargain breaks despite axing 30,000 seats

    TUI is still advertising its bargain breaks – despite axing holidays for more than 30,000 passengers this summer.

    Customers were left furious today after spotting the airline's ads on TV and social media as millions of Brits had their travel plans crushed.

    Tui yesterday announced it would be cancelling around 43 flights a week until June 30 to prevent further problems seen at UK airports this week.

    The cancellations will be to and from Manchester Airport and will affect nearly 200 flights and around 34,000 passengers.

    But despite the mass destruction of plans nationwide, customers claim they are still being targeted for trips – with many spotting adverts for Tui on TV and online.

    One person wrote on Twitter: "What are they still advertising on TV/Social Media for holidays right now when cancelling and ruining hundreds off peoples breaks!!!! Such a joke."

    Another said: "Big business running amok with peoples lives the same as TUI cancelling umpteen flights a day leaving holiday makers stranded but still advertising package holidays they know they can’t deliver on!"

    Someone else wrote: "TUI have a cheek advertising on TV #ThisMorning.

    "The companies who are cancelling holidays should be banned from advertising holidays for this year, TUI, in particular are pushing holidays thot they are clearly struggling to deliver."

  • Louis Allwood

    'Don't paint us as the bad guy'

    A travel association has take the move to criticise the government.

    The associations has hit out at the government, claiming they should not be 'painting them as the bad guy'.

    Dominic Rabb, the Deputy Prime Minister, told the BBC this morning that, the responsibility lay with the aviation and holiday sector to increase their staffing.

    But Gemma Antrobus, chair of Association of Independent Tour Operators, says the situation could have been avoided if the government had provided more help.

    Gemma said: "And now, when it comes into the situation that we have now, they put the thing back on us when we asked for help in the first place."

  • Louis Allwood

    Grant Shapps to meet leading figures from the UK aviation sector

    According to the BBC, leading figures from the UK aviation sector will meet with Transport Secretary Grant Shapps this afternoon.

    Earlier today Mr Shapps accused the industry of overselling flights and holidays.

    He said he planned to meet with airports, airlines and ground handlers to "find out what's gone wrong and how they are planning to end the current run of cancellations and delays"

  • Louis Allwood

    EasyJet flight cancellations

    EasyJet has cancelled more than 30 flights today, as part of their schedule reduction until June 6.

    This includes flights from London Gatwick, Manchester, Bristol and Edinburgh.

    Destinations across Europe include:

    • Amsterdam
    • Bologna
    • Bordeaux
    • Catania
    • Funchal (Madeira)
    • Krakow
    • Ljubljana
    • Munich
    • Pisa
    • Prague
    • Pristina
    • Sofia
    • Valencia
    • Venice

    Ryanair travel warning as 200 flights a day face disruption

    Ryanair passengers are being warned of travel disruption this summer, which could affect as many as 200 flights a day.

    Baggage handlers at Blue Handling are threatening strike action due to pay cuts, which will affect hundreds of flights if it goes ahead.

    Union Unite has warned that unless they get a substantial pay rise then they will walk out over the summer.

    And with airlines already facing huge problems with delayed and cancelled flights, it could result in even more chaos for Brits hoping to go abroad during the peak holiday season.

    Blue Handling employs more than 750 staff, which handles 200 flights a day during the busy season.

    Eurostar tells travellers to arrive as normal

    Travelers arriving at St Pancras in central London are experiencing long queues for the Eurostar.

    The Eurostar has said: "Our stations are very busy today.

    "Passport and security checks are taking longer than usual due to issues with French authority control systems.

    "Please arrive at the ticket gates at the time shown on your ticket as normal."

    In pictures: Busy Heathrow Terminal 2 as passengers face crippling delays

    A busy Heathrow Airport Terminal 2 as passengers continue to face lengthy delays over the half term and forthcoming 4-day bank holiday.

    Terminal 2 appears to be the busiest this week so far with extra security drafted in to organise the queues and keep some sort of order as passengers get increasingly frustrated

    Airports across Europe have struggled to cope with the rebound in demand but British airports are facing a particularly difficult week as a school half-term holiday combines with a long Jubilee public holiday weekend.

    Grant Shapps DEMANDS meeting with aviation bosses

    Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has demanded a meeting with aviation bosses to find out "what's gone wrong" as travel chaos worsens across the country.

    Airlines continued to axe flights on Tuesday with passengers forced to wait for hours at airports including Manchester, Heathrow, Gatwick and Bristol.

    Heathrow passengers trying to board their flights claimed they had "never" seen queues as long as those on Tuesday morning.

    Passengers have been hit by disruption for several months, with the situation worsening this week due to the rise in demand sparked by the half-term school holiday and the Platinum Jubilee bank holiday period.

    The aviation industry is suffering from staff shortages after laying thousands of people off during the coronavirus pandemic and is struggling to recruit more.

    Airlines and airports repeatedly called for more financial support during the Covid-19 crisis as Government restrictions suppressed demand.

    BA cancels 124 short-haul flights from Heathrow

    British Airways has cancelled at least 124 short-haul flights at Heathrow on Wednesday.

    The airline says passengers were given advance notice.

    EasyJet has cancelled at least 31 flights at Gatwick, including to destinations such as Bologna, Italy; Barcelona, Spain; Prague, Czech Republic; Krakow, Poland; and Edinburgh.

    • Joseph Gamp

      Labour accuses Government of being ‘missing in action’

      Shadow transport secretary Louise Haigh accused the Government of being “missing in action”.

      “Tory ministers can’t even get the basics right,” she said.

      “They should show some responsibility, do their job, and take concrete steps to tackle the chaos growing on their watch.”

    • Joseph Gamp

      Grant Shapps tells airlines to stop selling tickets for flights they can’t staff

      Britain’s Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has told airlines to stop selling tickets for flights they cannot staff after a spate of airline cancellations caused widespread disruption for holidaymakers.

      Airports across Europe have struggled to cope with the rebound in demand but British airports are facing a particularly difficult week as a school half-term holiday combines with a long Jubilee public holiday weekend.

      Airports faced similar queues over the Easter vacation, and Shapps said that while some steps had been taken, there had not been the progress that is needed.

      “We need to make sure there is no repeat of the scenes witnessed over the last few days. Despite government warnings, operators seriously oversold flights and holidays relative to their capacity to deliver,” Shapps said.

      “This must not happen again and all efforts should be directed at there being no repeat of this over the summer.”

    • Joseph Gamp

      South Africa's BA operator grounds flights as cash runs out

      Comair, the South African operator of British Airways flights, has grounded all of its planes after running out of cash, the company said.

      The carrier, which is under administration, also operates budget airline Kulula. Those planes are also grounded, with tickets sales for both airlines suspended.

      Comair's administrators "have advised that the process to raise the necessary capital is in progress and that there is reason to believe such funding may be secured," the company said in the statement late Tuesday.

      "Once received, the airline will be able to recommence operations, but regrettably under these circumstances, the practitioners have no choice but to voluntarily suspend all scheduled flights until the funding is confirmed," it added.

      In May 2020, at the height of pandemic lockdowns, Comair filed for voluntary business rescue — a procedure similar to bankruptcy protection — in order to restructure the company.

      By February this year, the company had regained a 40 percent market share and resumed most flights.

      South African aviation officials had suspended Comair's flights for five days in March over safety concerns, dealing a new blow to the company.

    • Joseph Gamp

      Queen's plane forced to abort landing due to thunderstorms – reports

      The Queen's plane was forced to abort landing in London on Tuesday as she travelled home to Windsor Castle, it has been reported.

      The Monarch, 96, was travelling from Balmoral ready to join the nation's Platinum Jubilee celebrations marking her 70 year-reign.

      The Sun reports her 13-seater was caught in an electrical storm, rain and hail which forced the pilot to abandon landing on the first attempt.

      A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said: "The Queen's flight was delayed due to a lightning storm, all the correct procedures were followed and there were no safety concerns."

      Earlier on Tuesday, Buckingham Palace said the head of state had arrived back at her Berkshire royal residence.

      She had travelled to Balmoral on Thursday for a short break in order to pace herself ahead of the busy four-day weekend of festivities.

    • Joseph Gamp

      Holidaymakers face more chaos on eve of Platinum Jubilee

      Holidaymakers face more chaos on the eve of the Platinum Jubilee bank holiday weekend.

      More than 150 UK flights were cancelled on Wednesday and passengers who could travel were forced to wait in long queues at airports.

      EasyJet cancelled at least 31 flights at Gatwick, including to destinations such as Bologna, Italy; Barcelona, Spain; Prague, Czech Republic; Krakow, Poland; and Edinburgh.

      British Airways axed 124 short-haul flights at Heathrow, but the airline says passengers were given advance notice.

      Tui Airways is continuing to cancel six daily flights at Manchester Airport, which represents a quarter of its schedule.

    • Joseph Gamp

      EasyJet passengers share travel nightmares from Manchester Airport

      One easyJet passenger tweeted a photograph shortly after 4am from Manchester Airport showing a long queue of people in a car park outside Terminal 1.

      He described the situation as "carnage", adding: "Took two hours 45 minutes to get through – most of that was bag drop. Now on the aircraft, but due to shortage of ground crew, there's going to be another delay of approximately 50 minutes."

      Another easyJet passenger said they had to wait for two hours and 40 minutes to receive their luggage after landing at Gatwick Airport shortly before 3am.

      He said this was "simply not good enough".

    • Joseph Gamp

      BREAKING: BA cancels 124 short-haul flights from Heathrow

      British Airways has cancelled at least 124 short-haul flights at Heathrow on Wednesday.

      The airline says passengers were given advance notice.

      EasyJet has cancelled at least 31 flights at Gatwick, including to destinations such as Bologna, Italy; Barcelona, Spain; Prague, Czech Republic; Krakow, Poland; and Edinburgh.

    • Joseph Gamp

      Union says aviation firms 'should hang their heads in shame'

      Unite union general secretary Sharon Graham said those in charge of UK aviation companies "should hang their heads in shame".

      She went on: "They got very rich on high profits and low pay.

      "They then sacked and slashed wages for thousands of workers without a second thought during the pandemic.

      "Now they are reaping what they have sown because, understandably, people don't want to work for them anymore."

    • Joseph Gamp

      'An utter shambles' blasts furious Heathrow passengers

      One passenger described Heathrow Terminal 5 as an "utter shambles", with a "gigantic queue for security".

      A Twitter user posted an image of a queue at Manchester Airport that stretched along a car park, describing the situation as "madness".

      Another passenger at the airport said arriving travellers were waiting for more than three hours to get their luggage.

      She wrote: "People have just abandoned them. We were told to come back during the week for ours."

    • Joseph Gamp

      Government says airports are 'busier than usual'

      A Government spokeswoman said airports are "busier than usual" due to "an exceptionally high number of people travelling" this week.

      She continued: "The aviation industry is responsible for making sure they have enough staff to meet demand and we have been clear that they must step up recruitment to make sure disruption is kept to a minimum.

      "In addition, using our post-Brexit freedoms, we have changed the law to provide the sector with more flexibility when training new employees, which will help it to fill vacancies more quickly.

      "We have also worked with Border Force to ensure preparations meet passenger demand."

    • Joseph Gamp

      Passengers wait for eight hours to find out TUI flight to Greece is cancelled

      Passengers who had waited eight hours for a flight from Manchester to Greece were told it was cancelled by an armed cop.

      He read a statement saying: “What’s going to happen is this — you’re all going to get a full refund for the holiday you have purchased.

      “There is also going to be a £350 per person worth of compensation. You will also get a £200 holiday voucher per person to go on another holiday.”

      Steven Hession and his wife ­Kerrie received a text from TUI while at their Manchester airport departure gate, saying their holiday to Kos was axed due to “significant operational disruption”.

      British Gas worker Steven, 45, said: “It was horrendous.”

    • Joseph Gamp

      Up to 2m people preparing to fly on more than 10,000 flights this weekend

      Around two million Brits are preparing to fly over the next few days for the extended Bank Holiday weekend.

      But punters are facing ongoing disruption with holiday giant Tui announcing it will cancel six flights a day until the end of June, affecting around 34,000 travellers in all.

      According to data from aviation analytics firm Cirium, around 10,000 flights are set to leave the UK between Thursday and Sunday,

    • Joseph Gamp

      'Problems could get worse' says travel expert

      Travel expert Nicky Kelvin, head of The Points Guy UK, warned: “As flights and passenger numbers increase, problems could get worse. It’s important that passengers stay regularly updated.

      “It may also be worth paying for extra privileges, such as priority security lanes or access to lounges, to make the airport experience ­better and more efficient.”

    • Joseph Gamp

      Labour accuses Government of being 'missing in action'

      Shadow transport secretary Louise Haigh accused the Government of being "missing in action".

      "Tory ministers can't even get the basics right," she said.

      "They should show some responsibility, do their job, and take concrete steps to tackle the chaos growing on their watch."

    • Joseph Gamp

      TUI cancels 200 flights in and out of Manchester Airport

      Tui Airways has cancelled nearly 200 flights due to serve Manchester Airport between now and the end of June as the chaos faced by UK holidaymakers worsens.

      The airline made the announcement after passengers suffered long delays in recent days due to staff shortages.

      It will cancel six daily flights up to June 30, including to destinations such as Spain's Canary Islands.

      Other airlines are continuing to axe flights, and passengers are being forced to wait in long queues at airports such as Manchester, Heathrow, Gatwick and Bristol.

      Airline passengers have been hit by disruption for several months, with the situation worsening this week due to the rise in demand sparked by the half-term school holiday and the Platinum Jubilee bank holiday period.

      The aviation industry is suffering from staff shortages after letting thousands of people go during the coronavirus pandemic.

      Airlines and airports repeatedly called for more financial support during the Covid-19 crisis as Government travel restrictions suppressed demand.

      They are now struggling to recruit new workers and have their security checks processed.

    • Joseph Gamp

      Heathrow passengers say they've 'never seen' queues as long as yesterday

      Heathrow passengers trying to board their flights claimed they had "never" seen queues as long as those on Tuesday morning.

      Passengers have been hit by disruption for several months, with the situation worsening this week due to the rise in demand sparked by the half-term school holiday and the Platinum Jubilee bank holiday period.

      The aviation industry is suffering from staff shortages after laying thousands of people off during the coronavirus pandemic and is struggling to recruit more.

      Airlines and airports repeatedly called for more financial support during the Covid-19 crisis as Government restrictions suppressed demand.

      Source: Read Full Article

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