Which? calls for airlines to be fined over travel disruption
Which? called today for airlines to be fined over the ongoing travel disruption.
The consumer champion called for the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to be given “teeth” after a spike in Covid infections among staff forced airlines to slash hundreds of flights.
“With many in the industry predicting a busy summer, the government must work with airlines and airports to ensure they have the resources and capacity to handle increased passenger numbers, as there can be no excuse for a repeat of these failings,” said Which? travel editor Rory Boland.
“Airlines wouldn’t be ignoring the law and their passengers’ rights if the aviation regulator had some teeth.”
According to Which?, airlines should either refund or reroute stranded passengers as quickly as possible, as well as provide adequate accommodation.
EasyJet and British Airways (BA) were among the worst affected by the ongoing chaos, with easyJet cancelling today 23 services to and from Gatwick and BA axing 53 EU flights to and from Heathrow, City PM reported.
A leaked letter revealed that airlines warned Home Secretary Priti Patel that a shortage of Border Force could lead to travel disruption ahead of peak season.
“Border Force has signalled that the resourcing of the border this summer is expected to be ‘challenging’ and ‘bumpy’ as passenger numbers increase,” read the letter.
“Avoiding a travel season marred by scenes at airports that were too common pre-pandemic, with immigration queues of more than two hours at key gateways broadcast around the world, must be a priority.”
The Home Office replied the number one priority was maintaining a “secure border,” adding that current delays were not its responsibility.
“Border Force’s number one priority is to maintain a secure border, and we will not compromise on this,” said a Home Office spokesperson. “We are mobilising additional staff to help minimise queuing times for passengers and will continue to deploy our staff flexibly to manage this demand.”