Brits have been warned to not travel by train unless absolutely necessary today as RMT strike action brings Britain to a standstill.
Some 40,000 workers under Network Rail ditched their stations this morning, alongside 14 operators, it has been reported.
Only 20 per cent of train services will run today, therefore Brits have been urged to avoid travel at all costs today.
This could cause disruptions for the Women's Euro 2022 semi-final, which is being held in Milton Keynes, following England's massive win against Sweden.
Speaking on the strikes, RMT boss Mike Lynch said: “Network Rail has not made any improvement on their previous pay offer and the train companies have not offered us anything new.
“In fact Network Rail has upped the ante, threatening to impose compulsory redundancies and unsafe 50% cuts to maintenance work if we did not withdraw our planned strike action.
“The Government need to stop their interference in this dispute so the rail employers can come to a negotiated settlement with us.”
Similar walkouts and chaosare expect to hit the tube next month, as TFL workers also plan to hold industrial action.
Read our travel delays live blog below for the latest news & updates…
- Louis Allwood
How do you cancel an easyJet flight?
To cancel an easyJet flight, you need to go to the easyJet website.
Go to the Manage Bookings section and use your surname and booking reference to log in, and then choose the flight reservation you wish to cancel and click “Cancel”.
If you are asked to pay a cancellation fee, you can do so by entering your card payment details – and your flight should now be cancelled.
Alternatively, customers can call the easyJet customer service team on 0330 365 5000.
You can also cancel flights at an easyJet Help Desk at most airports – but this must be under two hours before take-off.
If your flight is cancelled due to a coronavirus travel ban or the Foreign Office advises against travel to your destination, you will be fully refunded.
But if you choose not to fly due to personal safety concerns and the flight does go ahead, you are not entitled to your money back.
- Louis Allwood
'We should actually be talking about pay increases'
Martin Chalk, Balpa general secretary, said: “We are in talks with British Airways and wish to persuade them that continuing deductions from our members’ pay is unwarranted.
"We should actually be talking about pay increases given the inflationary scenario.
“Unless BA is prepared to walk with us down that road then we will have to consult with members to consider our next actions.”
- Louis Allwood
Liz Truss vows to limit trade unions' ability to 'paralyse the economy'
Liz Truss has pledged to do "everything in her power" to ensure "militant action" from trade unions can no longer "paralyse" the economy if she wins the Tory leadership contest.
The Foreign Secretary announced a series of measures aimed at preventing trade unions from causing disruption on strategic rail routes and other national services.
If she becomes prime minister at the beginning of September, Ms Truss said her government would introduce legislation in the first 30 days of Parliament to guarantee a minimum level of service on vital national infrastructure.
Tailored minimum thresholds, including staffing levels, would be determined with each industry.
She would also ensure strike action has significant support from union members by raising the minimum threshold for voting in favour of strike action from 40% to 50%.
The minimum notice period for strike action would be raised from two weeks to four weeks, and a cooling-off period would be implemented so that unions can no longer strike as many times as they like in the six-month period after a ballot.
Ms Truss would also put an end to members receiving tax-free payments from trade unions on the days they are on strike.
She said: "We need tough and decisive action to limit trade unions' ability to paralyse our economy.
"I will do everything in my power to make sure that militant action from trade unions can no longer cripple the vital services that hard-working people rely on."
- Louis Allwood
Transport for London reviewing long-term funding settlement
Transport for London (TfL) says it is reviewing a draft proposal from the Government for a long-term funding settlement.
TfL has been operating on a series of emergency short-term funding deals since falling into financial trouble during the pandemic.
Andy Byford, London’s Transport Commissioner, said the long-term funding – if agreed – would provide much-needed certainty for those in the nation’s capital.
He said: “Since keeping London moving through the darkest periods of the pandemic we have been making the case to Government that there can be no UK recovery without a London recovery and that there can be no London recovery without a properly funded transport network.
“We are grateful for the support we have received so far, and maintain we have met every condition that has been set by Government as we have worked towards agreeing a multi-year funding settlement that would give certainty to London and to the tens of thousands of jobs across the country that are directly linked to TfL.”
- Louis Allwood
Passengers in Folkestone ‘treated worse than cattle’
Passengers at Folkestone said they were “treated worse than cattle” while stuck in their cars for up to 21 hours this weekend.
The gridlock was blamed on the decision to shut a 24-mile stretch of the M20 due to Operation Brock.
Kent Police effectively turned the roads into a car park for thousands of lorries in an attempt to ease congestion – which seems to have backfired.
The AA branded the entrance to the Eurotunnel in Folkestone the “hotspot of holiday hell”, warning drivers to “be prepared”.
- Louis Allwood
New rail map shows only half of services will run this week
RAIL bosses have unveiled a new map of misery showing how only half of Britain’s network will be open this week.
More than 50,000 railway staff will walkout in the biggest dispute on the network in 33 years.
A map shows the lines which will continue operating in and out of London during the affected dates.
- Louis Allwood
AA warns travel chaos to jam Britain’s roads during warm months
Head of roads policy at the AA Jack Cousens shared his worries that delays will last throughout the warm months.
He explained: “We are concerned that we could be in for a repeat of this congestion across the summer.
“Drivers due to use both Dover and Folkestone to head into Europe on Fridays, Saturdays and Sunday mornings between now and the reopening of schools may see a repetition of these delays.”
- Louis Allwood
Little-known Universal Credit rule could see you fly home from holiday EARLY
Sun seekers are jetting off on their jollies despite the travel chaos, but this mistake could see your benefit payments cut or stopped all together.
If you’re planning on going abroad for any length of time you must tell the Department for Work and Pensions about your plans.
If you don’t report this, you could see your claim stopped or reduced, and you might have to cut your holiday short.
You can go for a holiday for up to a month – but you still need to stick to the conditions of your claim, which involves looking for a job.
How you report a change in your personal circumstances depends on what benefit you are claiming.
Click here to read more.
- Louis Allwood
Brits queue for hours at UK airports – just as school holidays start
Almost a million holidaymakers were expected to leave the UK on flights this weekend.
Long queues could be seen at Heathrow and Bristol airports.
And Manchester and Stansted also struggled with an influx of arrivals.
Social media was awash with complaints of lost luggage not being recovered.
One holidaymaker at Manchester told us: “We were packed in like sardines. It was mayhem.”
Click here to read more.
- henry moore
RMT's Mike Lynch on Wednesday's MASSIVE strike
RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: “Strike action will take place next Wednesday as planned and our members are more determined than ever to secure a decent pay rise, job security and good working conditions.
“Network Rail have not made any improvement on their previous pay offer and the train companies have not offered us anything new.
“In fact Network Rail have upped the ante, threatening to impose compulsory redundancies and unsafe 50% cuts to maintenance work if we did not withdraw our planned strike action.
“The train operating companies have put driver-only operations on the table along with ransacking our members’ terms and conditions.
“RMT will continue to negotiate in good faith but we will not be bullied or cajoled by anyone.
“The Government need to stop their interference in this dispute so the rail employers can come to a negotiated settlement with us.”
- henry moore
BA pilots threaten strike action
More misery is on its way for Brits as British Airways pilots threaten strikes over pay.
BA pilots were considering a ballot on strike action last night after bosses rejected demands for a new pay deal.
Martin Chalk, Balpa general secretary, said: “We are in talks with British Airways and wish to persuade them that continuing deductions from our members’ pay is unwarranted.
"We should actually be talking about pay increases given the inflationary scenario.
“Unless BA is prepared to walk with us down that road then we will have to consult with members to consider our next actions.”
A British Airways spokesman said: "We remain committed to continuing talks with the union."
- henry moore
EasyJet strikes outline
Cabin crew staff are expected to walk out from Friday, July 29 until Sunday, July 31.
Around 450 workers expected to take part in the walkout, in a dispute over pay.
It will affect flights at Barcelona's El Prat airport, as well as Malaga and Palma de Mallorc
Earlier this month, a spokesperson said: “There could be some disruption to our flying programme to and from Malaga, Palma and Barcelona during the strike period but at this stage, easyJet plans to operate its full schedule and we would like to reassure customers that we will do everything possible to minimise any disruption.”
- henry moore
Holidaymakers wait 21 hours for Eurotunnel
As travel chaos continues to ravage the UK, the Eurotunnel is becoming the centre of Brits troubles.
A recent report from the Guardian claims that some Brits have waited over 21 hours to get to the front of the queues.
A large region for this is the buildup of lorries blocking holidaymakers' paths.
- henry moore
Just one in five trains will run during strike days
Just one in five trains will run on strike days — with last services leaving by 6.30pm and disruption expected all week.
A Network Rail map reveals only half of the network will be operating, with no services to Chester, Bournemouth, Blackpool, and most of Wales.
Militant unions told rail users they should work from home for a week to avoid the impending travel chaos, which is set to cost the fragile economy £150million.
Some 50,000 drivers and staff will take to picket lines, claiming their pay rises and conditions fall short.
- henry moore
Ryanair workers to continue strikes this week
The budget airline is set to experience more strikes across its Spanish operations this week.
In response, the aviation company said: "Less than one percent of Ryanair’s flights have been affected in the past month by recent minor and poorly supported cabin crew strikes called by unions who are either not recognised by or who represent tiny numbers of Ryanair crews."
It continued: "Air Traffic Control (ATC) and airport staff shortages across Europe, which are beyond Ryanair’s control, may however cause some minor disruption, and any passengers whose flights are disrupted by ATC staff shortages will be notified of their entitlements by email/SMS."
- Louis Allwood
AA warns travel chaos to jam Britain’s roads during warm months
Head of roads policy at the AA Jack Cousens shared his worries that delays will last throughout the warm months.
He explained: “We are concerned that we could be in for a repeat of this congestion across the summer.
“Drivers due to use both Dover and Folkestone to head into Europe on Fridays, Saturdays and Sunday mornings between now and the reopening of schools may see a repetition of these delays.”
- Louis Allwood
London Underground workers to launch fresh strike
TUBE workers are launching a fresh strike next month causing travel chaos for thousands.
The London Underground staff are planning to walk out on August 19 in a row over jobs and pensions.
The RMT announced the move today just weeks after a Tube strike crippled the capital.
Employees were asked to stay home as London Underground effectively shut down.
- Louis Allwood
New rail map shows only half of services will run this week
RAIL bosses have unveiled a new map of misery showing how only half of Britain’s network will be open this week.
More than 50,000 railway staff will walkout in the biggest dispute on the network in 33 years.
A map shows the lines which will continue operating in and out of London during the affected dates.
- Louis Allwood
Ryanair issues warning for Brits
The boss of Ryanair has warned that new Covid variants could cause problems for holidaymakers again this year – and Brits shouldn't expect cheap fares for much longer.
Demand for flights has returned to almost pre-pandemic levels this summer, with the scrapping of travel restrictions allowing people to go abroad more easily.
However, Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary has called for caution, pointing to the country's experience with the Omicron variant last year.
He said it should serve as a warning that autumn variants could still have an effect on people's travel plans and in turn, the travel industry.
Mr O' Leary said: "While we remain hopeful that the high rate of vaccinations in Europe will allow the airline and tourism industry to fully recover and finally put Covid behind us, we cannot ignore the risk of new Covid variants in autumn 2022.
"Our experience with Omicron last November, and the Ukraine invasion in February, shows how fragile the air travel market remains, and the strength of any recovery will be hugely dependent upon there being no adverse or unexpected developments over the remainder of 2022-23."
- Louis Allwood
Transport for London reviewing long-term funding settlement
Transport for London (TfL) says it is reviewing a draft proposal from the Government for a long-term funding settlement.
TfL has been operating on a series of emergency short-term funding deals since falling into financial trouble during the pandemic.
Andy Byford, London’s Transport Commissioner, said the long-term funding – if agreed – would provide much-needed certainty for those in the nation’s capital.
He said: “Since keeping London moving through the darkest periods of the pandemic we have been making the case to Government that there can be no UK recovery without a London recovery and that there can be no London recovery without a properly funded transport network.
“We are grateful for the support we have received so far, and maintain we have met every condition that has been set by Government as we have worked towards agreeing a multi-year funding settlement that would give certainty to London and to the tens of thousands of jobs across the country that are directly linked to TfL.”
- Louis Allwood
What to expect on Thursday after the train strikes
- Most services will run as normal
- Services affected by the strike on Wednesday will operate a minimal service before 08:00 and restore a normal service by midday. These include:
- London Overground
- The Elizabeth line
- District line – Wimbledon and Richmond branches
- Louis Allwood
Strike date round-up
The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) and Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association – July 27
Arriva Rail London, Chiltern Railways, Greater Anglia, Great Western, Hull Trains, LNER, Southeastern and West Midlands Trains – July 30
RMT – August 18 and 20
- Louis Allwood
Another airline forced to cancel hundreds of flights
ANOTHER airline has been forced to cancel hundreds of flights due to strike action.
German flag carrier Lufthansa has confirmed that nearly all of their flights at Frankfurt and Munich will be cancelled tomorrow.
Airports including Berlin, Bremen, Cologne, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Hanover and Stuttgart are also expected to be affected.
The cancellations have been caused by a strike from German ground staff.
It is estimated that 678 flights will be cancelled across the two major airports, affecting around 134,000 passengers.
The airline confirmed that passengers affected will be contacted for alternative flights, although this is expected to be limited.
- Louis Allwood
ALL British Airways flights at risk this summer
British Airways pilots are now threatening to strike this summer – which could see nearly all flights grounded.
Pilots are threatening to walk out over a disagreement over wages, after taking a salary cut of 20 per cent in 2020 to prevent pandemic-caused job losses.
The strike comes just days after check-in and baggage staff were given a wage increase after threatening strike action, which was called off at the last minute.
Pilots are now putting pressure on their union Balpa (The British Airline Pilots Association) for a ballot of their own.
The union say their members are angry because the airline refuses to reverse temporary pay cuts.
Instead, the pilots are seeking a pay increase, with travel returning to almost pre-pandemic levels this summer.
- Louis Allwood
How do I know if my refund voucher is ATOL protected?
In July 2020, the ATOL scheme announced that consumers who accepted refund credit notes for cancelled ATOL-protected trips, would continue to be financially protected under the ATOL scheme.
This protection applies to refund credit notes issued between 10 March 2020 and 19 December 2021.
ATOL stands for Air Travel Organiser’s Licence and is a UK scheme that protects most package holidays.
It protects you in the event your travel company goes bust or there is a problem with your trip, such as was seen during the Covid crisis.
You can check whether your holiday is ATOL protected by looking for the logo on the travel company’s website, shop window or brochure at the time of booking.
Members of the scheme should display the logo along with their ATOL number.
If in doubt, ask your travel agent or the company you are booking with.
You can also search the company’s name or ATOL number using the ATOL database.
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